Wildcats run over Sun Devils to reclaim Territorial Cup
TUCSON, Ariz. -- Brandon Dawkins ran toward the sideline, where his momentum carried him an additional five yards into Miss Arizona. The Arizona quarterback ended up going down from the collision, landing right on top of Tommy Lynn Calhoun.
Turned out to be one of the best tackles of the night against a Wildcats' ball carrier.
Arizona turned the Territorial Cup into a runaway -- run through, past and around Arizona State while racking up a school-record 511 yards rushing in a 56-35 victory over the rival Sun Devils Friday night.
"The holes were there all day long and we took advantage of it," Dawkins said.
Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez promised a new wrinkle for the Wildcats' biggest rival. No one expected what he came up with: Ditching the no-huddle.
Working almost exclusively out of a huddle, Arizona (3-9, 1-8 Pac-12) reeled off one big play after another, starting with Dawkins' 71-yard touchdown run on the game's third play.
The Wildcats kept running away from the Sun Devils, finishing with three players over 100 yards rushing for the first time since 1993.
Dawkins was the catalyst, his run/pass ability keeping Arizona State off-balance while finishing with 183 yards rushing and two touchdowns, 77 yards and another score passing.
Samajie Grant, a receiver pressed into running back duties due to injuries, had 176 yards and three touchdowns. Zach Green added 126 yards and two touchdowns for the Wildcats, who didn't throw a pass in the second half while ending an eight-game losing streak.
"It doesn't make up for a tough season, but it's a great night," Rodriguez said.
Arizona State (5-7, 2-7) came into the game with the nation's worst pass defense for the second straight season, only to get burned by the run in the biggest game on its schedule.
Thanks to missed tackles and assignments in the run game, the Sun Devils likely will not play in a bowl game for the first time in five seasons under coach Todd Graham.
Manny Wilkins threw for 372 yards and three touchdowns for the Sun Devils.
"This was the worst performance we've had since we've been here," Graham said. "That was embarrassing. We let our university down."
The Sun Devils and Wildcats labored through the first 11 games of the season, fighting injuries and breakdowns to set up the first Territorial Cup with two losing since 2003.
The 90th Duel in the Desert certainly got off to a wild start with a first quarter that included a long TD run, three turnovers -- one returned for a TD -- and a badly-missed field goal by the NCAA's career leader.
Dawkins opened the second quarter on a 10-yard, tackling-breaking run, then found Nate Phillips , who was left uncovered on a screen and raced 64 yards for a touchdown. Green's 1-yard TD run put Arizona up 21.
Arizona State made a game of it for a little while, pulling within 28-21 on Kalen Ballage's 2-yard run in the third quarter.
Then Arizona ran away with it.
Going exclusively to the run, the Wildcats stretched the lead behind Grant and Green.
Grant scored on a 9-yard run in the third quarter, Green on a 1-yarder. Grant added a 2-yard TD run to start the fourth and went 63 yards for a score to cap the runaway.
"We just absolutely didn't show up defensively and gave up one big play after another," Graham said.
DAWKINS AND MISS ARIZONA
Dawkins immediately apologized after running over Miss Arizona , did it again during an in-game interview with her on ESPN and was still apologetic after the game.
"I owe her one," he said. "She wants to go to dinner, I'll take her any time."
THE TAKEAWAY
Arizona State battled injuries all season, but so did Arizona. Ending the season with a loss like this to their biggest rival will not go over well with Sun Devils fans.
Arizona had a disappointing season, but putting up a performance like this against its rival will go a long way to washing away some of the bad taste.
UP NEXT
Arizona State's season will likely end without a bowl game for the first time since 2010. The Sun Devils can still technically get a bid if not enough six-win teams qualify, but it appears to be a longshot.
Arizona's season since 2004 is over.
