Arizona Wildcats finish 19th in AP Top 25 poll

Jan 13, 2015, 4:46 PM | Updated: 5:30 pm

Arizona Sports

The Arizona Wildcats lost their final two games of the season, and it cost them in the final AP Top 25 poll of the season.

UA, which finished the season with a 10-4 record, came in at No. 19.

Arizona had risen to No. 10 in the College Football Playoff Rankings, but fell to Boise State 38-30 in the Vizio Fiesta Bowl. It, along with their 51-13 defeat to Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship Game, was enough to drop them in the final rankings.

Four other Pac-12 teams finished in the Top-25 — with three of them landing ahead of Arizona. Oregon is second, UCLA 10th and Arizona State 12th. Utah came in at 21.

Arizona finished 17th in the USA Today Coaches Poll, with Oregon (2), UCLA (10), ASU (14) and Utah (20) also joining the top 25.

Still, it was not a bad season for the Wildcats, who won the Pac-12 South for the first time in school history. The final ranking is probably about where they belong given that of their 10 victories, six were by a touchdown or less.

Going forward, the future is bright for Pac-12 Coach of the Year Rich Rodriguez’s team. Quarterback Anu Solomon, who threw for 3,793 yards and 28 touchdowns, and Nick Wilson, who led the team with 1,375 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground, will be sophomores. Leading receiver Cayleb Jones, who tallied 1,019 yards and 9 scores, will be a junior, and linebakcer Scooby Wright III, the Pac-12 Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year who won a bevvy of other awards, will be a junior.

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Arizona 31, Oregon 24 - The 4-0 and unranked Wildcats went up to visit No. 2 Oregon, which was also undefeated and favored by more than 21 points. Terris Jones-Grigsby and Nick Wilson combined to run for 207 yards and four touchdowns, and Scooby Wright III's sack/strip of future Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota -- along with the ensuing first down -- clinched the victory and signaled Arizona's arrival as a player in the Pac-12 race.

Arizona 42, Arizona State 35 - Oh, the Territorial Cup. The 11th-ranked Wildcats hosted the 13th-ranked Sun Devils in a game that would ultimately determine the Pac-12 South. Arizona jumped out to an early 7-0 lead when Scooby Wright III sacked ASU QB Taylor Kelly, forcing a fumble that was scooped up by Anthony Lopez and taken back for a touchdown. It was a back-and-forth affair from there, though Arizona went up by a score of 35-21 entering the fourth quarter. However, the Devils made things close, and the game was not over until Mike Bercovici's pass to Jaelen Strong fell incomplete and the Wildcats earned the win as well as the division title. Nick Wilson ran for 178 yards and three touchdowns in the victory.

Arizona 38, Utah 20 - Sure, the Wildcats had barely beaten Washington at home, but there was no way they would knock off No. 20 Utah on the road, right? Wrong. The 'Cats dominated this one from the start, taking a 21-0 lead that was 21-7 at the half. Things got a bit dicey from there as quarterback Anu Solomon was removed from the game with an ankle injury, but that's when running back Nick Wilson took over. The freshman scored two of his three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, one of which was a 75-yard jaunt. He finished with 218 yards and three scores on 20 carries, and the Wildcats set the stage for one of their biggest rivalry games in recent history.

Arizona 27, Washington 26 - Wow. Trailing 26-24 late in the game, the Wildcats were driving and appeared poised to take the lead. However, Anu Solomon was intercepted in the end zone and after the Huskies gained a first down, it looked like the home team was going to be defeated. But for some reason Washington decided to hand the ball off rather than take a knee, and that's when Tra'Mayne Bondurant knocked the ball out of Deontae Cooper's hands. Derrick Turituri recovered, and the comeback was on. Arizona was this close to taking the lead on a 34-yard pass from Solomon to Cayleb Jones, but the receiver was ruled out of bounds on the catch. Shortly thereafter Casey Skowron was called on for a 47-yard attempt. His first attempt went wide right, but a Washington timeout gave him another chance. He converted, and Arizona stayed alive in the Pac-12 South race.

Arizona 49, California 45 - We didn't know it at the time, but this game was a precursor of what was to come this season. Arizona struggled for three quarters, falling behind 31-13 after 45 minutes of play. Arizona climbed to within 31-23 and then 38-30, but a six-yard TD run by Khalfani Muhammad with 5:21 left gave the Bears a 45-30 lead and appeared to seal the deal for the visitors. Then the rest of the game happened. Arizona's comeback included a missed two-point conversion attempt which was followed by an onside kick and was capped by a Hail Mary from Anu Solomon to Austin Hill, keeping Arizona undefeated and giving birth to "60 Minutes of Arizona."

Arizona 35, Nevada 28 - The Wildcats, fresh off a close win at UTSA, returned home looking to make a statement. They did -- sort of. The Wildcats jumped out to a 21-6 lead, but it was 21-13 going into the half. Nevada tied things up at 21 in the third quarter, though the 'Cats scored the next two touchdowns and were able to hang on for the win. Nick Wilson ran for 171 yards and one touchdown while Anu Solomon threw for 278 yards and three touchdowns, as well as his first career interception.

Arizona 59, Washington State 37 - The Wildcats were coming off their first loss of the season, and many wondered how they would respond. Very well, actually. The 'Cats jumped out to a 24-0 first-quarter lead, and were up by a score of 31-0 before the Cougars got on the board. The final score belies how badly the visitors dominated the home team. DaVonte' Neal returned a punt 81 yards for a touchdown, while Anu Solomon threw for 294 yards and five scores.

Arizona 26, UTSA 23 - It was Arizona's first road game of the year, and it was against a UTSA squad many felt were underrated. And on that September night in the Alamodome, the Roadrunners gave the Wildcats everything they could handle. Casey Skowron made four field goals, Nick Wilson ran for 174 yards and Jared Tevis' interception of UTSA's Tucker Carter in the final minutes sealed the victory.

Arizona 38, Colorado 20 - The UA celebrated its 100th homecoming with a solid-but-unspectacular win over a struggling Buffaloes team. Samajie Grant caught a pair of touchdown passes and Nick Wilson ran for 153 yards in the win, which propelled the 'Cats to 7-2 (4-2) on the season.

Arizona 58, UNLV 13 - It was the season opener and the first chance to see new quarterback Anu Solomon. The redshirt freshman did not disappoint, throwing for 425 yards and four touchdowns. Arizona gained a school-record 787 total yards in the rout.

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