TEMPE, Ariz. -- The chirping between Arizona State and Arizona has been relatively tame this week ahead of Saturday's Territorial Cup game at Sun Devil Stadium, with little more than a couple digs early in the week.
But this rivalry doesn't need any vocal sparring for coaches, players, alumni and fans to know its considered the biggest game of the year for the teams, both of which have plenty riding on Saturday's outcome.
"No game means more to our fans and our program," ASU coach Todd Graham said. "Our guys know that. And home-field advantage for the conference championship is a big, big deal for us."
Graham's last point might itself rise above the rivalry. Though players say they are focused solely on beating UA, the chance to host Stanford for the Pac-12 Championship Game next week no doubt offers a little extra incentive.
The converse could be said for the Wildcats, who after upsetting No. 5 Oregon last week have the chance to hurt ASU's chances of reaching the Rose Bowl. UA coach Rich Rodriguez insists that's not on his mind this week.
"I couldn't care less what they're playing for," Rodriguez told reporters Monday. "Their mindset, that’s up to them. I only worry about our guys."
What is on Rodriguez's mind: Bragging rights. After a year of hearing about the Sun Devils' 41-34 win in Tucson last season, Rodriguez took one of the few shots fired this week.
"You get tired hearing about their fans, they'll say some stuff," Rodriguez said. "Guys that have never played, that couldn't play dead in a western movie, bragging about their football team."
Clearly, this one's personal.
Graham, a former assistant under Rodriguez at West Virginia, drew first blood last season. If there were anything that could make the former colleagues' relationship any icier -- recall Rodriguez lured three of his former assistants away from Graham's staff at Pitt before Graham left for ASU -- it was this rivalry.
The coaches would say this rivalry isn't about them, but they certainly add an intriguing wrinkle to an already heated matchup.
Consider that two weeks ago, ASU defensive tackle Jaxon Hood, while discussing ASU's final three games, referred to a game against "the rats from down south." Or the following from ASU senior safety Alden Darby on what he thinks about when he takes the field against Arizona:
"I just see red," Darby said. "I feel like a bull when he sees red. I'm ready to attack."
The animosity, of course, flows in both directions.
"I went to a couple games (between ASU and UA), and growing up I really hated these dudes," said UA safety Jared Tevis, a Tucson native. "We have to make sure they don't have anything to talk about."
While the Wildcats certainly want to avenge last season's loss and bring the Territorial Cup trophy back to Tucson, they also have bowl standing to play for. A loss would mean another 7-5 regular season finish and possibly another trip to the New Mexico Bowl or a non-Pac-12 bowl. A win could mean the Las Vegas or Fight Hunger Bowl.
UA may have the most lethal weapon in Saturday's matchup with running back Ka'Deem Carey, who has emerged as a potential Heisman Trophy candidate amid another big season. Carey ran for 172 yards against ASU last season and is currently the nation's second leading rusher with 155.9 yards per game. The Sun Devils know they're in for a challenge.
"He's the best (running back) we're going to face," ASU defensive tackle Will Sutton said. "He was the best one last year, but we came out on top. He's going to get his carries, he's going to get his yards. That's just what he does. He's a good back, so we just have to do our best to limit the big plays."
Carey might have to work harder than usual against ASU, whose defense ranks second in the Pac-12, giving up 344.4 yards per game, and third in rushing defense (123.4 yards per game). Carey has not been held below 119 yards this season.
"He's the best running back in the country," Darby said. "A lot of people approach it like 'Man, that's the best running back in the country,' but we're approaching it as 'We're the top defense in the Pac (12).' That's how we're looking at it.
"We're the top defense in the Pac, and he has to come through us. We're not gonna go through him."
Rodriguez knows everything UA does offensively will have to go through ASU's elite defensive front, anchored by Sutton. The UA offensive line has allowed only 14 sacks -- partly due to B.J. Denker's scrambling and because the Wildcats don't attempt a lot of downfield passes. Only Stanford has allowed fewer (10).
"After watching the film, we dominated (Oregon) and they are big up front," Denker said. "We only had had two plays with negative rushing yards, we had four or five yards a pop."
Graham and his players are wary of the wave of momentum UA could ride into Tempe after the program's biggest win in years. The Wildcats had played a relatively soft schedule prior, and beating the Ducks has likely boosted their confidence.
"I just thought that they played with a lot of passion, a lot of toughness, flying around to the football, getting after it," Graham said. ""I was very impressed. I thought that was their best performance of the year."
Added ASU cornerback Osahon Irabor: "They're going to come in here very excited off a big win, and we understand that, but we also play really good at home, so we're ready for the challenge and the opportunity."
Irabor makes a good point. The Sun Devils are 6-0 at Sun Devil Stadium and have outscored opponents by an average of 26.8 points. But whether it's home-field advantage, superior defense or a dominant offensive weapon, everything seems to go out the window when these teams play.
This is the week fans and players aloke expect the unexpected. They anticipate an unsung hero emerging. They take heart in the fact that no matter how the season has gone to this point, there's still the opportunity to beat their hated rival.
That opportunity to leave the field with the Territorial Cup trophy in hand, players and coaches say, trumps any other motivation this week.
"We're trying to improve our bowl status and it's our last regular season game but, in and of itself, it's the ASU game," Rodriguez said. "It's one of the biggest rivalries in college sports."
Even ASU players and coaches acknowled that getting a win over UA takes priority over the location of next week's Pac-12 championship game.
"This game, you can add things to it, but you need no motivation to get ready for this one," Graham said. "It's very easy to keep (players) focused. We're playing Arizona, so that takes care of itself. ... Our guys know the significance of that."
 Tyler Lockman examines three keys to victory for the Sun Devils. |
 Steve Rivera examines three keys to victory for the Wildcats. |
| Run the ball. When the ground game is clicking, everything else follows. The challenge this week, however, is the uncertain status of star running back Marion Grice due to a lower leg injury suffered against UCLA last week. ASU has good backup options in D.J. Foster and Deantre Lewis, but neither has developed the same zone read rapport with quarterback Taylor Kelly that Grice has. Neither Lewis nor Foster is the same punishing back that Grice is, and using Foster as the primary back takes away one of the Sun Devils' most reliable targets in the passing game. However it goes about it, ASU will need to get things going on the ground so Kelly has options. In both ASU's losses, it struggled to run the ball. | The B.J. factor. You can pretty much count on 155-plus yards from Ka'Deem Carey, but if the Wildcats are going to be successful, they can't be one dimensional. It'll be up to senior quarterback B.J. Denker to provide that second dimension, whether it'a scrambling for 100 yards or so or loosening up the defense with a semblance of a downfield passing game. Denker combined for 280 yards in total offense last week in UA's upset of Oregon, passing for 178 yards and two touchdowns. He's been able to handle the spotlight fairly well, and if he can find a way to neutralize ASU's outstanding defensive front, the Wildcats could be in position to pull off some fourth-quarter magic. |
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Protect the ball. Arizona earned its most impressive win of the season -- and probably the past six seasons -- last week when it upended No. 5 Oregon in Tucson. The difference-maker: turnovers. The Wildcats recovered a fumble and twice intercepted Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota, who had not thrown an interception all season. UA capitalized on the first of those interceptions, taking an early 7-0 lead. Arizona has the Pac-12's fourth best turnover margin (0.6 per game). In each of ASU's two losses this season, Taylor Kelly threw two interceptions. He also threw two interceptions in a win over Oregon State. To the Sun Devils, the only acceptable number of turnovers is zero. They might get away with one, but that's about all the margin for error they have if the Wildcats plas the kind of opportunistic defense they've been noted for this season. |
Defensive aggression: UA's defense has run hot and cold all season in its base 3-3-5 alignment, but it looked very impressive against Oregon last week. It played with zeal, determination and an aggressiveness it hadn't shown all season. UA's defensive line must make ASU quarterback Taylor Kelly scramble or work for his yards. Sacks don't have to happen (don't expect many), but hurries do. Senior linebackers Marquis Flowers and Jake Fischer need to set the tone, the tackling needs to be sure, and it would be helpful if defensive back and big-play specialist Tra'Mayne Bondurant makes his presence felt. |
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Win special teams. ASU beat UCLA last week despite losing the special-teams battle by a pretty good margin. ASU's punt and kickoff cover teams gave up 243 yards, including returns of 49, 58 and 69 yards that all led to scores. Those units must be better this week. The Sun Devils also can't afford any mishaps in the punting game, such as last week when a bad snap led to a fumble that set UCLA up for a touchdown. ASU's punting unit remains last in the Pac-12. The Sun Devils have a dependable weapon in freshman place kicker Zane Gonzalez, who has hit 15 consecutive field goal attempts and 19 of 22 on the year. It would come as no surprise if Gonzalez wound up playing a key role in the game's outcome, as Territorial Cup games have often come down to a play or two on special teams. |
Who want's to be a hero? This is typically a crazy game between two rivals, meaning the stage is ripe for an unexpected contributor to rise up and steal the spotlight. For the Wildcats, a big play or two in the passing game could turn the tide, and that burden is likely to fall on freshman wide receivers Nate Phillips and Samajie Grant. Phillips has 39 catches and a team-leading seven touchdown passes. Grant leads the team with 44 receptions. Much has been asked of the two youngsters, and this game will be no different. They'll need to show they're not overmatched against an experienced and talented ASU secondary. |
