Arizona Wildcats Top 5 Wins Over College Football Royalty
By Brad Malone
Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Oct. 10, 1981
Arizona 13 (No. 1) USC 10
Arizona Wildcats
When the Cats went to play at No. 1 USC in 1981, the Cats had never tasted victory over their So. Cal neighbors.
The Cats were heavy underdogs in the game and the Trojans were riding a 22-game home winning streak at the Coliseum.
USC took an early 10-0 lead in the first quarter but that’s all the scoring the Cats defense would allow them to have.
Thanks to two Brett Weber field goals the Cats only trailed 10-6 at halftime.
The Cats held USC to under 300 yards of total offense in the game but Arizona’s defense shined most brightly in the second half, when they only allowed the Trojans to pass the 50-yard line once.
Tom Tunnicliffe kept the Arizona offense moving throughout the game and ended up with 293 yards passing.
The most important pass Tunnicliffe completed was a 13-yard touchdown pass to Vance Johnson, which gave the Cats a 13-10 lead.
With defense and ball control the Cats left Los Angeles with it’s biggest victory over a college football blue blood in school history.