(Photo: Brady Klain/WCSN)
The Sun Devils (6-5, 4-4 Pac-12) visited the Arizona Wildcats (5-6, 4-4 Pac-12) in the 92nd annual Territorial Cup to decide second place in the Pac-12 South Division.
Arizona State started with the ball but was stagnant on its opening two drives, getting a combined two first downs- one of which came via a penalty.
The Wildcats managed a 29-yard field goal on their opening drive which was highlighted by a 47-yard connection from junior quarterback Khalil Tate to redshirt senior receiver Shawn Poindexter from their own 39 yard-line.
Leading 3-0 with five minutes left in the opening quarter, the Wildcats took just 1:45 to drive 78 yards for the game’s first touchdown- a 28-yard pass from Tate to redshirt senior receiver Tony Ellison a play after he converted a 2nd-and-5 with a 14-yard reception.
ASU was quick to respond though, as its third play on the ensuing drive was a 58-yard strike from senior quarterback Manny Wilkins to junior receiver Brandon Aiyuk, cutting the deficit to 10-7 which would carry into the second quarter.
The teams traded punts on their respective drives after that, but ASU was pinned deep in its own zone which allowed the Wildcats strong field position off of the punt return. In fact, 21 rushing yards from sophomore running back J.J. Taylor on the drive’s first two plays was all Arizona needed to kick a 23-yard field goal.
Following another ASU three-and-out, Arizona went on another touchdown drive that was aided in large part by a pass interference call on junior cornerback Kobe Williams. Three plays later, Tate hit Poindexter in the back corner of the end zone for a 23-yard touchdown on a broken 3rd-and-1 play that the quarterback salvaged with his scrambling efforts.
Once again though, the Sun Devils were able to respond with a touchdown of their own on a 10-yard run by sophomore tailback Eno Benjamin. The drive was highlighted by an 18-yard pass from Wilkins to junior wide receiver Kyle Williams on a 3rd-and-10, and the score drew ASU within five points after Arizona failed a two-point conversion attempt on its previous drive.
The Wildcats got the last laugh of the half though, thanks in large part to sophomore Gary Brightwell’s 32-yard kickoff return. Tate marched his offense 44 yards with the 1:18 that was left in the half which was enough for a 36-yard field goal from kicker Josh Pollack to give Arizona a 22-14 lead at halftime.
Although Arizona got the ball first in the second half, the Sun Devil defense forced a three-and-out to stop momentum from carrying over into the third quarter, but the Wildcats defense and special teams had other ideas.
After junior receiver N’Keal Harry returned the punt -5 yards to ASU’s own 8-yard line, an unsportsmanlike call pinned ASU back at its own four. The ensuing play was Wildcats junior defensive tackle P.J. Johnson bringing down Benjamin in the end zone for a safety, extending Arizona’s lead to 10.
Taylor then returned the mandatory punt 66 yards, allowing Pollack to hit a 40-yard field goal despite another Arizona three-and-out.
The Sun Devil offense bounced back from the safety though as Benjamin rushed for his second touchdown, this one from 14 yards out, to cut Arizona’s lead to 27-21.
The Wildcats dominated the remainder of the third quarter though, as Brightwell rushed for a 35-yard touchdown and Tate hit Ellison for an 8-yard score on a drive that followed an ASU three-and-out.
Although the Sun Devils were driving following that latter touchdown going into the fourth quarter, the Wildcats still led 40-21.
A 12-play, 66-yard drive ended in a field goal for the Sun Devils, but they still had a 16-point deficit to overcome in 13 minutes of play.
The young defense stepped up down the stretch as it has throughout the season. First, the unit forced a punt on a drive in which Arizona only handed the ball off to Taylor.
From their own 20, Wilkins lead the Sun Devils on an 80-yard drive which he capped off with an 11-yard touchdown scramble- then converted the two-point attempt by throwing across his body to hit a wide-open Tommy Hudson.
Trailing by eight around the five-minute mark, freshman safety Aashari Crosswell came up with the first big turnover, picking off a Tate pass and returning it to Arizona’s 22.
However, the Sun Devils elected to kick a field goal after the offense went one yard on three plays, and a 39-yard kick from sophomore Brandon Ruiz cut ASU’s deficit to five.
With all three timeouts and three and a half minutes to go, ASU was once again trusting its defense- and the call proved the right one.
Tate and Taylor botched a simple handoff deep in their own territory, allowing redshirt freshman linebacker Tyler Johnson to jump on the loose ball at Arizona’s 22-yard line.
The Sun Devils wasted no time, giving Benjamin the ball and giving him the space to rush for his third touchdown of the game from 22 yards out.
Wilkins could not connect with receiver Frank Darby on the two-point attempt, but the Sun Devils got their first lead of the day by a score of 41-40.
Although Arizona responded by driving 54 yards on 15 plays, it was only enough to get a 45-yard field goal attempt on a drive that started at its own 20.
Pollack then shanked what was essentially the game-deciding kick, allowing the Sun Devils to escape with a 41-40 victory in one of the historical Territorial Cup’s instant classics.
ASU improves to 7-5 with the win, good for second place in the Pac-12 South, and it awaits the announcement of its bowl game. Arizona failed at its last chance to gain bowl eligibility with the loss, marking the second time in three seasons the Wildcats have missed out on a bowl game.
