2001 Arizona Wildcats football team

American college football season August 2023 February 2026 football 2001 Arizona Wildcats Arizona Wildcats logo.svg 125 Pacific-10 Pac-10 5–6 2–6 John Mackovic 1st Rick Dykes 1st Spread Larry Mac Duff 11th Double Eagle Flex Arizona Stadium The 2001 Arizona Wildcats football team represented the University of Arizona during the 2001 NCAA Division I-A football season. They were coached by John Mackovic in his first season with the Wildcats, replacing longtime coach Dick Tomey. Arizona finished the year with a record of 5–6 (2–6 against Pac-10 opponents) and again missed the postseason due to a losing record. The season was mostly affected by the September 11 terrorist attacks, which led to the NCAA cancelling a week of college football in mid-September, and the Wildcats had to regroup and play the rest of the year with pride.Wildcat football resumes play in wake of 9/11 tragedy Arizona Daily Star September 19, 2001 Before the season After Arizona completed the 2000 season, Tomey resigned as coach due to the inability to get the Wildcats to complete their goal of reaching the Rose Bowl.How missed chances at Rose Bowl led to Tomey stepping down Tucson Citizen December 1, 2000 Arizona had started the season at 5–1, only to lose their remaining games, including the finale against Arizona State, which led to Tomey resigning, despite several rumors that he would be fired. Mackovic, the former Illinois and Texas coach, was hired to replace Tomey to rebuild the program.UA chooses Mackovic as head football coach Arizona Daily Star December 5, 2000 After being introduced, Mackovic promised that the team would be rebuilt with strong recruiting classes and he would lead them to a Rose Bowl, in which Tomey was unable to do.Mackovic vows to take Cats to Rose Bowl as coach Arizona Daily Star December 5, 2000 He previously served as Arizona's offensive coordinator under Jim Young from 1973 to 1976. In addition, Mackovic would also bring in a new coaching staff, as well as bringing back Larry Mac Duff as defensive coordinator (Mac Duff was formerly part of Tomey's staff in the same position and helped build Arizona's “Desert Swarm” defense in the early 1990s).Mac Duff happy to be back as Wildcats' DC under new coach Mackovic The Arizona Republic February 5, 2001 Mac Duff served as the special teams for the NFL's New York Giants, who had reached the Super Bowl in the 2000–01 season (the Giants ultimately lost to the Ravens in the Super Bowl) before returning to Arizona in the offseason. By the preseason, Arizona was picked to finish in the middle of the Pac-10 standings, though Mackovic was confident that the team would improve despite having a new quarterback.Mackovic hopes for more wins as season approaches Arizona Daily Star August 18, 2001 Schedule 2001 AP Mountain August 30 7:00 p.m. w y y San Diego State Qualcomm Stadium San Diego, CA ESPN2 23–10 29,386 September 8 7:00 p.m. w y Idaho Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ FSNAZ 36–29 44,250 September 22 7:00 p.m. w y UNLV Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ KWBA 38–21 47,031 September 29 7:00 p.m. l Washington State Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ KWBA 21–48 42,729 October 6 7:15 p.m. l Oregon 7 Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ FSN 28–63 45,258 October 13 7:15 p.m. l y Oregon State Reser Stadium Corvallis, OR FSN 3–38 36,619 October 20 3:30 p.m. l y Washington 15 Husky Stadium Seattle, WA FSN 28–31 71,108 October 27 3:30 p.m. l USC Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ FSN 34–41 46,399 November 3 1:30 p.m. w y California California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, CA FSN 38–24 26,222 November 10 5:00 p.m. l y Stanford 16 Arizona Stadium Tucson, AZ ABC 37–51 40,632 November 23 1:00 p.m. w y Arizona State Territorial Cup Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, AZ FSN 34–21 55,831 Roster 2001 Arizona Wildcats f 1 Jr Bobby Wade WR y 3 So Andrae Thurman WR y 5 Jr Larry Croom RB 6 Sr Brandon Marshall WR 9 So Gary Love WR 10 Jr Jason Johnson Jason Johnson (quarterback) QB y 12 Fr Nic Costa QB 13 Fr John Rattay QB y 14 Sr Peter Hansen Peter Hansen (American football) TE y 15 So Cliff Watkins QB 18 So Lance Relford WR 20 Jr Leo Mills RB 21 Fr Tremaine Cox RB y 23 Fr Gainus Scott RB 25 Sr Malosi Leonard WR 26 Fr Mike Bell Mike Bell (running back) RB y 32 So Clarence Farmer RB 34 Fr Chris Harris RB y 35 Fr Sean Jones FB 36 So Anthony Fulcher RB 37 Sr Nick Fleury WR 40 Sr Mike Detwiler FB 45 Fr Antoine Singfield FB 47 Sr Hadley Kilgore RB 59 Fr Chris Johnson OL y 60 Fr Thomas Stevens OL 63 Fr Matt Page OL 65 Jr John Vorsheck OL 66 Sr Steven Grace OL 67 Fr Keoki Fraser OL y 68 So Brandon Phillips OL 69 Sr Dusty Alexander OL 72 Sr Kevin Barry Kevin Barry (American football) OL y 75 So Reggie Sampay OL 77 Jr Makoa Freitas OL y 78 Jr Darren Safranek OL 79 Fr Brandon Hopkins OL 81 Fr Robert Spells WR 82 Jr Burke Eiteljorg WR 83 Jr Michael Hairgrove WR 84 Fr Ricky Williams WR y 85 Fr Tyrone Brown TE y 86 Jr Jeff Wilk TE 87 Fr Steve Fleming TE y 88 So Justin Levasseur TE 89 Jr James Hugo TE 90 Jr Aaron Higginbotham TE 91 Fr Brad Brittain TE 93 Fr Carlos Williams TE 94 So Rudy Montijo WR 2 So David Hinton CB 7 Jr Ray Wells DL y 8 So Michael Jolivette CB 9 Sr Johnny Jackson DE 11 Jr David Laudermilk CB 17 Sr Anthony Banks CB 19 Sr Brandon Nash S 23 Sr Jermaine Chatman CB 24 Sr Zaharius Johnson S 27 Jr Lance Briggs LB y 29 So Danny Perry S 30 Fr Tony Wingate DB y 31 Fr Justin Jochum DB y 33 So Clay Hardt S 37 Jr Johnny Bailey DB y 38 Sr Shelton Ross LB 39 Fr Darrell Brooks DB 41 Jr Scott McKee LB 42 So Joe Siofele LB 43 Fr Kirk Johnson DB 44 Fr Patrick Howard LB y 46 Fr Bret Stray LB 47 Jr Jarvie Worcester S 48 Fr Landon Kafentzis DB 49 So Matt Molina LB 50 Fr Ben DalMolin LB y 51 Sr Austin Ulu DL 52 Sr Mike LaCoss LB 53 Fr Pedro Limon LB 54 Sr Alex Luna DE 56 Sr Keoni Fraser DT 57 So Justin Stewart LB 58 Sr Anthony Thomas DT 61 Jr Robert Ramsey DL 91 Sr Eli Wnek DE 92 Jr Aaron Huisman DE 93 Jr Young Thompson DT 94 Fr Andy Nuessle LB y 95 Jr Ben Alualu DL y 96 Fr Matt Lam DL 97 Fr Isaac Watts DE 98 Fr Fata Avegalio DE 99 Fr Vince Feula DL 3 Jr Sean Keel K 4 Sr Chris Palic P 12 So Ramey Peru P 28 So Bobby Gill K 34 Fr Ryan Slack K *John Mackovic *Rick Dykes – Offensive coordinator Larry Mac Duff – Defensive coordinator Game summaries at San Diego State 2001 San Diego State Aztecs football team #fff #eee Arizona Wildcats;color:white;text-align:center autocollapse Arizona Wildcats (0–0) at San Diego State Aztecs (0–0) – Game summary August 30, 2001 7:00 P.M. Wildcats 0 16 7 0 Aztecs 10 0 0 0 Qualcomm Stadium • San Diego, CA 29,386 Clear, mild, 67 °F °C Ken Flaherty ESPN2 First quarter (6:21) SDSU – Tommy Kivroski 23-yard field goal (Drive: 15 plays, 44 yards, 6:31; San Diego State 7–0) (3:04) SDSU – Larry Ned 1-yard run, Tommy Kivroski kick (Drive: 1 play, 1 yard, 0:05; San Diego State 10–0) Second quarter (12:32) ARIZ – Team safety (San Diego State 10–2) (9:12) ARIZ – Clarence Farmer 12-yard run, two-point pass failed (Drive: 8 plays, 66 yards, 3:20; San Diego State 10–8) (2:56) ARIZ – Brandon Nash 57-yard fumble return, Jason Johnson two-point pass to Andrae Thurman (Arizona 16–10) Third quarter (6:37) ARIZ – Brandon Marshall 4-yard pass from Jason Johnson, Sean Keel kick (Drive: 2 plays, 31 yards, 0:11; Arizona 23–10) Fourth quarter No scoring plays Statistics ARIZSDSU First downs 1714 Total yards 231201 Rushing yards 37–5529–41 Passing yards 176160 Passing: Comp–Att–Int 21–32–118–38–0 Time of possession 31:3628:24 Team Category Player StatisticsArizona Passing Jason Johnson21/32, 176 yards, TD, INT Rushing Clarence Farmer21 carries, 90 yards, TD Receiving Malosi Leonard6 receptions, 52 yardsSan Diego State Passing Lon Sheriff15/30, 138 yards Rushing Larry Ned21 carries, 43 yards, TD Receiving J.R. Tolliver3 receptions, 39 yards In Mackovic's debut as Arizona coach, the Wildcats opened the season with a matchup against San Diego State. It was Arizona's first visit to San Diego since they won the Holiday Bowl in 1998. Arizona's offense started slow, but would pick up momentum to get points and the defense shut down the Aztecs to give Mackovic his first win and end the Wildcats’ five-game losing streak (that dated back to the previous year that led to Tomey stepping down).Cats open with win; UA takes care of San Diego State in Mackovic debut Arizona Daily Star August 31, 2001 vs Idaho 2001 Idaho Vandals football team #fff #eee Arizona Wildcats;color:white ;text-align:center autocollapse Idaho Vandals (0–1) vs Arizona Wildcats (1–0) – Game summary September 8, 2001 7:00 P.M. Vandals 0 0 0 29 Wildcats 3 12 7 14 Arizona Stadium • Tucson, AZ 44,250 Clear, 89 °F °C Jim Sprenger Fox Sports Arizona First quarter (12:21) ARIZ – Sean Keel 44-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 53 yards, 2:39; Arizona 3–0) Second quarter (13:15) ARIZ – Clarence Farmer 7-yard run, kick failed (Drive: 4 plays, 66 yards, 1:34; Arizona 9–0) (2:05) ARIZ – Brandon Marshall 99-yard pass from Jason Johnson, kick failed (Drive: 1 play, 99 yards, 0:12; Arizona 15–0) Third quarter (7:50) ARIZ – Andrae Thurman 19-yard pass from Jason Johnson, Sean Keel kick (Drive: 8 plays, 56 yards, 2:57; Arizona 22–0) Fourth quarter (14:57) ARIZ – Clarence Farmer 1-yard run, Sean Keel kick (Drive: 10 plays, 76 yards, 4:02; Arizona 29–0) (12:33) IDA – Rossi Martin 8-yard pass from John Welsh, Keith Stamps kick (Drive: 6 plays, 65 yards, 2:24; Arizona 29–7) (11:21) ARIZ – Leo Mills 22-yard run, Sean Keel kick (Drive: 4 plays, 65 yards, 1:12; Arizona 36–7) (8:07) IDA – Chris Lacy 20-yard pass from John Welsh, Keith Stamps kick (Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 3:14; Arizona 36–14) (3:21) IDA – Ethan Jones 25-yard pass from John Welsh, John Welsh two-point pass to Kevin O'Connell (Drive: 2 plays, 70 yards, 0:33; Arizona 36–22) (0:52) IDA – Rossi Martin 6-yard pass from John Welsh, Keith Stamps kick (Drive: 10 plays, 70 yards, 1:46; Arizona 36–29) Statistics IDA ARIZ First downs 2922 Total yards 479491 Rushing yards 37–11336–181 Passing yards 366310 Passing: Comp–Att–Int 30–49–121–35–0 Time of possession 33:0326:57 Team Category Player StatisticsIdaho Passing John Welsh28/46, 349 yards, 4 TD Rushing Blair Lewis21 carries, 110 yards Receiving Chris Lacy6 receptions, 98 yards, TDArizona Passing Jason Johnson20/30, 304 yards, 2 TD Rushing Clarence Farmer18 carries, 118 yards, 2 TD Receiving Brandon Marshall1 reception, 99 yards In their home opener, Arizona hosted Idaho. The Wildcats’ offense would dominate, though they would miss a pair of extra points after touchdowns. Mac Duff's defense was “Desert Swarm”-like early, by shutting out the Vandals in the first three quarters. In the fourth, Idaho would mount a furious rally, as Arizona's defense was playing garbage time, but would fall short as the Wildcats held on and Mackovic won his first home game.Wildcats survive late Idaho rally, give Mackovic first home victory as coach Tucson Citizen September 9, 2001 vs UNLV 2001 UNLV Rebels football team #fff #eee Arizona Wildcats;color:white ;text-align:center autocollapse UNLV Rebels (0–2) vs Arizona Wildcats (2–0) – Game summary September 22, 2001 7:00 P.M. Rebels 7 0 0 14 Wildcats 14 10 7 7 Arizona Stadium • Tucson, AZ 50,623 Clear, 91 °F °C Jim Fogltance KWBA First quarter (10:30) ARIZ – Bobby Wade 14-yard pass from Jason Johnson, Sean Keel kick (Drive: 11 plays, 61 yards, 4:30; Arizona 7–0) (8:03) UNLV – Ahmad Briggs 30-yard fumble return, Dillon Pieffer kick (Tied 7–7) (0:08) ARIZ – James Hugo 12-yard pass from Jason Johnson, Sean Keel kick (Drive: 9 plays, 76 yards, 2:56; Arizona 14–7) Second quarter (8:40) ARIZ – Sean Keel 20-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 57 yards, 3:57; Arizona 17–7) (3:16) ARIZ – Tremaine Cox 80-yard run, Sean Keel kick (Drive: 2 plays, 80 yards, 0:15; Arizona 24–7) Third quarter (0:27) ARIZ – Bobby Wade 15-yard pass from Jason Johnson, Sean Keel kick (Drive: 2 plays, 26 yards, 0:25; Arizona 31–7) Fourth quarter (13:14) UNLV – Joe Haro 7-yard run, Dillon Pieffer kick (Drive: 5 plays, 63 yards, 2:13; Arizona 31–14) (11:25) ARIZ – Michael Jolivette 40-yard fumble return, Sean Keel kick (Arizona 38–14) (1:05) UNLV – Bobby Nero 15-yard pass from Kurt Nantkes, Dillon Pieffer kick (Drive: 6 plays, 47 yards, 2:31; Arizona 38–21) Statistics UNLV ARIZ First downs 1124 Total yards 280440 Rushing yards 37–12437–184 Passing yards 156256 Passing: Comp–Att–Int 7–20–019–34–0 Time of possession 28:0231:58 Team Category Player StatisticsUNLV Passing Jason Thomas5/17, 123 yards Rushing Joe Haro15 carries, 71 yards, TD Receiving Troy Mason4 receptions, 87 yardsArizona Passing Jason Johnson18/30, 247 yards, 3 TD Rushing Tremaine Cox8 carries, 111 yards, TD Receiving Malosi Leonard4 receptions, 75 yards The Wildcats hosted UNLV in their next game. It was the first meeting between the two schools. The game was originally going to be played on September 15, but was postponed a week later along with all other college football games in the wake of the September 11 tragedy.UA-UNLV game postponed to September 22 due to 9/11 attacks Arizona Daily Wildcat September 14, 2001 On the day of the game, Arizona Stadium had heavy security measures due to the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, as fans entered the stadium. During the pregame, fans held American flags and the stadium observed a moment of silence for the 9/11 victims and the Arizona marching band played the national anthem before kickoff. At halftime, the band, along with UNLV's, performed “God Bless America” and “America the Beautiful” as a symbol of pride.UA to honor 9/11 victims and nation before game against UNLV Arizona Daily Star September 20, 2001 In the game itself, the Wildcats would outplay the Rebels and Arizona's passing offense dominated on its way to a win and went to 3–0 under Mackovic before entering Pac-10 play.Arizona tops UNLV on emotional night Tucson Citizen September 23, 2001No dice for Vegas Arizona Daily Star September 23, 2001 vs Washington State 2001 Washington State Cougars football team #fff #eee Arizona Wildcats;color:white ;text-align:center autocollapse Washington State Cougars (3–0) vs Arizona Wildcats (3–0) – Game summary September 29, 2001 7:00 P.M. Cougars 28 7 3 10 Wildcats 14 7 0 0 Arizona Stadium • Tucson, AZ 42,729 Partly Cloudy, 90 F C Jay Stricherz KWBA First quarter (13:50) WSU – Lamont Thompson 36-yard interception return, Drew Dunning kick (Washington State 7–0) (9:19) WSU – Dave Minnich 8-yard run, Drew Dunning kick (Drive: 6 plays, 76 yards, 2:05; Washington State 14–0) (8:08) WSU – Dave Minnich 29-yard pass from Jason Gesser, Drew Dunning kick (Drive: 3 plays, 48 yards, 1:11; Washington State 21–0) (6:57) WSU – Mike Bush 6-yard pass from Jason Gesser, Drew Dunning kick (Drive: 3 plays, 7 yards, 0:55; Washington State 28–0) (4:43) ARIZ – Clarence Farmer 31-yard run, Sean Keel kick (Drive: 6 plays, 80 yards, 2:14; Washington State 28–7) (3:43) ARIZ – Austin Uku 2-yard fumble return, Sean Keel kick (Washington State 28–14) Second quarter (9:58) ARIZ – Bobby Wade 23-yard pass from Jason Johnson, Sean Keel kick (Drive: 8 plays, 87 yards, 3:45; Washington State 28–21) (1:43) WSU – Dave Minnich 6-yard run, Drew Dunning kick (Drive: 18 plays, 87 yards, 8:15; Washington State 35–21) Third quarter (10:32) WSU – Drew Dunning 24-yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 81 yards, 4:28; Washington State 38–21) Fourth quarter (5:49) WSU – Dave Minnich 2-yard run, Drew Dunning kick (Drive: 11 plays, 50 yards, 5:26; Washington State 45–21) (1:55) WSU – Drew Dunning 49-yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 30 yards, 3:02; Washington State 48–21) Statistics WSU ARIZ First downs 2415 Total yards 421266 Rushing yards 51–17925–101 Passing yards 283190 Passing: Comp–Att–Int 17–33–114–28–4 Time of possession 37:0522:55 Team Category Player StatisticsWashington State Passing Jason Gesser17/31, 283 yards, 2 TD, INT Rushing Dave Minnich30 carries, 121 yards, 3 TD Receiving Mike Bush7 receptions, 110 yards, TDArizona Passing Jason Johnson13/25, 184 yards, TD, 3 INT Rushing Clarence Farmer16 carries, 84 yards, TD Receiving Andrae Thurman5 receptions, 95 yards vs No. 7 Oregon 2001 Oregon Ducks football team #fff #eee Arizona Wildcats;color:white ;text-align:center autocollapse No. 7 Oregon Ducks (4–0) vs Arizona Wildcats (3–1) – Game summary October 6, 2001 7:15 P.M. No. 7 Ducks 14 21 21 7 Wildcats 7 7 0 14 Arizona Stadium • Tucson, AZ 45,258 High clouds, 70 F C Gordon Riese Fox Sports Arizona First quarter (6:47) ORE – George Wrighster 2-yard pass from Joey Harrington, Jared Siegel kick (Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 1:20; Oregon 7–0) (3:38) ORE – Joey Harrington 1-yard run, Jared Siegel kick (Drive: 6 plays, 17 yards, 2:57; Oregon 14–0) (1:21) ARIZ – Brandon Marshall 44-yard pass from Jason Johnson, Sean Keel kick (Drive: 6 plays, 86 yards, 2:17; Oregon 14–7) Second quarter (13:43) ARIZ – Anthony Fulcher 8-yard pass from Jason Johnson, Sean Keel kick (Drive: 3 plays, 88 yards, 1:03; Tied 14–14) (11:39) ORE – Joey Harrington 2-yard run, Jared Siegel kick (Drive: 5 plays, 45 yards, 2:04; Oregon 21–14) (6:09) ORE – Samie Parker 38-yard pass from Joey Harrington, Jared Siegel kick (Drive: 6 plays, 66 yards, 2:36; Oregon 28–14) (1:21) ORE – Justin Peelle 17-yard pass from Joey Harrington, Jared Siegel kick (Drive: 7 plays, 77 yards, 2:36; Oregon 35–14) Third quarter (11:19) ORE – Maurice Morris 1-yard run, Jared Siegel kick (Drive: 7 plays, 57 yards, 1:36; Oregon 42–14) (8:32) ORE – Onterrio Smith 1-yard run, Jared Siegel kick (Drive: 4 plays, 23 yards, 1:13; Oregon 49–14) (0:20) ORE – Joey Harrington 2-yard run, Jared Siegel kick (Drive: 6 plays, 35 yards, 1:26; Oregon 56–14) Fourth quarter (12:57) ORE – Onterrio Smith 5-yard run, Jared Siegel kick (Drive: 3 plays, 62 yards, 1:12; Oregon 63–14) (9:37) ARIZ – Malosi Leonard 25-yard pass from John Rattay, Sean Keel kick (Drive: 8 plays, 72 yards, 3:20; Oregon 63–21) (4:35) ARIZ – Tremaine Cox 26-yard run, Sean Keel kick (Drive: 6 plays, 80 yards, 1:20; Oregon 63–28) Statistics ORE ARIZ First downs 2824 Total yards 607483 Rushing yards 51–28236–258 Passing yards 325225 Passing: Comp–Att–Int 19–29–114–31–2 Time of possession 33:2226:38 Team Category Player StatisticsOregon Passing Joey Harrington15/24, 279 yards, 3 TD, INT Rushing Onterrio Smith15 carries, 131 yards, 2 TD Receiving Samie Parker6 receptions, 160 yards, TDArizona Passing Jason Johnson7/18, 132 yards, 2 TD, INT Rushing Clarence Farmer15 carries, 158 yards Receiving Bobby Wade3 receptions, 67 yards After losing to Washington State to begin conference play, Arizona hosted Oregon (who was ranked seventh). The Wildcats would be no match for the Ducks, as Oregon's offense put up 63 points on the scoreboard. At one point earlier in the game, the score was tied at 14 before the Ducks broke it open, and gave the Wildcats an ugly loss.Wildcats get dominated by Oregon Tucson Citizen October 7, 2001 at Oregon State 2001 Oregon State Beavers football team #fff #eee Arizona Wildcats;color:white;text-align:center autocollapse Arizona Wildcats (3–2) at Oregon State Beavers (1–3) – Game summary October 13, 2001 7:15 P.M. Wildcats 0 0 3 0 Beavers 14 14 7 3 Reser Stadium • Corvallis, OR 36,619 Clear, 57 °F °C Jim Fogltance Fox Sports Arizona First quarter (3:28) OSU – James Newson 2-yard pass from Jonathan Smith, Ryan Cesca kick (Drive: 8 plays, 35 yards, 3:30; Oregon State 7–0) (0:56) OSU – Kenny Farley 24-yard blocked punt return, Ryan Cesca kick (Oregon State 14–0) Second quarter (10:59) OSU – Jonathan Smith 1-yard run, Ryan Cesca kick (Drive: 5 plays, 44 yards, 1:55; Oregon State 21–0) (2:13) OSU – Cole Clasen 26-yard pass from Derek Anderson, Ryan Cesca kick (Drive: 12 plays, 64 yards, 5:12; Oregon State 28–0) Third quarter (5:26) OSU – Ken Simonton 1-yard run, Ryan Cesca kick (Drive: 8 plays, 65 yards, 3:01; Oregon State 35–0) (1:15) ARIZ – Sean Keel 28-yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 19 yards, 1:54; Oregon State 35–3) Fourth quarter (12:01) OSU – Ryan Cesca 38-yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 60 yards, 4:14; Oregon State 38–3) Statistics ARIZOSU First downs 1124 Total yards 159415 Rushing yards 30–4649–195 Passing yards 113220 Passing: Comp–Att–Int 10–24–217–34–2 Time of possession 25:4734:13 Team Category Player StatisticsArizona Passing Jason Johnson10/24, 113 yards, 2 INT Rushing Clarence Farmer19 carries, 55 yards Receiving Malosi Leonard4 receptions, 61 yardsOregon State Passing Jonathan Smith10/20, 125 yards, TD, INT Rushing Ken Simonton18 carries, 104 yards, TD Receiving Cole Clasen4 receptions, 58 yards, TD at No. 15 Washington 2001 Washington Huskies football team #fff #eee Arizona Wildcats;color:white;text-align:center autocollapse Arizona Wildcats (3–3) at No. 15 Washington Huskies (2–3) – Game summary October 20, 2001 3:30 P.M. Wildcats 14 0 7 7 No. 15 Huskies 21 0 0 10 Husky Stadium • Seattle, WA 71,108 Cloudy, 50 °F °C Fox Sports Arizona First quarter (9:18) WASH – Todd Elstrom 21-yard pass from Cody Pickett, John Anderson kick (Drive: 12 plays, 73 yards, 2:14; Washington 7–0) (5:30) ARIZ – Bobby Wade 4-yard pass from Jason Johnson, Sean Keel kick (Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:40; Tied 7–7) (5:09) WASH – Paul Arnold 78-yard pass from Cody Pickett, John Anderson kick (Drive: 1 play, 78 yards, 0:14; Washington 14–7) (2:51) ARIZ – Andrae Thurman 12-yard pass from Jason Johnson, Sean Keel kick (Drive: 9 plays, 78 yards, 2:04; Tied 14–14) (1:39) WASH – Patrick Reddick 75-yard pass from Cody Pickett, John Anderson kick (Drive: 2 plays, 73 yards, 1:02; Washington 21–14) Second quarter No scoring plays Third quarter (12:30) ARIZ – John Rattay 15-yard run, Sean Keel kick (Drive: 1 play, 15 yards, 0:09; Tied 21–21) Fourth quarter (5:18) ARIZ – Clarence Farmer 16-yard run, Sean Keel kick (Drive: 3 plays, 39 yards, 1:12; Arizona 28–21) (4:04) WASH – John Anderson 39-yard field goal (Drive: 4 plays, -6 yards, 1:14; Arizona 28–24) (0:13) WASH – Cody Pickett 3-yard run, John Anderson kick (Drive: 6 plays, 55 yards, 3:11; Washington 31–28) Statistics ARIZWASH First downs 2226 Total yards 394538 Rushing yards 44–19928–83 Passing yards 195455 Passing: Comp–Att–Int 16–28–129–49–4 Time of possession 27:5432:06 Team Category Player StatisticsArizona Passing John Rattay9/18, 115 yards, INT Rushing Clarence Farmer21 carries, 147 yards, TD Receiving Malosi Leonard4 receptions, 77 yardsWashington Passing Cody Pickett29/49, 455 yards, 3 TD, 4 INT Rushing Rich Alexis11 carries, 45 yards Receiving Paul Arnold7 receptions, 138 yards, TD Arizona traveled to Seattle to take on Washington, who was also ranked (15th). The Wildcats would battle the Huskies in a back and forth affair, and took the lead in the fourth quarter. However, Washington was able to drive into Arizona territory and scored in the final minute to give Arizona a painful loss for the second year in a row.Cats come up short against No. 15 Huskies Arizona Daily Star October 21, 2001 vs USC 2001 USC Trojans football team #fff #eee Arizona Wildcats;color:white ;text-align:center autocollapse USC Trojans (2–5) vs Arizona Wildcats (3–4) – Game summary October 27, 2001 3:30 P.M. Trojans 3 28 0 10 Wildcats 10 3 14 7 Arizona Stadium • Tucson, AZ 46,399 Partly Cloudy, 93 F C Dave Cutaia Fox Sports Arizona First quarter (11:27) ARIZ – Sean Keel 24-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 46 yards, 2:18; Arizona 3–0) (4:34) USC – David Davis 32-yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 31 yards, 2:19; Tied 3–3) (1:35) ARIZ – Michael Jolivette 60-yard interception return, Sean Keel kick (Arizona 10–3) Second quarter (13:35) USC – Kevin Arbet 70-yard interception return, David Davis kick (Tied 10–10) (11:00) USC – Alex Holmes 1-yard pass from Carson Palmer, David Davis kick (Drive: 4 plays, 12 yards, 1:41; USC 17–10) (5:43) USC – Sunny Byrd 1-yard run, David Davis kick (Drive: 12 plays, 66 yards, 4:01; USC 24–10) (0:32) USC – Kori Dickerson 17-yard pass from Carson Palmer, David Davis kick (Drive: 5 plays, 66 yards, 0:45; USC 31–10) (0:00) ARIZ – Sean Keel 46-yard field goal (Drive: 5 plays, 41 yards, 0:32; USC 31–13) Third quarter (7:43) ARIZ – Clarence Farmer 22-yard run, Sean Keel kick (Drive: 2 plays, 26 yards, 0:39; USC 31–20) (3:47) ARIZ – Brandon Marshall 24-yard pass from Jason Johnson, Sean Keel kick (Drive: 7 plays, 66 yards, 2:00; USC 31–27) Fourth quarter (10:46) USC – David Davis 47-yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 51 yards, 3:15; USC 34–27) (7:05) ARIZ – Jason Johnson 9-yard run, Sean Keel kick (Drive: 9 plays, 64 yards, 3:41; Tied 34–34) (1:50) USC – Kris Richard 58-yard interception return, David Davis kick (USC 41–34) Statistics USC ARIZ First downs 1820 Total yards 312412 Rushing yards 30–6434–101 Passing yards 248311 Passing: Comp–Att–Int 24–49–223–43–4 Time of possession 29:3430:26 Team Category Player StatisticsUSC Passing Carson Palmer24/49, 248 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT Rushing Sunny Byrd22 carries, 67 yards, TD Receiving Kareem Kelly5 receptions, 64 yardsArizona Passing Jason Johnson23/43, 311 yards, TD, 4 INT Rushing Clarence Farmer17 carries, 78 yards, TD Receiving Andrae Thurman4 receptions, 96 yards The Wildcats returned home after their heartbreaking loss at Washington and faced USC (who, like Arizona, had a first-year head coach). The Trojans would dominate early, and led 31–13 at halftime before the Wildcats stormed back in the second half to tie the game at 34 in the fourth quarter. Late in the quarter, Arizona had an opportunity to take the lead. However, they would throw an interception that USC returned for a touchdown that gave the Trojans the lead back. The Wildcats would have one last chance in the closing seconds, but ended up being stopped and Arizona fell short again for their fifth straight loss, which tied the same streak that ended the previous season. It was also their tenth consecutive Pac-10 loss that also dated back to 2000.Cats come up short again, fall to USC after late mistakes Tucson Citizen October 28, 2001 A memorable moment occurred early in the fourth quarter, as the Arizona Stadium PA announced gave an update on the World Series score between the Diamondbacks and Yankees (the first game of the series was played on the same day of the Arizona-USC game). When it was announced that the Diamondbacks led 5–1 after three innings, the stadium crowd let out a loud cheer and the Arizona student section chanted “Let’s go, D’Backs”, as the Diamondbacks representative all of Arizona, including Tucson (the Diamondbacks would ultimately win the game and the series in seven games, much to the delight of the Arizona fans).UA, ASU fans react to D'Backs' Game 1 win The Arizona Republic October 28, 2001 at California 2001 California Golden Bears football team #fff #eee Arizona Wildcats;color:white;text-align:center autocollapse Arizona Wildcats (3–5) at California Golden Bears (0–7) – Game summary November 3, 2001 1:30 P.M. Wildcats 0 28 10 0 Golden Bears 3 0 0 21 California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, CA 26,222 Clear, 68 °F °C Jim Sprenger Fox Sports Arizona First quarter (7:28) CAL – Mark Jensen 43-yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 29 yards, 2:46; California 3–0) Second quarter (14:03) ARIZ – Clarence Farmer 65-yard run, Sean Keel kick (Drive: 4 plays, 82 yards, 0:45; Arizona 7–3) (10:35) ARIZ – Justin Levasseur 3-yard pass from Jason Johnson, Sean Keel kick (Drive: 5 plays, 41 yards, 1:40; Arizona 14–3) (4:45) ARIZ – Bobby Wade 50-yard pass from Jason Johnson, Sean Keel kick (Drive: 5 plays, 74 yards, 1:47; Arizona 21–3) (0:01) ARIZ – Bobby Wade 13-yard pass from Jason Johnson, Sean Keel kick (Drive: 6 plays, 71 yards, 0:57; Arizona 28–3) Third quarter (11:03) ARIZ – Sean Keel 38-yard field goal (Drive: 4 plays, 8 yards, 0:58; Arizona 31–3) (0:52) ARIZ – Bobby Wade 16-yard pass from Jason Johnson, Sean Keel kick (Drive: 7 plays, 87 yards, 3:16; Arizona 38–3) Fourth quarter (8:36) CAL – Terrell Williams 2-yard run, Mark Jensen kick (Drive: 8 plays, 65 yards, 3:28; Arizona 38–10) (6:47) CAL – LaShaun Ward 38-yard pass from Kyle Boller, Mark Jensen kick (Drive: 4 plays, 64 yards, 1:03; Arizona 38–17) (4:52) CAL – LaShaun Ward 44-yard pass from Kyle Boller, Mark Jensen kick (Drive: 3 plays, 44 yards, 0:17; Arizona 38–24) Statistics ARIZCAL First downs 2325 Total yards 474354 Rushing yards 39–13746–115 Passing yards 337239 Passing: Comp–Att–Int 19–34–114–39–1 Time of possession 28:4331:17 Team Category Player StatisticsArizona Passing Jason Johnson18/29, 315 yards, 4 TD Rushing Clarence Farmer27 carries, 165 yards, TD Receiving Bobby Wade6 receptions, 118 yards, 3 TDCalifornia Passing Kyle Boller9/25, 178 yards, 2 TD, INT Rushing Terrell Williams28 carries, 108 yards, TD Receiving LaShaun Ward4 receptions, 135 yards, 2 TD Attempted to look for Mackovic's first conference win, the Wildcats traveled to Berkeley to face winless California. Arizona started off slow early but would take control later on with a solid offense and blitzing defense. The Golden Bears would make things interesting late and pulled within two scores, but would not come closer as the Wildcats finally ended their Pac-10 slump and Mackovic earned his first conference victory. The win also kept Arizona's chances alive for a bowl.Cats take down Cal, keep bowl hopes alive Arizona Daily Star November 4, 2001 vs No. 16 Stanford 2001 Stanford Cardinal football team #fff #eee Arizona Wildcats;color:white ;text-align:center autocollapse No. 16 Stanford Cardinal (5–2) vs Arizona Wildcats (4–5) – Game summary November 10, 2001 5:00 P.M. No. 16 Cardinal 10 17 21 3 Wildcats 10 3 3 21 Arizona Stadium • Tucson, AZ 40,632 High clouds, 84 F C Chuck McFerrin ABC First quarter (11:54) STAN – Mike Biselli 29-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 35 yards, 3:06; Stanford 3–0) (8:28) ARIZ – Clarence Farmer 43-yard pass from Jason Johnson, Sean Keel kick (Drive: 1 play, 43 yards, 0:08; Arizona 7–3) (4:07) ARIZ – Sean Keel 22-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 45 yards, 2:29; Arizona 10–3) (2:02) STAN – Teyo Johnson 23-yard pass from Chris Lewis, Mike Biselli kick (Drive: 6 plays, 72 yards, 2:05; Tied 10–10) Second quarter (14:05) STAN – Luke Powell 26-yard pass from Chris Lewis, Mike Biselli kick (Drive: 6 plays, 53 yards, 1:58; Stanford 17–10) (7:06) STAN – Teyo Johnson 3-yard pass from Chris Lewis, Mike Biselli kick (Drive: 10 plays, 69 yards, 5:23; Stanford 24–10) (0:48) STAN – Mike Biselli 44-yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 37 yards, 4:00; Stanford 27–10) (0:00) ARIZ – Sean Keel 52-yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 31 yards, 0:48; Stanford 27–13) Third quarter (14:46) STAN – Tank Williams 25-yard fumble return, Mike Biselli kick (Stanford 34–13) (13:05) ARIZ – Sean Keel 43-yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 54 yards, 1:41; Stanford 34–16) (7:32) STAN – Coy Wire 89-yard fumble return, Mike Biselli kick (Stanford 41–16) (3:54) STAN – Kenneth Tolon 71-yard run, Mike Biselli kick (Drive: 1 play, 71 yards, 0:17; Stanford 48–16) Fourth quarter (10:44) STAN – Mike Biselli 21-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 24 yards, 3:14; Stanford 51–16) (9:33) ARIZ – Clarence Farmer 20-yard run, Sean Keel kick (Drive: 4 plays, 80 yards, 1:11; Stanford 51–23) (6:44) ARIZ – Clarence Farmer 66-yard run, Sean Keel kick (Drive: 2 plays, 66 yards, 0:20; Stanford 51–30) (4:17) ARIZ – Malosi Leonard 21-yard pass from John Rattay, Sean Keel kick (Drive: 1 play, 21 yards, 0:05; Stanford 51–37) Statistics STAN ARIZ First downs 2124 Total yards 445578 Rushing yards 55–27624–163 Passing yards 169415 Passing: Comp–Att–Int 13–23–025–50–1 Time of possession 38:2121:39 Team Category Player StatisticsStanford Passing Chris Lewis13/23, 169 yards, 3 TD Rushing Brian Allen23 carries, 143 yards Receiving Teyo Johnson8 receptions, 116 yards, 2 TDArizona Passing Jason Johnson14/28, 260 yards, TD, INT Rushing Clarence Farmer12 carries, 141 yards, 2 TD Receiving Bobby Wade7 receptions, 131 yards at Arizona State 2001 Arizona State Sun Devils football team #fff #eee Arizona Wildcats;color:white;text-align:center autocollapse Arizona Wildcats (4–6) at Arizona State Sun Devils (4–5) – Game summary November 23, 2001 1:00 P.M. Wildcats 20 0 14 0 Sun Devils 0 7 7 7 Sun Devil Stadium • Tempe, AZ 55,831 Cloudy, 70 °F °C Jay Stricherz Fox Sports Arizona First quarter (8:31) ARIZ – Bobby Wade 19-yard pass from Jason Johnson, Sean Keel kick (Drive: 13 plays, 70 yards, 6:29; Arizona 7–0) (3:41) ARIZ – Jason Johnson 6-yard run, Sean Keel kick (Drive: 7 plays, 47 yards, 2:51; Arizona 14–0) (0:38) ARIZ – Clarence Farmer 20-yard run, kick failed (Drive: 4 plays, 43 yards, 1:33; Arizona 20–0) Second quarter (12:24) ASU – Donnie O'Neal 19-yard pass from Andrew Walter, Mike Barth kick (Drive: 11 plays, 74 yards, 3:14; Arizona 20–7) Third quarter (13:27) ASU – Delvon Flowers 33-yard run, Mike Barth kick (Drive: 5 plays, 69 yards, 1:33; Arizona 20–14) (3:15) ARIZ – Malosi Leonard 10-yard pass from Jason Johnson, Sean Keel kick (Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 3:07; Arizona 27–14) (2:20) ARIZ – Brandon Nash 13-yard interception return, Sean Keel kick (Arizona 34–14) Fourth quarter (7:39) ASU – Delvon Flowers 3-yard run, Mike Barth kick (Drive: 10 plays, 51 yards, 2:08; Arizona 34–21) Statistics ARIZASU First downs 2520 Total yards 388330 Rushing yards 44–16333–113 Passing yards 225217 Passing: Comp–Att–Int 18–29–116–37–2 Time of possession 32:5727:03 Team Category Player StatisticsArizona Passing Jason Johnson18/29, 225 yards, 2 TD, INT Rushing Clarence Farmer32 carries, 158 yards, TD Receiving Bobby Wade11 receptions, 157 yards, TDArizona State Passing Andrew Walter10/22, 132 yards, TD Rushing Delvon Flowers20 carries, 138 yards, 2 TD Receiving Donnie O'Neal7 receptions, 68 yards, TD After their loss to Stanford that ended their bowl hopes, the Wildcats went to Tempe for the annual rivalry matchup with Arizona State and treated it as their own bowl game. As the Sun Devils had a new coach, the “Duel in the Desert” had a meeting between first-year coaches for both teams.Wildcats to take on Devils in battle of first-year coaches Tucson Citizen November 20, 2001 This was the first year in modern history that the Territorial Cup, the rivalry trophy, would be awarded to the winner. The cup, which was originally awarded in 1899 in the first game between the teams and claimed to be college football's oldest rivalry trophy, went lost for decades before being discovered in 1980. Both Arizona and ASU agreed to have the cup be used for the football rivalry and that the winning team would possess it until the next season.Raiders of the Lost Cup: How the Territorial Cup returned to UA-ASU football rivalry Arizona Daily Star November 21, 2001Territorial Cup trophy to be awarded to winner of UA-ASU football game The Arizona Republic November 22, 2001 In the game, the Wildcats scored first and led 20–0 at one point before ASU climbed back in it to cut the lead to 20–14. However, Arizona answered to increase their lead and seemed to break it open with a defensive touchdown. By the fourth quarter, Arizona State tried to come back, but the Wildcats’ defense would come up big to seal the game and Arizona earned their first win in the rivalry since 1998 and also captured the Territorial Cup.How Devil-icious: Cats take down ASU to finish season Arizona Daily Star November 24, 2001Cats dominate Devils; UA cruises to win Territorial Cup The Arizona Republic November 24, 2001 After the game, a fight ensued when Arizona celebrated at midfield and ASU players ran out to start a melee with them, which added more fuel to the rivalry.ASU brawls with UA during postgame, heating up rivalry more further The State Press November 26, 2001 With the win, Arizona finished the season with a 5–6 record, matching the previous season's record (also 5–6). Season notes This season would be the only successful one under Mackovic, as Arizona would decline in wins for the rest of his tenure. Most of the offseason was overshadowed by Arizona's basketball team's success due to their Final Four run and national title game appearance in the spring, though the football team continued preparing for the season.Despite basketball success, UA athletics still competing Tucson Citizen April 20, 2001 Following Arizona's transition with a new coach, the Wildcats unveiled new branding for its sports teams, including a new “Arizona” wordmark (which is still in use today), as they went in a new direction at the turn of the century and millennium. The end zones at Arizona Stadium were colored in blue with the wordmark in white. Also, the words “Bear Down” were now on the sidelines near the goal lines (with “Bear” in red and “Down” in white, all in the same letter font used in the university's logo), and two little “A”s on the 25-yard lines.UA to have new marketing and new logos as it turns towards new image in 21st century Arizona Daily Star July 9, 2001 Wide receiver Bobby Wade would become the de facto leader of the Arizona offense, as he would lead the team in receptions and receiving touchdowns. The win over San Diego State is the Wildcats’ last to date over them, and the two did not meet again until 2021, with the Aztecs winning in Tucson. Also, Arizona did not play both Idaho and UNLV again until 2008 and 2013, respectively. Following the 9/11 attacks, Arizona wore helmet stickers and patches on their uniforms for the rest of the season, commemorating the victims. The Wildcats did not play a Big Ten team for the first time since 1994, ending a streak of six straight seasons. Arizona struggled in Pac-10 play, and not winning until early November. The five-game losing streak was a result of poor play, tougher and talented opponents, and offensive mistakes.Wildcat football hungry for Pac-10 win Arizona Daily Wildcat October 31, 2001 The Wildcats did not play UCLA this season. Arizona failed to score a touchdown against Oregon State for the second consecutive season, only mustering a field goal. For the game against USC, Arizona had a large “A” logo at midfield, which remains in use to this day. Had Arizona defeated either Washington, USC, or Stanford (they came close winning the first two), they would have been bowl-eligible. The Wildcats claimed the Territorial Cup for the first time this season. Since then, they would win it six more times (2004, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2014, and 2016) as ASU is currently dominating the rivalry. In addition, this would be the only win over ASU under Mackovic. Arizona State would be the only other Pac-10 school besides California that Arizona would beat in the Mackovic era (the Wildcats would defeat the Golden Bears in 2002). Also, this would be the only season under Mackovic that the Wildcats won two or more conference games. Awards and honors Lance Briggs, LB, First-team All-Pac-10 Clarence Farmer, RB, First-team All-Pac-10 After the season The Wildcats attempted to improve on their 2001 record in 2002 for a chance at a bowl.UA football looks to improve in '02 Tucson Citizen January 11, 2002 However, they would continue to struggle against Pac-10 opponents and Mackovic would be become the center of controversy involving him and his treatment of his players, and fans called for his firing. The Wildcats would end with another losing season, which showed a sign that the Mackovic era would be over in the future.Arizona should move on from Mackovic Arizona Daily Star December 1, 2002 References Arizona Category:Arizona Wildcats football seasons Arizona Wildcats football