Lackluster offenisve performance leads to lopsided loss in Territorial Cup game

On Monday, ahead of the Territorial Cup clash, Kenny Dillingham, a Scottsdale native, called the matchup between the state’s top programs a holiday tradition like no other, noting Thanksgiving is capped off by a weekend clash between the Sun Devils and Wildcats. 

If that wasn’t enough to add fuel to Friday nights flame, the 2025 clash between No.20 Arizona State and No.25 Arizona was the first ranked matchup in the Territorial Cup game since 2014, as Big 12 Championship game implications were on the line. But the festive showdown wouldn’t have been any Sun Devils wish. 

“Not all stories end with a happy ending,” Dillingham said. “Sorry.” 

On Friday night, ASU (8-4, 6-3 Big 12) watched as Arizona (9-3, 6-3) waltzed on the turf of Mountain American Stadium and stole the Territorial Cup from its grasp, outsourcing the host 20-0 in the second half to an eventual 23-7 victory. 

The defeat removes any mathematical chance that ASU could defend its 2024 Big 12 Championship title. Even with a victory, it would’ve needed help on Saturday; however, the rival from 110 miles south derailing that hope leaves a difficult sting for the program. 

“Didn’t get these guys ready enough tonight,” Dillingham said. “One moment does not define a football team, it sucks but one moment defines being able to talk s— for a year.” 

The Sun Devils failed to create any momentum offensively, and senior quarterback Jeff Sims has his name engraved on four of their five turnovers, which continued to put the defense behind the eight ball. 

ASU’s offense produced a season low of just 214 total yards and first downs, only moving the chains a dozen times, and Sims completed just 11-of-25 passes for 114 yards with three interceptions.

Because of this Arizona had possession a majority of the game forcing the Sun Devils to play defense for over 40 minutes. On top of that, the offense turning the ball over frequently didn’t give Defensive Coordinator Brian Ward a lot of room to work with, allowing his unit to be worn down.

“Over the course of the season, we found ourselves on the field a lot,” linebacker Jordan Crook said. “So it’s a matter of just acclimating, adjusting, and at the end of the day it’s about our backs against the wall and not letting them score.” 

Arizona quarterback, junior Noah Fifita, found his rhythm early and didn’t hold back, completing 28-of-45 passes for 286 yards and a touchdown. He’s clearly found it comfortable when playing in Tempe; he holds the record for most passing yards in a Territorial Cup game, throwing for 527 yards in 2023 when the Wildcats won 59-23. 

Arizona grinded out drives to pierce through Ward’s defense in a variety of ways, 10 receivers made catches on Friday, and seven guys had at least 25 receiving yards. 

‘They’re kind of a ‘flavor of the week team’ in some areas,” Crook said. “Once we got settled in, we were able to go out there and deliver some good defense.”

Before Friday’s game, senior night festivities shined the light on a large bunch of Sun Devils who arrived ahead of the 2024 season who are now graduating and leaving the program. Dillingham previously called this group a bunch of misfits, this newaged group formed after consecutive 3-9 seasons in Tempe have a chance to win 20 games across consecutive years since 2013 & 2014. Before that, it was 1972 & 1973. 

“I told the group, you guys have done something special,” Dillingham said. “The body of work, anybody that doesn’t appreciate those guys, body of work, man, you just, you just, you just don’t like kids.”

Led by Sims at the helm, the Sun Devils won three consecutive conference matchups, an impressive feat considering offensive injuries for sophomore quarterback Sam Leavitt, and junior wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, who sporadically played during the back half of the season due to a lower body injury.

“How we got hit with all of our stuff as early as it did, we could’ve gone out there and not won any more games,” Crook noted. “It showed our fight.” 

A player who got hit with an injury during the 2025 season, but showed fight while playing for the Maroon and Gold, is New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo. The former ASU player finished second in the nation in all-purpose yards in 2024, and the Tempe legend came back as an honorary captain for Friday’s matchup. 

Skattebo dislocated his right knee after a high-octane start to his rookie season in the NFL, but his energy and spirit didn’t waver, as fans got to see the former player scooter around the field and sign memorabilia for fans.

According to Dillingham, just like Skattebo, all of the 2025 season will be life-long Sun Devils. 

“They’re Sun Devils,” Dillingham said. They want to be Sun Devils, like they chose to be Sun Devils; they’re gonna be Sun Devils for life. 

“I get it, it’s the rivalry I get it, it’s the game you’re supposed to win. Trust me, I know. But like, man, these kids are Sun Devils.” 

A final ride ASU’s 2025 season awaits a bowl game placement, it’ll wait till after College Football Playoff selections on Sunday, Dec. 8. According to national outlets, projections line the Maroon and Gold to face off in the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, or the LA Bowl in Inglewood, California. 

“Let’s go in an unbelievable note,” Dillingham said on Bowl game attitude. “Let’s go, finish this season and send our seniors out, right.” 

For Sun Devil fans, a season draped in excitement and expectation comes to a bittersweet end, but they’ll enjoy the assuredness that Dillingham is returning to the program in 2026 despite rumors from national media about other job prospects in the SEC or BIG 10 floating his way. 

“The last two years are unbelievable, and it’s only the beginning that’s the best part,” Dillingham said Friday. “When you start to get excitement, not everything goes your way, but we’re way higher than we were, and we’re going to continue to build. And that’s the goal, and it’s my job to make sure that even in the lowest moments, we put things in perspective.” 

Perspective will lead many to wonder who ASU goes to replace its band of seniors, 18 of their 22 Week 1 starters are seniors or slated to leave for the NFL draft, leaving Dillingham with a lot of additions to make. Fortunately for the program, two years of unprecedented success aids in the talent attraction and retention process. 

“I think we’re going to have a really good chance to go get really good players to add to the program,” Dillingham added. “The difference was, I feel like our depth and our young guys in our program, I feel really good about the guys we’ve signed. So I think those guys are going to get better and better and better even though we do have to kind of reload, we have so much better depth than we had two years ago or three years ago.”

With the talent the Sun Devils will be keeping around, many of them had to learn throughout 2025 while being thrown in the fire due to injury. On Friday, sophomore safety Kyan McDonald was called into action after sophomore Adrian “Boogie” Wilson got injured. 

Through his two years as a Sun Devil, McDonald had made just two tackles, but he learned quickly, finishing second on the team in tackles Friday with nine, including six solo take downs. 

“We’re going to war with guys who haven’t had the experience,” Senior tight end Chamon Metayer said. “But we know they’re fighters.” 

For the third consecutive season, the road team gets the honors of stealing the Territorial Cup from the home team’s stadium, and for ASU, the loss is bitter, but the last two seasons gave Sun Devil fans a new era of excitement.

“It’s crazy to see the growth of the program,” Junior cornerback Keith Abney II. “First year 3-9 and it was bad, now we’re upset by four losses. I feel like that just says the change of the culture here. The Standard here has just changed.”