[4] The season would be marred by tragedy and offensive inconsistency as the team dealt with a death of a player early and saw their Rose Bowl chances vanish due to several losses.

The season began with hopes for a possible Rose Bowl or even a national championship, with the Wildcats’ dominant “Desert Swarm” defense leading the way.

The Desert Swarm, led by Bruschi, would dominate all game long and an improved Wildcat offense did enough to earn the victory.

The Yellow Jackets were looking to avenge their loss to Arizona in the previous season where they saw the Wildcats come back late with a winning touchdown.

A quarterback sneak into the end zone put the Wildcats ahead at 20–19 with over two minutes remaining (they would miss a two-point conversion attempt).

The victory would be overshadowed by tragic news for the Wildcats, as tight end Damon Terrell died in a Tucson hospital during halftime after collapsing during practice in August.

The team received the sad news after the game ended and Tomey and the players declined postgame interviews to grieve over Terrell's death.

[11] In the wake of Terrell's death, the team cancelled practice for a week out of respect, and would dedicate the rest of the season to their late teammate.

In the fourth quarter, the Wildcats led 7–3 and would make a crucial mistake, as the Illini forced a fumble and returned it for a touchdown to take the lead (the extra point attempt was missed).

Arizona Stadium held a moment of silence for Terrell during pregame and the team hoped to get an upset win for their fallen player.

Despite the Desert Swarm holding UCLA in check, the Wildcat offense made several mistakes, including a lost fumble that was returned for a Bruin touchdown early in the game.

[23] In the “Duel in the Desert”, the Wildcats traveled to Arizona State and were hoping to at least end the regular season on a high note.

On ASU's next possession, a sack by the Desert Swarm led to a fumble that was returned for a touchdown and the Wildcats tied it up at 28 with five and a half minutes left.

[24][25] It was the second season in a row that Arizona overcame a deficit of ten or more points in the final quarter to win and give ASU a painful loss.

[33] In addition to the team's rebuild for 1996, Tomey would recruit talented offensive players that would become dominant in the late 1990s and would lead to an unforgettable 1998 season.