Sixty years ago, the most exciting game in UA football history to that point was easily Arizona’s 42-40 victory over Wyoming. It was the first time in UA history both teams had scored in the 40s.
Every time the UA scored on that November evening, 1954, the U.S.S. Arizona bell would toll from the Student Union, one ring for each point. Ears were ringing in Tucson for weeks.
But that game didn’t sustain much mystique because it was won not by a fabulous UA finish, but by Wyoming’s missed field goal attempt on the game’s final play.
Nor did the UA’s previous “Hail Mary” plays create any lasting intrigue. At the end of the first half in the 1988 Territorial Cup against ASU, Ronald Veal threw a 55-yard touchdown pass to Derek Hill. Arizona won routinely 28-18.
In a tie game in 1999 at Washington State, Keith Smith threw a 42-yard Hail Mary touchdown to Bobby Wade, winning 30-24. But Wade trapped the ball against the turf; today’s replay system would’ve negated the score. Not even Wade celebrated with much gusto on a play the nearby Lewiston (Idaho) Morning Tribune headlined as the “Hail No!” A day later, Pac-10 supervisor of officials Verle Sorgen said the pass should not have been ruled complete.
In my opinion, the two most scintillating finishes in UA history were as follows:
1. Arizona 16, Notre Dame 13, 1982 at South Bend, Indiana: Tied at 13 with 4:16 remaining, UA coach Larry Smith purposely milked the clock, running power play after power play from his own 20. When the UA reached undefeated Notre Dame’s 32-yard line, Smith let 30 seconds run off the clock. He called time out. Enter freshman Max Zendejas. The hallowed stadium fell silent. The audacity of 1-2-1 Arizona playing so purposely, putting it all on a freshman’s 48-yard kick, added to the drama. The game ended as Zendejas’ kick split the uprights. Smith wept.
2. Arizona 22, Oregon 17, 1990, in Tucson: The No. 23 Ducks reached Arizona’s 3-yard line with 1:39 remaining. Three runs got the ball to within inches of the goal. On fourth-and-goal, with the clock hitting 0:00, Oregon QB Bill Musgrave ran an option right, appearing to have a winning touchdown in his sights. But Arizona All-American cornerback Darryll Lewis broke off from pass coverage, sprinted for the goal line and hit Musgrave in a mighty collision about 10 inches from the flag. Musgrave collapsed. Thousands from the crowd of 53,283 stormed the field.
Arizona was on the verge of its Comeback For The Ages at Oregon’s Autzen Stadium in 2008. Trailing 48-17 in the third quarter, Arizona rallied, cutting UO’s lead to 48-45, driving for a win. Alas, Keola Antolin dropped a fourth-down pass with 5:25 remaining. The Ducks won 55-45.
Anu Solomon‘s “Hill Mary” will grow in legend if it leads to a successful season.
Arizona’s 1982 win at Notre Dame led to the nation’s No. 3 preseason ranking a year later. The UA’s 1990 victory led to a 7-5 season and a trip to the Aloha Bowl.
