Kevin Klaus/Arizona Daily Wildcat After throwing for a team- and career-record 492 yards and four TDs during Saturday's win against Cal, senior quarterback Jason Johnson gave his game ball to his much-maligned head coach, John Mackovic.

As Jason Johnson was leaving the field Saturday after the Wildcats' 52-41 win against California, he grabbed a football from his team's sideline.

It wasn't a memento of what could be his biggest win as the starting quarterback at Arizona, but rather it was a gift for his coach John Mackovic.

Johnson presented the "game ball" ÷ which is traditionally given to the best player of the game ÷ to his coach just five days after some of Johnson's teammates said he should be fired, which led to a public apology the next day by the second-year UA coach.

"He stood up and said that ÎI'm going to be accountable for this,' and the team really respects him for that," said Johnson about Mackovic. "He, if anyone, deserved a big win on Saturday, and I just wanted to make sure the guys knew, and he knew, how much we appreciated it."

But Johnson, after having a career game, deserved a game ball himself.

After nearly being booed off the field against UCLA two weeks ago, the UA senior signal-caller completed 31-of-45 passes (.689) for 492 yards and four touchdowns.

Yesterday, the Pacific 10 Conference awarded his performance, as the senior signal-caller was named the Pac-10 Player of the Week for his game against California in the Wildcats' 52-41 upset win.

"Jason Johnson was phenomenal," said Mackovic after the Cal game. "I don't know if he could do any more. We're going to ask him to do it one more time, but I don't know if he could do more than he did (Saturday). He was unbelievably focused, alert and sharp with everything we asked him to do."

The 31 completions and 492 yards are Arizona school records, and the 492 yards passing is the second-highest total in the Pac-10 this year and the seventh-best single-game performance in conference history.

"There were, like, three- or four-straight weeks that I know I had a couple of balls that would just tip off Bobby's hands for a huge play, and I think we finally got those Saturday," Johnson said.

Johnson said the Wildcats are going to try to feed off the emotions of Saturday's victory when UA takes on Arizona State on Nov. 29.

"I think both teams have been looking forward to this game," Johnson said. "I think this team, especially with the fact that we were able to win last week, gives us a whole new energy going into this game that we wouldn't have had and we are going to capitalize on that as much as we can."

The win ended a six-game losing streak for Arizona and also puts the feelings of last week's events behind them ÷ somewhat.

"I think some people say winning cures all things, and I don't know if I totally agree with that," Johnson said. "But I think it definitely does reenergize you into knowing that we were so close all season, and to play a great game like (at Cal) and to finally do it gives us great optimism in the ASU game."

And as far as team chemistry for the rest of the season? Johnson said he doesn't see a problem.

"I don't think the team was ever truly divided, but it was more just a breakdown of a lot of little things that led to bigger things," he said. "There was a lot of miscommunication, and I think that once we all talked about things last week and everyone brought everything out into the open, I think a lot of wounds were healed.

"I think this team truly is together."