Here are Dick Tomey's comments following the 6-6 season, from today's season wrap-up press conference.

A look back at the season:
"Well, I am disappointed with both the way we played and with the 6-6 record. The way we played defense, the turnover margin, and our offensive production are the most disappointing."

"The season was an incredible combination of emotional experiences for our team. People on our team were tremendous. We just didn't produce when we needed to. We had some great individual performances, but we just didn't have great team performances."

"I hope the seniors will take the lessons from this season that will help each of them grow as a person. They were a part of 18 wins over the last two seasons. I know they were left with an empty feeling the way it turned out, but they should not be left with an empty feeling about their career."

"The players coming back next year need to remember the feeling they had after ASU, and they need to make sure that it is different the next time around."

"The guys did some good things, and they battled through a lot all season. They shouldn't have their heads down. We all need to take the lessons, learn from them and move on."

"I just didn't do as good a job coaching, and I hope that every coach and player feels the same way when they look back on the season. It really was the best of times, and it was the worst of times."

"We had some good defensive games against USC and UCLA, but we didn't play well as a whole all season long."

"We weren't productive on offense even though we led the league in total offense. That is just a meaningless stat."

"We had enough talent to do better than we did, but talent is not what wins games. Performance wins games."

Team chemistry:
"The team chemistry was certainly fractured, but we seemed to get it back together after the Oregon game. We tried hard to stay together, but it was more difficult when we were not having the success that we wanted."

Preseason expectations:
"I'm sure it (the loss at Penn State) was damaging. It damaged our confidence greatly, and the fact that it was such a high-profile game I think was the most damaging."

"There were a lot of high expectations for us, and we obviously didn't handle it (pressure) very well. I don't think you can help but believe the hype to some extent, but that doesn't excuse the way we played all season. We had plenty of chances to come back."

Tomey's outlook for 2000:
"We are going to try like the dickens to be better, and I have every confidence that we will be better."

"It is going to take a lot of hard work in the offseason. We just have to take it one day at a time. I think the pain that this season has caused the players and coaches will determine how hard we will work in the offseason."

"When you look at the '90s, Arizona has the second-most wins in the Pac-10, the most individual awards among Pac-10 teams, probably two of the top bowl victories in the conference and the highest graduation rate of all time. We've done a lot of good things in the last decade that show the growth and strength of the program."

"We need to have an investment in working hard as a team and not have a bunch of individuals. We need to bring the team together and have better discipline and a better work ethic as a team."

"We are coming off of a disappointing season, and I am glad we're frustrated with the way it turned out. I am glad that we want more. This game is all about growth and the lessons learned are all a part of the experience."