Arizona Football (7-4, 5-3) set to square off with rival Arizona State (6-5, 5-3) in the annual Territorial Cup this weekend!
It’s Thanksgiving weekend, and you know what that means! It’s the final regular season game for the Arizona Football team, and it’s also their annual match with rival ASU.
This weekend will arguably be the most important weekend for the Wildcats. Beyond the rivalry implications, Arizona needs this in a big way!
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As it stands, the teams sit in second and third place respectively in the Pac-12 South. Whoever wins this game, will finish second, and get the “better bowl game.” Also, losing this game could be the final straw for ASU head coach, Todd Graham.
This season, the Wildcats have certainly overachieved, based on the preseason predictions. Most were picking Arizona to finish last in the South.
Insert Khalil Tate, and things have been looking positive. After knocking off then No. 15 ranked Washington State just a few weeks ago, the Wildcats were 6-2, and in control of their own fate. Now in the last stretch, Arizona is just 7-4.
All the momentum built, and the potential to lose three of your last four games, and essentially backing into a lower-tier bowl game would be killer. That’s why this game is so important just beyond beating our rival!
Know Thy Foe:
Team: Arizona State Sun Devils (6-5, 5-3); beat Oregon State last week 40-24
Conference: Pac-12
2016 Record: 5-7 (2-7); Lost to Arizona 56-35 in the ‘Territorial Cup’ last season.
Last Meeting vs. Arizona: Refer to the above. Also, Arizona won the game without completing a pass in the second half!
Head Coach: Todd Graham 94-60 overall as head coach, and is 45-31 overall while at Arizona State.
Key Returners/ Starters: QB Manny Wilkins, RB’s Demario Richard and Kalen Ballage, WR’s N’Keal Harry, Kyle Williams, and Jalen Harvey.
Defensively, they have quite a few playmakers, and really do a solid job of getting to the quarterback. It will be interesting to see how they handle Tate, assuming he is 100% healthy.
The Sun Devils on defense are led by; LB’s Christian Sam, D. J. Calhoun, Alani Latu, and DL’s Jojo Wicker and Tashon Smallwood among others.
Key Injuries: The Sun Devils are fortunately pretty healthy. The only potentially big loss is defensive back Desmond Tautalatasi, who is listed as questionable for Saturday’s game.
Game Information:
When: Saturday, November 25th, 2017
Time: 2:30 PM MST/ 1:30 PM PST – Pac12 Network (groan)
Where: Sun Devil Stadium (Tempe, AZ)
Spread: -2.5 Arizona
Overall Series Record: 49-40-1 Arizona. One of College footballs most intense and heated rivalries, that have had some very memorable games. Hard to predict the winner in this one sometimes, but Saturday should bring another great game once again!
Our Prediction: Arizona 45 ASU 42. Look for this one to be a barn burner. Both teams have very efficient offenses, and over the last few weeks, the Sun Devils have been playing well offensively. They have really utilized their running game, and look for them to continue that again this weekend, especially against an undersized and depleted Arizona defensive line.
Last week was a bad performance for the Wildcats, but we imagine the team understands the importance of this game, or at least we hope! Arizona I think responds, and the Wildcats will try to expose the Sun Devils’ inconsistent defense.
Worth noting, the Sun Devils rank 110th on defense, 72nd in rushing defense, and 83rd in pass efficiency.
Listen to the team as they prep for their game versus Arizona State:
Must Read: More on Arizona Football
At Zona Zealots, we are excited about the matchup versus ASU. We hope the Wildcats have an inspired game and come out victorious! Bear Down, Arizona, and beat the Sun Devils!