Top 5 Most Memorable Wins of the Rich Rodriguez Era
By Brad Malone
Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
No. 1 : Nov. 28, 2014
(No. 12)Arizona 42 (No. 13) ASU 35
Arizona Wildcats
The Wildcats have had some big wins at home through the years, but this one is arguably the most significant.
Arizona was ranked no. 12 and the Sun Devils were no. 13, making the matchup one of the most high profile the rivalry has ever seen. Going into the game, both teams needed Stanford to beat UCLA. If UCLA lost, it would give the winner of the 2014 Territorial Cup a Pac-12 South Championship.
It was a fun atmosphere in Arizona Stadium that day. Some ASU fans were sitting in front of me. Throughout the game we kept updating each other on what was happening 500 miles west of us in Pasadena. It felt strange rooting for the same team as my Sparky friends were.
Arizona’s defense came up big in the first half. On the third play of the game Scooby Wright knocked the ball away from Taylor Kelley, and Anthony Lopez recovered it for a 25-yard touchdown.
Later in the first half the Cats held Sparky in check with a 4-down goal line stand.
One of my favorite memories of this game was when Anu Solomon connected with Samaji Grant for an entertaining touchdown run that felt like Grant was channeling 2005 Reggie Bush.
Just before the game ended in Tucson, Stanford defeated UCLA. When the clocked hit 0:00 the Cats had won a game that mattered and had returned the Territorial Cup back to where it belonged.
The win gave the Cats a 48-39-1 advantage in the series and a 20-16-1 advantage since the schools joined the Pac-10/12 in 1978.
Did we miss a game you thought deserved to be in the Top 5? Let us know.
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