Arizona Football: Top 5 Gut-wrenching losses, with silver linings
By Brad Malone
No. 1: Sparky’s Children Trespass (Nov. 23, 1996)
Arizona State 56
Arizona 14
Forget the late game losses in 2010 and 2012 that seemed like bad dreams, the 1996 Duel in the Desert was an actual nightmare.
When Jake Plummer brought his team down to Tucson, Sparky’s 1996 seniors were trying to do something they had never done against the Wildcats.
Win.
The Sun Devils were pretty good. They defeated No. 1 Nebraska 19-0 and had little trouble running through their Pac-10 schedule, but the talented Sun Devils knew not to underestimate an Arizona team that was hovering at .500.
Arguably the best Sun Devil team in history took care of the Wildcats quite easily in a nasty game.
To make it worse for Arizona fans, it seemed like the entire city of Tempe was at the game. When the contest ended the field turned into what looked like a big yellow mustard stain, when Sparky’s children attacked the field and jumped on the goal posts.
Silver Lining
The Sun Devil fans never found a way to take down the indestructible goal posts in Arizona Stadium.
The few Arizona fans who had stayed to watch the mustard stain assault the field, cheered in unison when the last of Sparky’s kids were pried from the goal posts.
Next: Top 5 McKale Game Endings
A month later Ohio State defeated the Sun Devils in the Rose Bowl, ending Tempe’s national championship dreams.
BearDown Arizona, let’s not have any more of these gut-wrenching losses, please!