A band
Can't say we've seen this all season.
The Trojans brought a miniature marching band of at least 40 performers, seven song girls and four cheerleaders. Even a mascot dressed as Tommy Trojan - gold helmet, sword and all - stood in front of the band in the southwest corner of Arizona Stadium.
While all athletic departments are making budget cuts, the Trojans get props for being one of the few schools to travel consistently with all the comforts of home.
After all, the Trojans' band and song girls are almost as famous as the team itself. Now if they'll just stop playing "Tribute to Troy" after every darn play, we'd love them even more.
The big number
1
Rushes by a UA running back in the third quarter. The Wildcats ran 19 plays in the period but only one run by a running back - a 7-yarder by Keola Antolin.
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No luck
The UA's lucky jerseys are no more.
Arizona wore white helmets with red jerseys and red pants against the Trojans after defeating Iowa, Cal and Washington wearing the outfit.
Here's a look at how the UA fared, and what they wore, this season:
• Toledo: White, White, Navy, Win
• Citadel: White, Navy, White, Win
• Iowa: White, Red, Red, Win
• Cal: White, Red, Red, Win
• Oregon State: White, Navy, Navy, Loss
• Washington State: Navy, White, White, Win
• Washington: White, Red, Red, Win
• UCLA: White, White, Red, Win
• Stanford: Navy, White, Navy, Loss
• USC: White, Red, Red, Loss
No happy returns
When USC blocked an extra point and returned it for two points last week against Arizona State, it pulled the game within two, leading to an eventual Trojans victory. When Tyron Smith blocked the kick and Torin Harris returned it 90 yards for two, the tandem finished a play that's been the ultimate rarity - at least in Tucson.
Do you know how many times an Arizona Wildcats' defender has returned a conversion for a score?
Never.
Since the NCAA added the two-point defensive extra point rule in 1988, the Wildcats have never cashed in on it. Ever.
One that got away
Had things gone differently, Andrew McDonald would have stood on Arizona's sideline Saturday night as a backup quarterback while his father Paul, a former USC great, served as a color commentator for Trojans radio.
But Andrew McDonald broke his hand horsing around with friends while serving as the Wildcats' scout team signal-caller. So he transferred to Santa Ana College and became a star.
McDonald's team defeated Orange Coast College on Saturday night to finish the season 8-2. He threw for 329 yards and four touchdowns, and is considered a somewhat promising prospect.
Quotable
"I never felt like an underdog in my career here. We go into every game thinking we're gonna win. … It's SC. When we play, we play ball."
USC senior linebacker Michael Morgan, on not being favored to win.
Soup boy!
Despite all the celebrity ex-players in attendance Saturday, the most famous former Wildcat in attendance might have been Greg Kinnear.
Kinnear starred on television on "Later with Greg Kinnear" and "Talk Soup" and in movies such as "Little Miss Sunshine," He stopped at Plush, a Fourth Avenue bar and concert venue, on Friday night.
Patrick Finley
