1988 Arizona Wildcats football team

The 1988 Arizona Wildcats football team represented the University of Arizona in the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) during the 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their second season under head coach Dick Tomey, the Wildcats compiled a 7–4 record (5–3 against Pac-10 opponents), finished in a tie for third place in the Pac-10, and outscored their opponents, 279 to 218.^[1][2] The team played its home games in Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Arizona.

1988 Arizona Wildcats football
Conference	Pacific-10 Conference
Record	7–4 (5–3 Pac-10)
Head coach	Dick Tomey (2nd season)
Offensive coordinator	Rip Scherer (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Larry Mac Duff (2nd season)
Home stadium	Arizona Stadium
Seasons ← 1987 1989 →

1988 Pacific-10 Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 7 USC $	8	–	0	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
No. 6 UCLA	6	–	2	–	0			10	–	2	–	0
No. 16 Washington State	5	–	3	–	0			9	–	3	–	0
Arizona	5	–	3	–	0			7	–	4	–	0
Arizona State	3	–	4	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Washington	3	–	5	–	0			6	–	5	–	0
Oregon	3	–	5	–	0			6	–	6	–	0
Oregon State	2	–	5	–	1			4	–	6	–	1
Stanford	1	–	5	–	2			3	–	6	–	2
California	1	–	5	–	1			5	–	5	–	1
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The team's statistical leaders included Ronald Veal with 669 passing yards, Alonzo Washington with 651 rushing yards, and Derek Hill with 508 receiving yards.^[3] Linebacker Chris Singleton led the team with 118 tackles.^[4]

Despite a 7–4 record, the Wildcats were left out of a bowl game due to a lack of bowls available at the time and that most of the bowls involved ranked teams.

Before the season

The Wildcats completed the 1987 season and Tomey’s first year with a 4–4–3 record and tied Arizona State in the rivalry contest. The team spent the offseason looking to improve on their record and return to their winning ways as they did under previous Arizona coach (and then-current USC coach) Larry Smith.^[5]

Despite the offseason being held in the shadow of Arizona’s basketball team as a result of its first Final Four appearance and Tomey and his players supporting them, the team continued to rebuild and prepared for the upcoming season.^[6]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 3	at Oregon State	Parker Stadium Corvallis, OR		W 24–13
September 10	Texas Tech*	Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ	TBS	W 35–19
September 17	at No. 4 Oklahoma*	Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, OK		L 10–28	75,004
September 24	Eastern Michigan*	Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ	KMSB	W 55–0
October 1	No. 4 USC	Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ		L 15–38
October 15	Washington State	Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ	KMSB	W 45–28
October 22	No. 1 UCLA	Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ	ABC	L 3–24
October 29	California	Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ	KMSB	L 7–10
November 5	at Washington	Husky Stadium Seattle, WA	ESPN	W 16–13
November 12	Oregon	Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ	KMSB	W 41–27
November 26	Arizona State	Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ (rivalry)	TBS	W 28–18	56,978
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Personnel

1988 Arizona Wildcats football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB Stuart Betty OL John Brandom RB Remy Carrasco RB David Eldridge OL Rob Fiory RB Art Greathouse RB Mario Hampton WR Derek Hill WR Kyle Jan WR Kip Lewis RB Reggie McGill TE George Mihalopoulos OL Glenn Parker OL Doug Penner OL Doug Pritchard RB Bart Recktenwald OL Dave Roney RB Melvin Smith RB Mike Streidnig RB Aaron Thomas OL Joe Tofflemire OL Paul Tofflemire QB 10 Ronald Veal So RB Alonzo Washington QB Bobby Watters RSr RB Ron Wembley OL Rod Woods	Defense Pos. # Name Class LB Zeno Alexander DB Todd Burden LB Darren Case DB James DeBow DB Scott Geyer DL Ken Hakes DB Jeff Hammerschmidt DL Brad Henke DL Reggie Johnson DB Darryl Lewis LB Arnulf Mobley LB Donnie Salum LB Chris Singleton LB Kevin Singleton DL Dana Wells DB Chris Wright	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K Gary Coston K Robert Epstein P Bret Holley K Doug Pfaff	Head coach Dick Tomey Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible   Injured   Redshirt

Season summary

At Oregon State

Texas Tech

After earning a win in the opener at Oregon State, Arizona played its first home game of the season against Texas Tech. This was the first meeting between the two teams since they played in nine straight seasons from 1971–79. After falling behind early, the Wildcats dominated the rest of the way and came away with the win.^[7]

At Oklahoma

Arizona Wildcats (1–0) at #4 Oklahoma Sooners (1–0)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Arizona	3	0	7	0	10
Oklahoma	7	7	7	7	28

at Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, Norman, Oklahoma

• Date: September 17, 1988
• Game attendance: 75,004

Game information

First quarter UA – Doug Pfaff 38-yard field goal. Arizona 3–0. OU – Leon Perry 1-yard run (R.D. Lashar kick). Oklahoma 7–3. Second quarter OU – Jamelle Holieway 5-yard run (R.D. Lashar kick). Oklahoma 14–3. Third quarter UA – Mario Hampton 9-yard run (Doug Pfaff kick). Oklahoma 14–10. OU – Eric Bross 43-yard pass from Jamelle Holieway (R.D. Lashar kick). Oklahoma 21–10. Fourth quarter OU – Anthony Stafford 5-yard run (R.D. Lashar kick). Oklahoma 28–10. Top passers UA – Bobby Watters – 11/25, 124 yards, 2 INT OU – Jamelle Holieway – 3/7, 73 yards, TD Top rushers UA – Reggie McGill – 2 rushes, 50 yards OU – Jamelle Holieway – 17 rushes, 75 yards, TD Top receivers UA – Art Greathouse – 4 receptions, 30 yards OU – Eric Bross – 1 reception, 43 yards, TD

^{[8] [9]}

The Wildcats traveled to Oklahoma in their first ever matchup against the Sooners. Despite playing tough, Arizona could not keep up with the fourth-ranked Sooners and eventually lost.^[10]

Eastern Michigan

USC

The Wildcats welcomed former coach Larry Smith back to Tucson as Arizona hosted the fourth-ranked Trojans.^[11] Several mistakes became a disaster for the Wildcats and USC capitalized on them to break the game open and win big, and Tomey lost to his predecessor for the second consecutive year.^[12][13]

Washington State

UCLA

Arizona hosted top-ranked UCLA in a big test for the Wildcats. Unfortunately, the Wildcats did not have an answer against the Bruins and avoided a shutout with a late field goal, and leading to yet another loss to a top-ten ranked opponent.^[14]

California

California Golden Bears (4–3) at Arizona Wildcats (4–3)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
California	0	3	0	7	10
Arizona	0	0	0	7	7

at Arizona Stadium, Tucson, Arizona

• Date: October 29, 1988
• Game attendance: 47,182
• ^[15]

External videos
Full game

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
California	Passing	Troy Taylor	15/30, 184 Yds, TD, INT
	Rushing	Chris Richards	17 Rush, 52 Yds
	Receiving	Vince Delgado	1 Rec, 55 Yds, TD
Arizona	Passing	Bobby Watters	8/24, 106 Yds, INT
	Rushing	Alonzo Washington	15 Rush, 70 Yds
	Receiving	Reggie McGill	4 Rec, 46 Yds

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP CAL AU 2 California 47-yard field goal by Robbie Keen 3 0 4 Arizona Derek Hill 15-yard touchdown reception from Bart Recktenwald, Doug Pfaff kick good 3 7 4 8:21 California Vince Delgado 55-yard touchdown reception from Troy Taylor, Robbie Keen kick good 10 7 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 10 7

At Washington

On the road at Washington, Arizona visited the Huskies. In a game that was dominated by both teams’ defense, the Wildcats pulled through with a late field goal and finally captured their first win over Washington in team history.^[16]

Oregon

Arizona State

See also: Arizona-Arizona State football rivalry

Arizona State Sun Devils (6–4) at Arizona Wildcats (6–4)

Period	1	2	3	4	Total
Arizona St	6	12	0	0	18
Arizona	0	21	0	7	28

at Arizona Stadium, Tucson, Arizona

• Date: November 26, 1988
• Game attendance: 56,978
• ^[17]

After getting a big homecoming win against Oregon, the Wildcats hosted Arizona State in a rivalry duel. Late in the first half before intermission, with the Sun Devils leading 18–14, Wildcat quarterback Ronald Veal threw a Hail Mary pass that was caught by receiver Derek Hill, who then ran to the end zone for a touchdown and Arizona led 21–18 at the break. The play gave the Wildcats the lead for good as they would not trail again and won it and extended their unbeaten streak over ASU to seven (including the 1987 tie).^[18][19] Veal’s Hail Mary pass was referred to Arizona fans as the “Hail Veal”, “Hill Veal”, “Veal Mary” or simply “The Pass”, which was added to many other memorable play in the rivalry’s history.^[20] The win ended the regular season and Arizona became bowl-eligible.

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Arizona St	Passing	Paul Justin	18/27, 225 Yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Bruce Perkins	18 Rush, 93 Yds, TD
	Receiving	Steve Martin	4 Rec, 71 Yds
Arizona	Passing	Ronald Veal	6/15, 148 Yds, 3 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Alonzo Washington	24 Rush, 150 Yds, TD
	Receiving	Derek Hill	3 Rec, 116 Yds, 2 TD

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP ASU UA 1 Arizona St Ryan McReynolds 8-yard touchdown reception from Paul Justin, kick no good 6 0 2 Arizona Derek Hill 47-yard touchdown reception from Ronald Veal, Doug Pfaff kick good 6 7 2 Arizona St Bruce Perkins 44-yard touchdown run, 2-point pass failed 12 7 2 Arizona Alonzo Washington 10-yard touchdown run, Doug Pfaff kick good 12 14 2 Arizona St Ryan McReynolds 3-yard touchdown reception from Paul Justin, 2-point run failed 18 14 2 0:00 Arizona Derek Hill 55-yard touchdown reception from Ronald Veal, Doug Pfaff kick good 18 21 4 20 82 Arizona Alonzo Washington 11-yard touchdown reception from Ronald Veal, Doug Pfaff kick good 18 28 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 18 28

Awards and honors

• Dana Wells, DL, Pac-10 defensive player of the year and Morris Trophy winner (defense), First-team All-Pac-10
• Joe Tofflemire, OL, Pac-10 Morris Trophy winner (offense)

Season notes

• The Wildcats improved on their 1987 record and achieved their goals with a winning season in 1988.
• Three of Arizona’s four losses were to ranked teams, all of which were ranked in the top ten.
• Arizona had somewhat of a difficult schedule, but managed to win more games. Even though the Wildcats won seven games, they were snubbed from a bowl spot, with losses to ranked opponents, strength of schedule, and a lack of bowls at the time, were factors in them missing the postseason.^[21]
• This season was the first in which a former Arizona coach faced his successor at least two seasons after leaving the school.^[22] Smith’s Trojans had also defeated Tomey’s Wildcats in 1987.
• Due to Pac-10 scheduling, the Wildcats played eight home games and only three road ones. At one point during the season, Arizona played at home for five consecutive games, which was the longest span for the team since they 1979, when they also played five straight home games.^[23]
• Arizona’s win over ASU was Tomey’s first of several victories against his rivals. The final score (28–18) was identical to the 1982 meeting that began the Wildcats’ dominance over the Sun Devils.^[24]
• With nose tackle Dana Wells being awarded the Pac-10 defensive player of the year, Arizona won the conference’s defensive award for the third straight season.
• Arizona would sweep the Pac-10’s Morris Trophy awards, with lineman Joe Tofflemire winning on the offensive side and Wells on the defensive.
• Although it was overshadowed by its basketball counterpart due to its Final Four run earlier in the year, the football program managed to end the season on a winning note.^[25]

References

1. "1988 Arizona Wildcats Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
2. "Arizona Football 2016 Media Guide" (PDF). University of Arizona. 2016. p. 108. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
3. "1988 Arizona Wildcats Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
4. 2016 Media Guide, p. 86.
5. "UA football seeks improvement for '88 season". Arizona Daily Star. April 15, 1988.
6. "Wildcat football prepare for '88 season looking to win more after being overshadowed by basketball during offseason". Arizona Daily Star. August 18, 1988.
7. "Wildcats overcome early deficit, top Texas Tech in home opener". Tucson Citizen. September 11, 1988.
8. SoonerStats.com 2016-10-26 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2015-Oct-23.
9. Gainesville Sun. 1988 Sep 18. Retrieved 2017-Aug-27.
10. "Cats see no consolation in defeat; Arizona falls to Sooners, 28–10". Arizona Daily Star. September 18, 1988.
11. "Smith returns to Tucson as Wildcats host USC". Arizona Daily Wildcat. September 30, 1988.
12. "Trojan horses power USC past Arizona". The Arizona Republic. October 2, 1988.
13. "Trojans triumphant in Smith's return to Arizona Stadium". Arizona Daily Star. October 2, 1988.
14. "Top-ranked Bruins whip Wildcats". Arizona Daily Star. October 23, 1988.
15. "Golden Bears pin 10-7 loss on Wildcats." Eugene Register-Guard. pg. 7C. 1988 Oct 30. Retrieved 2022-Dec-18.
16. "Late FG kick lifts Arizona to first win against Washington". Tucson Citizen. November 6, 1988.
17. "Arizona Conquers Sun Devils, 28-18." Eugene Register-Guard. pg. 8E. 1988 Nov 27. Retrieved 2022-Dec-18.
18. "UA makes it seven straight". Arizona Daily Star. November 27, 1988.
19. "Arizona strikes again, continues streak over ASU". The Arizona Republic. November 27, 1988.
20. "The Pass: Wildcats' 'Veal Mary' leads to another win over ASU". Arizona Daily Wildcat. November 28, 1988.
21. "Wildcats left out of postseason picture". Arizona Daily Wildcat. December 9, 1988.
22. "Wildcats prepare for No. 4 USC, Smith's return to Tucson". Tucson Citizen. September 29, 1988.
23. "Home Sweet Home: Cats' '88 football schedule unveiled, features mostly home games". Arizona Daily Star. March 5, 1988.
24. "Veal, Hill come up big for Wildcats in win vs. ASU". Tucson Citizen. November 27, 1988.
25. "Despite being in basketball's shadow, Wildcat football played successful in '88". Arizona Daily Wildcat. December 1, 1988.