1985 Arizona Wildcats football team

1985 Arizona Wildcats football
Sun Bowl, T 13–13 vs. Georgia
ConferencePacific-10 Conference
Record8–3–1 (5–2 Pac-10)
Head coach
Home stadiumArizona Stadium
Seasons
← 1984
1986 →
1985 Pacific-10 Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 7 UCLA $ 6 2 0 9 2 1
Arizona 5 2 0 8 3 1
Arizona State 5 2 0 8 4 0
Washington 5 3 0 7 5 0
USC 5 3 0 6 6 0
Oregon 3 4 0 5 6 0
Washington State 3 5 0 4 7 0
Stanford 3 5 0 4 7 0
Oregon State 2 6 0 3 8 0
California 2 7 0 4 7 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1985 Arizona Wildcats football team represented the University of Arizona in the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) during the 1985 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their sixth season under head coach Larry Smith, the Wildcats compiled an 8–3–1 record (5–2 against Pac-10 opponents), finished in second place in the Pac-10, tied with Georgia in the 1985 Sun Bowl, and outscored their opponents, 252 to 146. The defense gave up an average of 12.2 points per game, the sixth best average in Division I-A.[1][2] The team played its home games in Arizona Stadium in Tucson, Arizona.

Arizona was eligible for a bowl game this season, as their postseason ban was lifted following NCAA sanctions that were received in 1983 as a result of recruiting violations. However, they were still on probation and were barred from having games aired live on television.[3]

A major highlight of the season occurred in early October, when the Wildcats upset SMU, who was ranked third at the time.

The team's statistical leaders included Alfred Jenkins with 1,767 passing yards, David Adams with 511 rushing yards, and Jon Horton with 685 receiving yards.[4] Linebacker Byron Evans led the team with 196 total tackles.[5]

  1. ^ "1985 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. ^ "Wildcats bowl-eligible for '85, live TV ban still in effect". Arizona Daily Star. June 5, 1985.
  4. ^ "1985 Arizona Wildcats Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  5. ^ 2016 Media Guide, p. 86.