1971 Arizona Wildcats football team

The 1971 Arizona Wildcats football team represented the University of Arizona in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) during the 1971 NCAA University Division football season. In their third season under head coach Bob Weber, the Wildcats compiled a 5–6 record (3–3 against WAC opponents), finished in third place in the WAC, and were outscored by their opponents, 232 to 191.[1][2] The team played its home games in Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Arizona.

1971 Arizona Wildcats football
ConferenceWestern Athletic Conference
Record5–6 (3–3 WAC)
Head coach
Home stadiumArizona Stadium
Seasons
← 1970
1972 →
1971 Western Athletic Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 8 Arizona State $ 7 0 0 11 1 0
New Mexico 5 1 0 6 3 2
Arizona 3 3 0 5 6 0
BYU 3 4 0 5 6 0
Wyoming 3 4 0 5 6 0
Utah 3 4 0 3 8 0
Colorado State 1 4 0 3 8 0
UTEP 1 6 0 5 6 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The team's statistical leaders included Bill Demory with 1,384 passing yards, Bob McCall with 525 rushing yards, and Charlie McKee with 854 receiving yards.[3]

This was the first season in which Arizona played eleven regular season games, as the NCAA announced plans to expand the regular season.[4]

Schedule

edit
DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 18at Washington State*W 39–2813,500[5]
September 25at UTEPW 14–620,520[6]
October 2Texas Tech*L 10–1331,000[7]
October 9at WyomingL 3–1419,100[8]
October 16UCLA*
  • Arizona Stadium
  • Tucson, AZ
L 12–2837,500[9]
October 23Utah
  • Arizona Stadium
  • Tucson, AZ
W 14–331,000[10]
October 30New Mexico
  • Arizona Stadium
  • Tucson, AZ (rivalry)
L 28–3430,000[11]
November 6Oregon State*
  • Arizona Stadium
  • Tucson, AZ
W 34–2231,000[12]
November 13at BYUW 27–1427,109[13]
November 20at San Diego State*L 10–3921,681[14]
November 27at No. 9 Arizona StateL 0–3150,370[15]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[16]

Game summaries

edit

Washington State

edit

Arizona started the season strong with a win over Washington State and won their first road game since 1968, when they defeated Utah, and breaking a nine-game road losing streak dating back to that season.[17]

Arizona State

edit

In the season finale at Arizona State, the Wildcats never stood a chance against the Sun Devils, and were shut out.[18] As of 2021, this remains Arizona State's most recent shutout victory over the Wildcats in Tempe.

References

edit
  1. ^ "1971 Arizona Wildcats Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  2. ^ "Arizona Football 2016 Media Guide" (PDF). University of Arizona. 2016. p. 106. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  3. ^ "1971 Arizona Wildcats Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  4. ^ "Arizona to play eleven regular season football games this fall". Arizona Daily Star. June 8, 1971.
  5. ^ "Washington State falls to Arizona 39–28 as Roof collapses in final period at Albi". The Spokesman-Review. September 19, 1971. Retrieved September 17, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Arizona defeat UTEP". Albuquerque Journal. September 26, 1971. Retrieved September 17, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Texas Tech defense halts Arizona offense for win". The Odessa American. October 3, 1971. Retrieved September 17, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Wyoming surprises Arizona 14–3". The El Paso Times. October 10, 1971. Retrieved September 17, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "UCLA collects in 28–12 win; Arizona is lifeless". The Sacramento Bee. October 17, 1971. Retrieved September 17, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Wallace fuels U of A". The Arizona Republic. October 24, 1971. Retrieved September 17, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "New Mexico trips Arizona". Longview News-Journal. October 31, 1971. Retrieved September 17, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "UA offense outdistances Beavers, 34–22". The Arizona Daily Star. November 7, 1971. Retrieved September 17, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Record pass play paces Arizona win over BYU". The Spokesman-Review. November 14, 1971. Retrieved September 17, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Sipe's 2 TD passes leave UA stunned, 39–10". The Arizona Daily Star. November 14, 1971. Retrieved September 17, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Arizona State romps". The Lincoln Star. November 28, 1971. Retrieved September 17, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "1971 NCAA Football Statistics (Arizona)". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  17. ^ "Wildcats defeat WSU, finally win on road". Arizona Daily Star. September 19, 1971.
  18. ^ "Devils shut out Wildcats, 31–0". The Arizona Republic. November 28, 1971.
edit