Tomey was hired from Hawaii to replace Larry Smith, who accepted the head coaching position at USC, who like Arizona, was in the Pac-10 Conference.
[2] Due to Smith leaving for USC, the Wildcats struggled to get in-state recruits under a new coach, which changed the direction of the football program.
[4] In their second game of the season, Arizona hosted New Mexico, and the Wildcats defeated the Lobos to give Tomey his first win as Arizona coach and the rivalry's trophy, the Kit Carson Rifle, remained in Tucson (the rifle would be retired after the 1997 season).
In what was Tomey's first big test, the Wildcats hung with the Bruins before UCLA pulled away late to win.
In the final minute of the fourth quarter, ASU led 24-21 and appeared on its way to ending the Wildcats’ five-game winning streak in the rivalry when they fumbled on a punt attempt and Arizona recovered the ball in the red zone.
Arizona captured winning seasons for the rest of the 1980s and dominated the early part of the 1990s with a menacing defense.