In the 50 days leading up to Arizona’s season-opener against Toledo, on Sept. 1 at Arizona Stadium, TucsonCitizen.com and its affiliate WildAboutAZCats.net will rank the Top 50 games in the history of the football program. The ranking is at No. 26 as the kickoff to the Wildcats’ season — and the start of the Rich Rodriguez era — is only 26 days away.

SCORE: Arizona Wildcats 28, No. 12 ASU Sun Devils 16

DATE: Nov. 28, 1997

SITE: Sun Devil Stadium, 73,682 in attendance

WHY IT MADE THE LIST: Talk about a reversal of fortunes: ASU was playing at home with a five-game winning streak, ranked No. 12 in the nation with an eye on a Fiesta Bowl bid with a victory over an Arizona team on a nine-game road losing streak. The Cats were 5-5 overall, including 1-4 against ranked teams. The Wildcats dominated from the start, however, in what turned out to be one victory in the middle of a 16-1 run from 1997 to 1998 for the Wildcats — the best stretch in the program’s history. The Sun Devils regressed to a 5-6 record the following year.

Ortege Jenkins, a redshirt freshman who started the 1997 season as a wide receiver, threw three first-half touchdown passes and linebacker Chester Burnett made two key plays in the fourth quarter in Arizona’s upset victory at Sun Devil Stadium. Arizona, which beat New Mexico in the Copper Bowl to end the season, stunned the Tempe crowd by taking a 21-0 lead.

Jenkins threw for 182 of his 194 yards in the first half, leading the Wildcats to a 28-7 advantage. Keith Smith also tossed a touchdown pass in the first half.

“In the first half, we were just rolling,” Jenkins told reporters. “I had great protection. Any quarterback who has five or six seconds to throw the ball can make completions.”

(more…)

Javier Morales took first place in the 2010 Arizona Press Club’s Metro Sports Reporting category

Don’t forget: For all the links, Twitter feeds and news feeds related to Arizona and its opponents, go to Morales’ site WILDABOUTAZCATS.NET. No other Arizona sports Web site is like it!

DEFENSE

No. 8: TY PARTEN, defensive tackle (1989-1992)

The Godfather of Arizona’s famed Desert Swarm defense arguably is Ty Parten. As a senior captain in 1992, he lit a flame under the Wildcats (reeling from a 1-1-1 start) as they prepared to play on the Orange Bowl turf against top-ranked Miami.

One of his teammates, offensive lineman Eric Johnson, recounted recently at UASports.net (user handle ratacatcat) the story about what Parten did before that game.

“He gave the pregame players-only scream down,” Johnson wrote. “When we left that room, we knew it was gonna be a war.”

Arizona coach Dick Tomey sent the entire UA team to midfield for the coin toss and Miami answered by sending all of its players. Words were exchanged. The Wildcats, with Parten at the forefront, did not back down an inch.

A picture of the standoff between Arizona and Miami when the teams played at the Orange Bowl in 1992 hangs on the wall at the house of former Wildcat offensive lineman Eric Johnson (Photo courtesy Eric Johnson and UASports.net)

Imagine the surprise of the big, bad Hurricanes — who eventually played in the national championship game that season and finished 11-1 — look across and see a struggling Wildcat team get in their face.

(more…)