Arizona @ Arizona State preview
Sun Devil Stadium
Last Meeting ( Nov 24, 2018 ) Arizona State 41, Arizona 40
Arizona State has won a mediocre six games this season, but three of them have come against ranked opponents and none larger than last Saturday’s College Football Playoff-shaking upset of Oregon. The Sun Devils will try to ride that high Saturday night when they host rival Arizona in their annual Territorial Cup battle.
Coach Herm Edwards’ Arizona State squad had lost four straight and wasn’t yet bowl eligible entering last week’s home game against the 9-1 and then-No. 6-ranked Ducks. But led by freshman quarterback Jayden Daniels, the Sun Devils rolled up a season-high 535 yards of total offense against a formidable Oregon defense en route to the 31-28 upset. It was Arizona State’s first win since an Oct. 12 victory over Washington State and makes it postseason eligible for the eighth time in the last nine seasons. Arizona, meanwhile, has dropped six straight following a 4-1 start to sink to last place in the Pac-12 South Division, and there are rumblings that head coach Kevin Sumlin is on the hot seat with a 9-14 record since taking over last season.
TV: 10 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: Arizona State -13.5
ABOUT ARIZONA (4-7, 2-6 Pac-12): While the Sun Devils were upending sixth-ranked Oregon on Saturday, the Wildcats had no such luck against then-No. 7 Utah, hitting season lows in total offense (196 yards) and rushing (61 yards on 25 attempts) in a 35-7 loss. Running back J.J. Taylor came into the contest averaging 100 yards per game from scrimmage but was limited to 43 on 13 touches against the Utes. Linebackers Colin Schooler (8.0 tackles per game) and Tony Fields II (7.8) both rank among the Pac-12’s top seven in tackles, but the Wildcats continue to bring up the rear in the conference in scoring defense (36.8 points surrendered per game), total defense (483.5 yards) and rushing defense (176.8 yards).
ABOUT ARIZONA STATE (6-5, 3-5): Daniels earned Pac-12 and Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week honors after throwing for a season-high 408 yards and three TDs against the Ducks. It was Daniels’ third straight game with three passing scores and his fifth 300-yard passing game of the season as he ranks fourth in the conference with an average of 264.4 aerial yards per contest. Running back Eno Benjamin also ranks fourth in the Pac-12 with his average of 83.0 rushing yards, while wide receiver/kick returner Brandon Aiyuk ranks third nationally with 163.4 all-purpose yards per game after denting the Ducks with 213 yards, including 161 receiving on seven catches.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Arizona leads the series 49-42-1, but Arizona State has won five of the last seven meetings, including a 41-40 victory last year in Tucson in which the visiting Sun Devils rallied with 20 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.
2. The Territorial Cup is recognized as the oldest rivalry trophy in college football with it being present at the first meeting back in 1899.
3. Arizona continues to play two quarterbacks in senior Khalil Tate and freshman Grant Gunnell, and it was the latter who had the most success against Utah, completing 8-of-16 passes for 96 yards and accounting for the Wildcats’ lone TD on a 7-yard rushing score.
PREDICTION: Arizona State 38, Arizona 20