No. 16 Sun Devils visit Arizona for 98th edition of the Territorial Cup

Photo courtesy of The Arizona Republic

Throw out the record books for this Saturday’s game at Arizona Stadium.

The Territorial Cup is the annual battle where Arizona’s two largest schools and bitter rivals — Arizona State and Arizona — face one another and battle for in-state bragging rights. No matter what happens in the 11 games prior to the end-of-season matchup, both teams enter the game with one goal in mind: keep the trophy in their respective city with a win.

It’s a rivalry that has existed since 1899 and had 97 iterations, thus being experienced by several generations of Grand Canyon State natives. The Territorial Cup is the oldest trophy handed out for a rivalry win in the country, and the matchup is ingrained in the state’s sports culture regardless of record, always drawing the attention of fans of both schools.

“Obviously, we’re in the same state,” head coach Kenny Dillingham said. “That’s a rivalry, that’s the first step… A lot of their alumni live with our alumni within the same community. So now, it’s not like state boundaries, it’s like brother-sister because we all live together… And then, we got our butt kicked last year. We got embarrassed. So, it’s a game that matters, that you got your butt kicked and you got embarrassed.

“If you weren’t here, the other guys on our team got embarrassed, I got embarrassed. So you better have a little bit about yourself when somebody embarrasses you like that.”

Dillingham, of course, was referring to the 59-23 beatdown the Wildcats dealt ASU in Tempe during his first season with the program, extending their Territorial Cup winning streak to two games. A year later, Arizona has the chance to defeat the Sun Devils on three straight occasions since the turn of the century.

At 9-2 and winners of six of their last seven games, the No. 16 Sun Devils are in prime position to make the Dr. Pepper Big 12 Championship Game and are a projected five-seed in the College Football Playoff. Regardless of what transpires in the next two games, ASU will be playing postseason football somewhere once the calendar flips to December.

The same can’t be said about their rivals to the south, though.

After the departure of three-year head coach Jedd Fisch, who rebuilt the Wildcats from a 1-11 mark in 2021 to a 10-3 record with an Alamo Bowl win in 2023, Arizona took a step back in their first year under Brent Brennan. Despite a 3-1 start and No. 21 AP Top 25 preseason ranking with the formidable quarterback-wide receiver duo of redshirt sophomore Noah Fifita and junior Tetairoa McMillan — who both elected to stay despite Fisch’s departure — the Wildcats have won just once in their last seven games, entering Saturday with a 4-7 record and eliminated from the postseason.

But, again, records have little significance in such a heated rivalry, a message that may be tough to convey to an ASU team with so many newcomers. While Dillingham, a Valley native, grew up watching the Territorial Cup, few on the Sun Devils’ staff understand what it’s like to coach in the game more than running backs coach Shaun Aguano.

In 2022, the last time the Sun Devils traveled down south to face Arizona, Aguano wasn’t merely the running backs’ coach — he was the interim head coach to fill in the vacancy left by Herm Edwards’ firing.

“I think no matter what the record of any of those teams (is), they’re going to play hard for those bragging rights,” Aguano said. “They have a good crowd down there. Like I said, we’re going to bring a good crowd with a lot of energy, especially (with) what happened last game. I think it’s going to be a good game and our guys are ready for battle.”

Offense

Total Offense: 4,044 yards (14th Big 12), 367.6 yards/game (14th Big 12), 254 points (15th Big 12)

Passing: 2,849 yards (6th Big 12), 259 yards/game (6th Big 12)

Rushing: 1,195 yards (15th Big 12), 108.6 yards/game (15th Big 12)

While Fifita and McMillan elected to remain in Tucson as their head coach skipped town for the Washington job and took offensive coordinator Brennan Carroll with him, things haven’t quite been the same for the Wildcats’ offense under new offensive coordinator, and former Syracuse head coach, Dino Babers.

During that campaign, the best it’s posted in nearly a decade, Arizona was one of the Pac-12’s best offensive teams, ranking in the top half of the conference for total yards, yards per game and points scored. In their first year in the Big 12, the Wildcats have struggled in all but one facet.

Their passing game, spearheaded by Fifita, has remained dangerous.

“I think Fifita’s the best quarterback we’ve seen all year, hands down,” defensive coordinator Brian Ward said. “He might’ve been the best one we saw last year, with all of those guys that they had. So I’ve got a lot of respect for those guys.”

He’s mostly looked like his same old self this year, passing for 2,832 yards (19th nationally) and 17 touchdowns. Last season, he threw for 25 scores to six interceptions, but those turnover numbers have significantly jumped in 2024 as he already has 12 picks to his name in 11 games. His offensive line hasn’t been great, either, allowing the third-most sacks in the Big 12.

Either way, his talent is evident, and he’s not a quarterback the Sun Devils can take lightly. Not in the slightest.

As talented as he is, it helps that Fifita has one of the nation’s top wideouts in McMillan as an option. After bursting onto the scene in 2023 with a 1,402-yard, 10-touchdown season, he’s found similar success during his junior campaign, accruing 1,251 receiving yards, the most of any Power Four receiver. As poorly as the Wildcats’ season has turned out, McMillan has undoubtedly been a massive bright spot.

“Credit to you, (McMillan),” Dillingham said. “You’re No. 1 in the country in receiving yards and people are still saying you don’t look the same. I don’t know if that’s possible. That’s an incredible compliment, to be honest, to (McMillan), that he is the best in the country in yardage, and I’m like,‘Golly, this dude’s unbelievable, he is incredible.’”

After “T-Mac”, however, there is a significant drop-off when it comes to the overall production from the wide receiver room. Redshirt sophomore Chris Hunter owns the second-most receiving yards on the team with 306 — nearly 1,000 less than McMillan — and three touchdowns on 32 receptions. Senior running back Quali Conley and redshirt junior wideout Jeremiah Patterson are the only other Wildcats with at least 20 receptions this year.

Despite a seemingly one-dimensional albeit talented passing attack, Arizona has seldom run the ball this season as they have accrued the second-fewest carries and rushing yards in the Big 12, only ahead of Colorado. Conley has led the way on the ground with 719 yards and eight scores while sophomore Kedrick Reescano has racked up 304 yards.

One of Arizona’s best offensive weapons isn’t even on its offense at all; rather it’s on special teams. Senior kicker Tyler Loop has been one of the best kickers in the Big 12 and boasts the conference’s second-most field goals (18). A semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award, given to the best collegiate kicker each year, he drilled a 62-yard field goal, a program record that is also tied for the second-longest all-time in the Big 12.

Defense

Total Defense: 4,329 yards (13th Big 12), 393.5 yards/game (13th Big 12), 332 points/game (14th Big 12)

Passing: 2,506 yards (9th Big 12), 227.8 yards/game (9th Big 12)

Rushing: 1,823 yards (13th Big 12), 165.7 yards/game (13th Big 12)

Much like its offense, Arizona’s defense has regressed after second-year defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen was hired by Texas about a week prior to Fisch’s departure. So, the Wildcats decided to promote from within and settled on Duane Akina, a Senior Defensive Assistant with the secondary in 2023 and in his second stint with the program.

Arizona’s defensive prowess that saw it allow 21.1 points per game in 2023, the fourth-best mark in the Pac-12, hasn’t carried over.

Sure, there has been some roster turnaround, but the Wildcats have taken a step back defensively this season. This is especially true against the run, as Akina’s unit has relinquished the fourth-most rushing yards (1,823) and third-most touchdowns (22) in the Big 12. This is an inviting matchup for an ASU rushing offense that is among its conference’s best.

However, there’s one aspect of the game Arizona’s defense does particularly well despite a holistically challenging season: force fumbles. Through 11 games, the Wildcats have knocked the ball loose 12 times and recovered eight of those fumbles.

Senior defensive back Owen Goss leads the way with three fumbles created, which is also tied for the second-highest total in the Big 12. Fellow defensive back Dalton Johnson is second on the team with two while seven more Wildcats have one to their name.

“I think the emphasis (on ball security) comes from everyday practice,” Aguano said. “I don’t go into a game on a game day making them think about that. I think it’s practice and taking care of the ball the whole time during practice. And that’s been the whole year, so we need to make sure to take care of the ball and win the turnover battle. Usually, the guys who win the turnover battle (have) a good percentage of winning.”

Redshirt junior defensive lineman Tre Smith has been Arizona’s biggest disruptor up front as he owns a team-leading 4.5 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss. Another defensive lineman who is difficult to contain is junior Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei, who has accumulated 6.5 tackles for loss this season.

Comparatively to the rest of the Big 12, the Wildcats don’t force a ton of turnovers through the air; their eight interceptions represent the fourth-lowest total in the conference. Despite this, Arizona has two defensive backs — sophomore Genesis Smith and redshirt freshman Jack Luttrell — tied for the third-most picks (3) in the Big 12. However, only two additional players have an interception to their name.