This summer, each member of the Star sports team will assemble a list of the five most memorable Arizona games theyβve covered since joining the beat. This week, Justin Spears will reflect on five football and menβs basketball games:
Spearsβ No. 4:
Arizona ends six-year Territorial Cup drought, beats Arizona State
What went down: The UA football team knocked off ASU for the first time since 2016 in Tucson, winning 38-35 on Nov. 25, 2022.
What we wrote at the time: More than 20 minutes after the final whistle, the chants still could be heard bouncing off the concrete holding up Arizona Stadium.
βU of A! U of A!β
After years of misery, season upon season of disappointment, the Arizona Wildcats finally gave their fans something to celebrate.
UA fans and players try to get their hands on the Territorial Cup after the Wildcats beat the visiting Sun Devils in football on Nov. 25, 2022.
Arizona withstood a pair of rallies, forged a comeback of its own and held on for dear life in a heart-stopping Territorial Cup matchup Friday afternoon. The UA survived, defeating Arizona State 38-35 in front of an announced crowd of 49,865 β many of whom stormed the field after the game.
Veteran tailback Michael Wiley had a career game, rushing for 214 yards and three touchdowns and earning the Bob Moran MVP Award. Freshman linebacker Jacob Manu was involved in two critical defensive plays down the stretch.
βJust the emotions from the past few years and the results that we had, this one feels good,β said Wiley, who had 265 total yards. βEspecially to win it at home. It feels good to get the Cup back here. And in the future, itβs gotta stay here.β
The Wildcats ended a five-game losing streak against the Sun Devils, claiming the Territorial Cup for the first time since 2016. Arizona finished its second season under Jedd Fisch at 5-7, 3-6 in the Pac-12 β a four-win improvement over 2021.
Players and fans reach for the Territorial Cup after Arizona defeated Arizona State at Arizona Stadium on Nov. 25, 2022.
The Territorial Cup itself, lost somewhere in the mass of bodies on the field after the game, finally made its way to Fisch in the tunnel outside the locker room. He smiled and held it aloft, his white shirt sopping with green Powerade, before passing it around to the players.
βIn the end, credit to our players. Players win,β Fisch said. βIt was a great feeling in that locker room. Our players deserve that victory, and theyβve earned it with how hard they worked.β
β Michael Lev
Player of the game: Wileyβs 212 yards and three touchdowns en route to the rivalryβs MVP award is worth noting, but the unsung hero of the game is Manu for his heroic defensive efforts. He pressured ASU quarterback and Tucson native Trenton Bourguet, who fumbled the ball that was recovered by UA defensive tackle Tia Savea. On ASUβs final possession, with a chance to tie or win the game, Manu hit Bourguetβs arm on a pass that was intercepted by safety Isaiah Taylor to seal the triumph for the Wildcats.
By the numbers: 2,191, the days between Arizonaβs last two Territorial Cup victories. During the Wildcatsβ Territorial Cup drought, then-UA athletic director Greg Byrne took the same role at Alabama and was replaced by Dave Heeke; Khalil Tate became a national phenomenon, the UA program fired head coach Rich Rodriguez, hired β and fired β Kevin Sumlin, hired Fisch and lost to Northern Arizona for the first time since 1932.
Arizona running back Michael Wiley rushed for 212 yards and three touchdowns in the win over ASU in 2022.
The aftermath: The burden of losing to the Sun Devils went by the wayside for at least one year. Ever since the Wildcats set a school rushing record and clobbered the Sun Devils without attempting a pass in the second half in 2016, Arizona lost to ASU five straight seasons, including the nationally televised 70-7 humiliation in 2020. Arizona fans were subjected to years of driving past a billboard on Interstate 10 purchased by ASU alumni, which displayed the final scores of the Sun Devilsβ streak against the Wildcats. The 2022 win put Arizona at 5-7 on the season, but despite not qualifying for a bowl game, the victory over ASU served as a launching pad for an Arizona team expected to contend in 2023 for its first bowl berth since 2017.
Personal reflections: Objectivity is a cardinal rule in journalism, but to see the smiles on faces of players who went through several coaching changes, along with a 20-game losing streak and a barrage of setbacks, brought so much joy to me. The upperclassmen who laid the foundation for the superstar young talent Fisch and his staff lured to Tucson, they deserved that moment more than anyone. Most of them were unable to win β or even compete in β a bowl game, but hoisting the Territorial Cup, with the sun setting in the background, it was a special moment to take in. To think, this was the same team that lost by 63 points in the same stadium two years prior. Times have changed. Maybe now Keanu Reeves can say Arizona is a βgood football teamβ in his next movie.
Cover 5: Relive the entire list of Justin Spears most memorable games on the Arizona beat
This summer, each member of the Starβs sports team will count down the five most memorable Arizona games theyβve covered since joining the beat. Here's Nos. 1-5 from Justin Spears.Β
This summer, each member of the Star sports team will count down the five most memorable Arizona games theyβve covered since joining the beat. Here's Justin Spears' No. 1. βΒ Arizona State drubs Arizona 70-7 for Territorial Cup, ends Kevin Sumlinβs tenure as head coach
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This summer, each member of the Star sports team will assemble a list of the five most memorable Arizona games theyβve covered since joining the beat. This week, Justin Spears is reflecting on five football and menβs basketball games. Here's No. 2 βΒ Northern Arizona upsets Arizona in Jedd Fischβs inaugural season as head coach
This summer, each member of the Arizona Daily Star sports team will assemble a list of the five most memorable Arizona Wildcats games they've covered since joining the beat. This week, Justin Spears will reflect on five football and men's basketball games. Here's No. 3 βΒ Buffalo upsets Deandre Ayton-led Arizona in first round of NCAA Tournament
This summer, each member of the Arizona Daily Star sports team will assemble a list of the five most memorable Arizona Wildcats games they've covered since joining the beat. This week, Justin Spears will reflect on five football and men's basketball games. Here's No. 4 βΒ Arizona ends six-year Territorial Cup drought, beats Arizona State
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This summer, each member of the Star sports team will assemble a list of the five most memorable Arizona games they've covered since joining the beat. This week, Justin Spears will reflect on five football and men's basketball games. Here's No. 5 βΒ Arizona outlasts Washington in Pac-12 Tournament before pandemic shuts down season
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Arizona finished spring practice after hosting its annual spring game on Saturday at Arizona Stadium. Wildcats head coach Jedd Fisch recapped the spring and talked about the "halftime" of the offseason.
