TEMPE, Ariz. -- Countless names ring synonymous with moments of triumph and travail in the long-running rivalry between Arizona State and Arizona.
Brooks. Zendejas. Parker. Schuh. Richardson. Another Zendejas. Williams.
The common thread among those and many other notable names from the football series: Special teams.
From muffed punts and blocked kicks to kickoff returns and bobbled snaps, special teams commonly have been a great equalizer in the Territorial Cup and could again play a big part in the outcome of Saturday's game.
Special teams blunders and heroics are written all over the history of this series, with some of the most memorable meetings defined by a single special teams play or a few combined. A few prime examples:
* In 2010, ASU's James Brooks forced overtime with a block of what would have been Alex Zendejas' game-winning extra in Tucson. Brooks came up big again in the second overtime, blocking another point-after try, this one to give ASU an improbable 30-29 win.
* In 2009, ASU receiver and punt returner Kyle Williams went from offensive hero to special teams goat. After catching two fourth-quarter touchdowns, the second to tie the game with two minutes left, Williams lined up to receive a punt for a possession that could have iced an ASU win. He muffed the punt, which Arizona recovered to set up a field goal try for Zendejas, who nailed it to give Arizona a 20-17 win. Seven of those Arizona points came courtesy of an Orlando Vargas blocked punt that he returned for a touchdown.
* In 2005, Terry Richardson took a mid-fourth quarter punt return to the house, which ASU capped with a two-point conversion to tie the game at 20. Jesse Ainsworth then hit a 20-yard field-goal with nine seconds left to give ASU a 23-20 win and bowl eligibility.
* ASU was all set for a win in 1987 before punter Mike Schuh bobbled the snap on a punt that likely would have sealed a win. He eventually kicked the ball, which Arizona recovered, to earn a penalty and set up the Wildcats for the field goal that would end the game in a tie.
* A muffed punt helped the Wildcats in 1985 as well when Anthony Parker's miscue led to an Arizona touchdown. That cut ASU's lead to 13-10, which Max Zendejas (Alex's uncle and the brother of Luis, then a Sun Devil) eliminated with a 57-yard field goal. Max Zendejas then nailed a 32-yarder to give Arizona a 16-13 win that kept ASU out of its first Rose Bowl. Zendejas had struck in 1983 as well, hitting a game-winner in the final minute.
That list is only partial and doesn't do justice to the history of special teams in the Territorial Cup. There were missed field goals in 1994 and 1978, game-winners in 1995 and 1979, a deflected extra point attempt in 1955 ...
You get the picture: Special teams have been a big deal when these teams meet.
Just last season, in the first meeting between new coaches and former colleagues Rich Rodriguez and Todd Graham, ASU used a pair of key special teams plays to draw first blood of the new eras. First came a big fourth-quarter field goal.
"Jon Mora hit a 42-yarder from the left hash, which if he doesn't hit we don't win," ASU special teams coordinator Joe Lorig said. "It didn't come down to a last-second field goal, but it did come down to that, and Jon did a great job."
Mora's field goal was the start of a 23-point run. The touchdown that put ASU ahead came after Kevin Ayers blocked an Arizona punt that ASU recovered at the Wildcats' 8-yard line.
"I thought was the difference," Graham said of Ayers' block.
Forget that No. 12 ASU is a heavy favorite this year and has the Pac-12's best defense. Forget too that Arizona upset then-No. 2 Oregon with a dominant defensive performance last week, or that the Wildcats have perhaps the nation's best running back in Ka'Deem Carey.
All of that can be rendered moot by special-teams play. ASU saw the impact special teams can have -- and how much it needs to improve -- against UCLA last week, as Bruins return man Ishmael Adams racked up returns of 58, 49 and 69 yards in the first half to set up the three scores that kept UCLA in the game.
"It put us in jeopardy," Graham said. "Without that, I think it would have been a pretty dominating performance."
ASU ranks fourth in Pac-12 in kickoff return average and eighth in punt return average. In the same categories, Arizona ranks ninth and seventh. The Wildcats come in sixth in the conference in net punting, while ASU is last. In kickoff coverage, ASU is sixth and Arizona is eighth.
The special teams scale may tip toward the Sun Devils thanks to field goal kicking. ASU freshman Zane Gonzalez, a Lou Groza Award semifinalist, has hit 15 consecutive attempts and is 19 of 22 on the season, giving ASU the Pac-12's second best field goal percentage (.864).
Arizona senior Jake Smith, meanwhile, is 12 of 18 on the season, including 2 of 5 from between 30-39 yards. Smith could be more of a weapon from long distance, however. He has a season-best of 53 yards, while Gonzalez's longest is 41.
Another factor to keep in mind: ASU could be without kick returner Marion Grice, who ranks second in the Pac-12 at 24.1 yards per return. The running back suffered a lower leg injury last week and is questionable right now.
Saturday's game could end up being lopsided, especially considering ASU's almost 27-point average margin of victory at home this season. Or it could come down to a late touchdown drive. But it won't come as a surprise to anyone involved if the contest is won on a special teams play or two.
"It's a rivalry game, so it's going to come down to one series or one play," Graham said. "It doesn't matter what the records of the teams are. That's the way it is. That's the way these types of games work."
