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CATCH UP ON THE COUNTDOWN BY VISITING: ARIZONA’S TOP 100 INDIVIDUAL RECORDS
Only 49 days — seven weeks from today — separate us from the start of Rich Rodriguez’s fifth season, when the Arizona Wildcats football team plays Brigham Young on Sept. 3 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale.
As is customary on this Web site, we will count down the days with an interesting element associated with each day. This year the topic is the top 100 individual records in Arizona’s storied football past.
In past years, we have counted down the top games and highlighted players and some of the top plays in Arizona Wildcats football history. A couple of years ago in our top 100 countdown, we showcased the 1914 team that was responsible for Arizona becoming the “Wildcats”.
Back to this year’s countdown of the top 100 individual records in the 117 years of Arizona football:
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Anu Solomon and Nick Foles are synonymous with plenty of Arizona records, including this one they share: Most touchdown passes in a season with 28.
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No. 48
Most Touchdown Passes, Season: 28, Nick Foles, 2011; Willie Tuitama, 2007; Anu Solomon, 2014
Pac-12 record: 43, Jared Goff, California, 2015
NCAA record: 58, Colt Brennan, Hawaii, 2006
Willie Tuitama’s 28 touchdown passes in 2007 topped the previous Arizona record of 20 set by Marc Reed way back in 1966.
For 41 long years, Marc Reed held on to the Arizona season record of 20 touchdown passes, set in 1966 in Jim LaRue’s last season as head coach. Since Willie Tuitama topped that mark with 28 in 2007, six other times (including last year with Anu Solomon’s 20) has a quarterback thrown 20 or more touchdown passes.
That’s an indication more than anything how Arizona’s offense has evolved into more of a passing machine than the mostly effective run-dominated schemes under Jim Young, Larry Smith and Dick Tomey.
In fact, in five of the last six years, quarterbacks have thrown for 20 or more touchdown passes. For 41 years, Reed was the only Arizona quarterback to reach 20 in a season.
Nick Foles tied Tuitama’s record in 2011. Solomon matched them as a redshirt freshman in 2014. Matt Scott came close with 27 in 2012.
ARIZONA SEASON TOUCHDOWN PASSES (15-PLUS TDs)
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Previous Nick Foles records at Arizona listed in this countdown:
51. Most Touchdown Passes, Career: 67, 2009-11 (35 games) tied with Willie Tuitama, 2005-08 (40 games)
56. Highest Completion Percentage, Career (Min. 500 att): 66.8, 2009-11 (933 of 1396)
71. Highest Completion Percentage Season, More than 200 attempts: 69.1, Nick Foles, 2011 (387 of 560)
77. Most Passes Completed, Season: 387, Nick Foles, 2011 (12 games, 560 attempts)
81. Highest Completion Percentage, Game: 78.4, Nick Foles, vs. Stanford, Oct. 17, 2009 (40 of 51)
82. Fewest Passes Had Intercepted (Pct. of Attempts), Career (500 att): 2.36 percent, 2009-11 (33 in 1,396 attempts)
91. Most Pass Completions, career: 933, 2009-11
97. Total Offense in Career — 9,712 yards, 2009-11 (10,111 passing/-290 rushing/-9 receiving)
Previous Anu Solomon records at Arizona listed in this countdown:
52. Most Passes Without An Interception, Consecutive: 232, 2014-15 (Nine games from Boise State, Dec. 31, 2014, to Washington, Oct. 31, 2015)
61. Most Passing Yards by Freshman: 3,793, 2014
65. Most Attempts Without Interceptions, Game: 72, vs. USC, 2014
85. Total Offense, Most Yards Gained: 566, vs. Cal, Sept. 20, 2014 (520 yards passing/46 rushing)
ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He is a former Arizona Daily Star beat reporter for the Arizona basketball team, including when the Wildcats won the 1996-97 NCAA title. He has also written articles for CollegeAD.com, Bleacher Report, Lindy’s Sports, TucsonCitizen.com, The Arizona Republic, Sporting News and Baseball America, among many other publications. He has also authored the book “The Highest Form of Living”, which is available at Amazon.
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