1974 Arizona Wildcats football team
The 1974 Arizona Wildcats football team represented the University of Arizona in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) during the 1974 NCAA Division I football season. In their second season under head coach Jim Young, the Wildcats compiled a 9–2 record (6–1 against WAC opponents), finished in second place in the WAC, and outscored their opponents, 263 to 174.[1][2] The team played its home games in Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Arizona. Despite a 9–2 record, the Wildcats were not invited to a bowl game due to not winning the WAC (BYU defeated Arizona in their head-to-head matchup to win the WAC) and at the time, under WAC rules, only the conference winner would earn a bowl bid.
| 1974 Arizona Wildcats football | |
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| Conference | Western Athletic Conference |
| 1974 record | 9–2 (6–1 WAC) |
| Head coach |
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| Home stadium | Arizona Stadium |
| 1974 Western Athletic Conference football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BYU $ | 6 | – | 0 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 4 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arizona | 6 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arizona State | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Mexico | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UTEP | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colorado State | 2 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Utah | 1 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 10 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wyoming | 1 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The team's statistical leaders included Bruce Hill with 1,814 passing yards, Jim Upchurch with 1,004 rushing yards, and Theopolis Bell with 700 receiving yards.[3] Linebacker Mark Jacobs led the team with a school record 200 total tackles.[4]
Roster
| 1974 Arizona Wildcats football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
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Defense
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Special teams
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Game summaries
Arizona State
Arizona shut out ASU, 10–0, to capture their first nine-win season in school history and ended a nine-game losing streak against the Sun Devils (Arizona had last defeated ASU in 1964). To date, it remains the most recent shutout in the rivalry series. It was also Young’s first and only victory against the Sun Devils as Arizona coach and the only home win over ASU during the ‘70s for the Wildcats. [5]
References
- "1974 Arizona Wildcats Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
- "Arizona Football 2016 Media Guide" (PDF). University of Arizona. 2016. p. 107. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
- "1974 Arizona Wildcats Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
- 2016 Media Guide, p. 86.
- "Wildcats shut out ASU in defensive battle". Arizona Daily Wildcat. December 2, 1974.