Before he went viral for accidentally flattening Miss Arizona near the north end zone, Arizona Wildcats quarterback Brandon Dawkins broke three tackles in the process of scoring a touchdown.
A few moments later, UA linebacker Michael Barton chased down Arizona State quarterback Manny Wilkins from behind, hurting his shoulder while extending to make the diving stop.
In the third quarter, Zach Green fought through two would-be tacklers for a 1-yard score. In the fourth, Samajie Grant emerged from a pile of players to waltz in from the 2.
Arizona played with uncommon emotion, intensity and effort in the Territorial Cup on Friday night — elements that were missing all too often during the eight-game losing streak that preceded it.
There were plenty of suspenseful moments, especially during a too-close-for-comfort second half, but the Wildcats pulled away for a 56-35 victory in front of an announced crowd of 50,197 at Arizona Stadium.
Arizona rushed for a school-record 511 yards, repeatedly blasting through the ASU defense.
The victory enabled Arizona to avoid its first winless season as a member of the Pac-12 conference. The Wildcats finished a frustrating, injury-filled 2016 with a 3-9 overall record, their worst in five years under Rich Rodriguez. Rodriguez improved to 2-3 against counterpart Todd Graham.
“Just really proud of our team, particularly our senior class,” a smiling Rodriguez said afterward. “It doesn’t make up for a tough season, but it’s a great night. It’s a great night to be an Arizona Wildcat. They hung together in a very difficult time and really played hard tonight.”
Arizona’s victory prevented ASU from becoming bowl-eligible. The Sun Devils lost their final six games to finish 5-7, 2-7 in the Pac-12.
Asked about keeping ASU out of bowl game, Grant said: “I’m not … yeah, I’m happy. I’m definitely happy.”
Added teammate and pal Nate Phillips: “We can all watch the bowl games together.”
The two sat on a stage in the Lowell-Stevens Football Facility, the Territorial Cup resting in front of them. What will they take from this season?
“This cup right here,” Phillips said. “That’s what we’re going to take with us. This year hasn’t been what we thought, but I wouldn’t want to spend it with any other guys.”
Heading into the game, Arizona coaches and players said a victory wouldn’t erase the pain of a difficult season. As Dawkins noted, “It’s not a 10-win game.”
But for a team desperate for one win, Friday night provided temporary relief – and a lifetime memory.
The Wildcats gathered at the 5-yard line near the south end zone after the game, smooching and passing around the Territorial Cup. A few minutes earlier, they had lined up in victory formation for the first time since Sept. 17.
“That feeling was great,” said linebacker Paul Magloire Jr., who carried the cup around the field after registering a game-high 14 tackles. “Anything that happened in the past, last week’s game, any other loss before that, I didn’t feel it anymore.”
Dawkins was among many Wildcats who stepped up in the season finale, dashing through the Arizona State defense for a career-high 183 rushing yards. Dawkins, who played the entire game with Anu Solomon out because of a foot injury, completed only 3 of 8 passes for 77 yards. But his rushing – and that of his teammates – proved to be enough.
The Sun Devils entered Friday with the second-ranked run defense in the Pac-12 at 131.5 yards per game. But the Territorial Cup marked the fifth time in the past six games that ASU had allowed 200 or more yards on the ground.
“That was the worst performance we’ve had since we’ve been here,” Graham said. “That was embarrassing.”
Grant – one of 23 UA seniors honored before the game – and Green also topped 100 yards and established career bests. Grant finished with 176 yards, Green with 126. They combined for five touchdowns. Arizona had three 100-yard rushers for the first time since Nov. 6, 1993.
Grant provided the knockout blow, a 63-yard run into the end zone with 7:45 remaining. Grant spent the first 3½ seasons of his UA career as a wide receiver. Injuries forced him to move to tailback in late October. He was happy to volunteer.
The defense also did its part. Although ASU scored 35 points and accumulated 492 yards, Arizona forced two turnovers – the first time the Wildcats have had multiple takeaways since their last victory.
Additionally, Arizona stopped ASU five times on fourth down.
“The key defensively was the fourth-down stops,” Rodriguez said. “We got a couple turnovers. It’s amazing when you get good field position what it can do for your offense.”
Another factor that helped Arizona’s offense: The no-huddling Wildcats huddled. They did so, Dawkins said, to prevent the Sun Devils from stealing their signals. Washington State coach Mike Leach accused ASU of stealing signs earlier this season, leading to a confrontational exchange with Graham after their game.
“ASU be cheating,” Dawkins said. “They know our signals. Sometimes they’ll call out some of our calls – the defense will be calling out our plays. We had to switch it up a little bit. We had wrist bands just in case. ASU always has tricks up their sleeve, but we had tricks up our sleeve.”
Arizona had one final treat for its loyal, patient fans, whom Rodriguez thanked afterward. He also delivered a message about the future.
“This doesn’t erase what was a tough year for us, but with our recruiting and our young players, we’re going to be OK,” Rodriguez said. “We’re going to be more than OK.”
