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Expectations too great

Football team flounders in final weeks of season, misses bowl

The UA football team's 1999 season did not go as planned, to say the least.

For a team that was predicted by many to win the Pacific 10 Conference crown and participate in its first Rose Bowl ever, the Wildcats fell apart and finished 6-6.

"There is obvious disappointment because we underachieved," UA head coach Dick Tomey said. "As a coach you always want to overachieve. We all as coaches feel very responsible."

It was evident early in the season that the Wildcats were over-hyped by many prognosticators across the nation - in fact it only took 30 minutes for UA to realize its fate.

UA opened the season with a nationally televised game on ABC against then-No. 3 Penn State in State College, Penn.

It took the Nittany Lions just 2:56 to open the scoring as senior quarterback Kevin Thompson hooked up with wide receiver Chafie Fields for a 37-yard score.

After another 70-yard score by Thompson to Fields, two field goals by Travis Forney, a 60-yard completion for a touchdown to tailback Larry Johnson and a 15-yard touchdown scamper by Aaron Harris, the Lions were in control at the half, leading 31-0.

The Wildcats averted a shutout with 47 seconds remaining in the game when tailback Leo Mills' dashed into the endzone from 1-yard out.

The final score read 41-7 in favor of the home team, and the Wildcats flew back to Tucson befuddled.

"It was like a morgue," Arizona offensive coordinator Dino Babers said, describing the flight home.

It took the Wildcats the entire first half in its next game at Texas Christian, before the team that was expected to dominate came to play.

Senior receiver Dennis Northcutt caught 10 balls for 257 yards and three touchdowns as UA recorded its first victory 35-31, while coming back from a 25-7 deficit in the first half.

The Wildcats then went on to win three of its next four games, with the only loss being a 50-22 drubbing by Stanford, the eventual Pac-10 champ.

UA was 5-2 and all seemed well on the home front, but the Oregon Ducks came into town and in a hard fought battle, squeaked out a 44-41 victory.

The following week Arizona traveled to UCLA and handily defeated the Bruins 33-7, but that would mark the last victory of the season for UA.

"We had a chance to have a 10-win season if we had won our last three and a bowl game," Tomey said.

The Wildcats lost to Washington 33-25 at home, Oregon State 28-20 in Corvallis, Ore. and finally to Arizona State 42-25 in Tempe.

"I think we had too many turnovers on offense and not enough turnovers on defense," Babers said. "We didn't win any of the key situations."

The loss at Arizona State was typical of the entire season - a few players showed up and had outstanding games, but as a whole the team did not perform up to the task.

"It happened, that's life I guess," senior linebacker Marcus Bell said fighting back tears following the loss at ASU. "I've got to put this game behind me and remember all the good times that I had here. All these great players that I've played with. I just want to tell my guys, my teammates, I feel bad for them, the seniors I played with. I don't know, it just doesn't feel good."

The loss also cost UA a chance at a bowl game because the Wildcats did not finish the season with enough victories to qualify. A win at ASU would have given UA the allotted amount of wins.

"I think we fell apart a little at the end of the year," Tomey said. "This was certainly not our most talented team. We had a lot of talented individuals, but we have had a lot more talented teams."

Some of those talented individuals that Tomey talked about were Northcutt, senior running back Trung Canidate, Bell and senior quarterback Keith Smith.

Northcutt set UA all-time and single season records in receptions, receiving yards and all-purpose yards. Canidate shattered UA's all-time rushing record in yards with 3,824, eclipsing Ontiwaun Carter's 3,501 yards. He also set a single season rushing record with 1,602 yards on 253 carries.

Smith and Bell put in their fair share of numbers as Bell recorded 124 tackles to lead the team and Smith completed 131-of-228 for 1,903 yards and 10 touchdowns.

"Athletically you can't replace guys like that, they are going on to play in this game," Babers said. "But this is a team game, and overall as a team we have to get better. We are only as strong as our weakest link."

Canidate was drafted in the first round by the St. Louis Rams, Northcutt was the very next pick, the first of the second round, to the Cleveland Browns. Bell, DaShon Polk and Manuia Savea were also drafted. Smith has recently signed to play in the Canadian Football League.

Dan Rosen can be reached at sports@wildcat.arizona.edu.