Colorado State University Athletics
This Week in History: Rams Knock Off No. 6 Arizona
10/9/2019 1:00:00 PM | Football
October 8, 1994 – Sports Illustrated ranked the Arizona Wildcats as the No. 1 team in the nation in its 1994 preseason poll. The "Desert Swarm" defense was ranked as the nation's top unit going into the game against Sonny Lubick's No. 23-ranked team in Tucson that night, while Arizona's AP ranking stood at No. 6 in the country. Few people anywhere thought this undefeated Colorado State team could beat such a highly ranked Pac-10 squad at home, but the stage was set for the greatest upset in school history.
The Rams came into the game with a 5-0 record riding an eight-game win streak dating back to 1993. Senior quarterback Anthoney Hill had already persevered in close games with BYU, San Diego State and New Mexico, so with the 1994 season in full swing, the Rams offense and defense had hit their stride. Arizona had a potent running back in Ontiwaun Carter, but its defense truly stood in the limelight.
The Rams struck first as Hill took control of his offense and drove the Rams on rushes by Leonice Brown and a leaping catch by Matt Phillips. The CSU offense stunned the "Desert Swarm" defense on a 43-yard pass from Hill to Paul Turner, who took the Rams to the Arizona 10-yard-line. One play later Hill rolled out to the right and found Justin Shull in the end zone for the Rams' first touchdown of the night with 7:19 remaining in the first quarter.
Prime Sports Network announcer Drew Goodman described it best when he said, "Justin Shull has just made a library out of Arizona Stadium." The highly praised Wildcats defense had given up what looked like an easy drive for the CSU offense and the fans were silent.
While the CSU offense did its job, the highly motivated Rams defense took care of business holding Arizona and penetrating the Wildcats line continually. Both Garret Sand and Sean Moran continually broke into the Arizona backfield, sacking Arizona quarterback Dan White or hitting Carter quickly on numerous plays. A fourth-and-inches stop at the 50 by the CSU defense just pumped the Rams up even further as they continued to dominate both sides of the ball.
The CSU offense took over after the stop, and although a nice catch from Eric Olsen drove the
Rams to within field goal range, David Napier's attempt missed wide left. That allowed Arizona a little momentum, but the Rams defense held Arizona to a 45-yard Steve McLaughlin field goal to make it 7-3 in CSU's favor.
While the CSU offense continued to move the ball, it was not enough to get within scoring range. Arizona's offense began to click with Carter carrying or catching most of the plays from White. Even after an Adrian Ross sack that stalled Arizona's drive, McLaughlin kicked a 35-yarder to bring the score to 7-6 with 2:13 left in the first half.
Arizona got the ball in the second half and could not drive with the Rams defense swarming all over Carter and White. After a 10-yard run by E.J. Watson and a 15-yard dash by Brown, Hill once again rolled right and threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Shull to open the Rams' portion of the second half. Now leading 14-6 and riding high on the euphoria of both an offense and defense that was hammering the No. 6 team in the nation on their own turf, it seemed nothing could stop the Rams.
However, Arizona was not ranked for nothing, and they answered the Rams touchdown with an impressive drive of their own thanks to rushes and swing passes to Carter. As Arizona drove to the CSU 11-yard line and seemed in control on offense, it set up one of the greatest plays in CSU football history.
With White under center, Sand busted through the line faster than a jackrabbit and hit the Wildcats quarterback as he prepared to pitch to Carter. The ball came loose and the Rams' Moran picked up the ball at the CSU 23-yard line and ran it – untouched -- the length of the field for a very memorable 77-yard touchdown. With CSU now commanding a 21-6 lead, they just needed to hang on to finish the amazing upset as the fourth quarter began
The Wildcats mounted a comeback as McLaughlin hit one more field goal early in the fourth. Carter and White continued to run and pass all over the field as the Rams defense showed some signs of wearing down. With 7:02 remaining in the game, White threw a touchdown pass to take the score to 21-16 and plenty of time for Arizona to win the game.
The Rams and Wildcats stuttered on offense, and with 2:38 to play, the Wildcats had the ball and were at the CSU 45-yard line and down to their last play. On fourth-and-10 from the CSU 45, White threw a pass that was deflected by Rams safety Ray Jackson and caught by Greg Myers. CSU held on, and the final score stood 21-16.
The Rams had never beaten a top-10 team on their own turf in their 102-year history to that date. Beating Arizona launched the 1994 Rams 10 spots in the AP poll to No. 13 nationally and gave them their ninth win in a row and sixth victory on the season. There has never been an upset of such magnitude since that night in Tucson.
The Rams came into the game with a 5-0 record riding an eight-game win streak dating back to 1993. Senior quarterback Anthoney Hill had already persevered in close games with BYU, San Diego State and New Mexico, so with the 1994 season in full swing, the Rams offense and defense had hit their stride. Arizona had a potent running back in Ontiwaun Carter, but its defense truly stood in the limelight.
The Rams struck first as Hill took control of his offense and drove the Rams on rushes by Leonice Brown and a leaping catch by Matt Phillips. The CSU offense stunned the "Desert Swarm" defense on a 43-yard pass from Hill to Paul Turner, who took the Rams to the Arizona 10-yard-line. One play later Hill rolled out to the right and found Justin Shull in the end zone for the Rams' first touchdown of the night with 7:19 remaining in the first quarter.
Prime Sports Network announcer Drew Goodman described it best when he said, "Justin Shull has just made a library out of Arizona Stadium." The highly praised Wildcats defense had given up what looked like an easy drive for the CSU offense and the fans were silent.
While the CSU offense did its job, the highly motivated Rams defense took care of business holding Arizona and penetrating the Wildcats line continually. Both Garret Sand and Sean Moran continually broke into the Arizona backfield, sacking Arizona quarterback Dan White or hitting Carter quickly on numerous plays. A fourth-and-inches stop at the 50 by the CSU defense just pumped the Rams up even further as they continued to dominate both sides of the ball.
The CSU offense took over after the stop, and although a nice catch from Eric Olsen drove the
Rams to within field goal range, David Napier's attempt missed wide left. That allowed Arizona a little momentum, but the Rams defense held Arizona to a 45-yard Steve McLaughlin field goal to make it 7-3 in CSU's favor.While the CSU offense continued to move the ball, it was not enough to get within scoring range. Arizona's offense began to click with Carter carrying or catching most of the plays from White. Even after an Adrian Ross sack that stalled Arizona's drive, McLaughlin kicked a 35-yarder to bring the score to 7-6 with 2:13 left in the first half.
Arizona got the ball in the second half and could not drive with the Rams defense swarming all over Carter and White. After a 10-yard run by E.J. Watson and a 15-yard dash by Brown, Hill once again rolled right and threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Shull to open the Rams' portion of the second half. Now leading 14-6 and riding high on the euphoria of both an offense and defense that was hammering the No. 6 team in the nation on their own turf, it seemed nothing could stop the Rams.
However, Arizona was not ranked for nothing, and they answered the Rams touchdown with an impressive drive of their own thanks to rushes and swing passes to Carter. As Arizona drove to the CSU 11-yard line and seemed in control on offense, it set up one of the greatest plays in CSU football history.
With White under center, Sand busted through the line faster than a jackrabbit and hit the Wildcats quarterback as he prepared to pitch to Carter. The ball came loose and the Rams' Moran picked up the ball at the CSU 23-yard line and ran it – untouched -- the length of the field for a very memorable 77-yard touchdown. With CSU now commanding a 21-6 lead, they just needed to hang on to finish the amazing upset as the fourth quarter began
The Wildcats mounted a comeback as McLaughlin hit one more field goal early in the fourth. Carter and White continued to run and pass all over the field as the Rams defense showed some signs of wearing down. With 7:02 remaining in the game, White threw a touchdown pass to take the score to 21-16 and plenty of time for Arizona to win the game.
The Rams and Wildcats stuttered on offense, and with 2:38 to play, the Wildcats had the ball and were at the CSU 45-yard line and down to their last play. On fourth-and-10 from the CSU 45, White threw a pass that was deflected by Rams safety Ray Jackson and caught by Greg Myers. CSU held on, and the final score stood 21-16.
The Rams had never beaten a top-10 team on their own turf in their 102-year history to that date. Beating Arizona launched the 1994 Rams 10 spots in the AP poll to No. 13 nationally and gave them their ninth win in a row and sixth victory on the season. There has never been an upset of such magnitude since that night in Tucson.
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