With about 10 minutes until kickoff on Saturday, it was more than 90 degrees in Tucson. Arizona’s student section, the ZonaZoo, was sparsely filled, and with a lack of shade, the rest of the stadium wasn’t exactly filled up, either.
By halftime, Arizona trailed 34-7, the stadium crowd was just about cut in half, with the student section, from afar, looking near non-existent.
On Twitter, fans vented their frustration. One fan tweeted to the Star that “Even Stoops did better after the nuclear disaster that was Mackovic” referencing former Arizona coach Mike Stoops, who replaced John Mackovic in 2003 at the tail end of some UA struggles.
The crowd was barren to the point that when the press box PA announced a sellout crowd of 55,463, there was audibile laughter throughout the press box.
After the game, UA coach Rich Rodriguez was asked about frustration from the fans. The message: he gets it.
“I love our fans. We’ve got great fans,” Rodriguez said. “They have been very supportive since I’ve been here. I appreciate that. If they’re not happy with not winning, hey, nobody over here is either.”
