Arizona tops Arizona State, earns shot at Pac-12 title
TUCSON — Breaking down No. 12 Arizona's 42-35 win against No. 13 Arizona State:
THE BIG PICTURE: Arizona had won at least eight games in each of the last three seasons, a program first since 1973-75. The Wildcats had won more than eight games for the first time since 1998. The offense had shattered records. The defense had found its rhythm. Nearly from day one, Rich Rodriguez's tenure in Tucson has been a resounding success — so much so that Rodriguez's reputation, tarnished by a faulty turn at Michigan, had recovered all of its luster and more. Only one thing was missing: The Territorial Cup.
For Rodriguez and the Wildcats, this was an afternoon to savor. A rivalry win against Arizona State, the program's first under the third-year coach. Double-digit wins for the first time in 16 years and just the third time in program history. Unbeknownst to the team — more on that in a moment — a Pac-12 Conference South Division championship, Arizona's second piece of hardware as a member of the league. A resounding success? After Friday, it's safe to call Rodriguez's tenure a success beyond even the Wildcats' internal expectations — and the program may be only getting started.
WHAT WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT: As Arizona was pulling away from Arizona State, Stanford was doing the same to UCLA — though no player on the Wildcats' sideline was the wiser. Arizona made the decision before the game not to broadcast the score of UCLA's game against Stanford over the public-address system; the thought was that it didn't want players to be swayed in either direction by a positive or negative result. Arizona would need to wait until the postgame locker room to know the result: Stanford rolled.
That gave Arizona the South Division crown, meaning a rematch with Oregon will decide the conference championship. The Wildcats got the better of the Ducks once, harassing quarterback Marcus Mariota and an underwhelming offensive line in a 31-24 win. Can they do it again? Say two things about these Wildcats: one, they're firing on both sides of the ball, and two, the ability of this coaching staff to find the right scheme against a top-five opponent can't be overlooked.
Rich Rodriguez and his crew found a way to combat Arizona State's aggressive offense despite the lingering aftereffects of quarterback Anu Solomon's ankle injury, one that left the redshirt freshman largely immobile in and out of the pocket. Quick passes. Quick runs. Quick tempo. The Wildcats' formula kept the Sun Devils off balance; it could do the same to Oregon.
THE DECIDING PLAY: The game turned in a two-play span early into the second half. First: At the Arizona 28-yard line, Arizona State kicker Zane Gonzalez missed a 45-yard goal that would have trimmed the Wildcats' lead to 28-24. Second: On the first play of the ensuing possession, Arizona running back Nick Wilson — my goodness, a true freshman — ran to his left, cut north and outran ASU's defense 72 yards for a touchdown. It was 28-21 and could've been 28-24; instead, Arizona held a 35-21 lead less than six minutes into the third quarter.
BREAKOUT PLAYER: Linebacker Scooby Wright was his All-American self, but that's nothing new: Wright has been the most productive defender in college football nearly throughout his sophomore season, so another box-score-stuffing afternoon stands as par for the course. But with Solomon still slowed by an ankle injury — he feinted the run but never threatened the Sun Devils — Wilson gave the Wildcats' offense a big-play spark. He ended his day with 177 yards on 23 carries with three scores, supporting his case for all-conference and Freshman All-American honors.
KEY STAT: Both Arizona and Arizona State were ranked heading into the Territorial Cup for the first time since 1986. This also marked just the second time in the rivalry's history that both teams had nine wins at the time of the meeting, joining the 1975 version.
GALLERY: HIGHLIGHTS FROM WEEK 14