The Arizona Wildcats are significant underdogs heading into the Territorial Cup in Tempe (Saturday, 2 p.m., Pac-12 Networks).
Arizona State is favored by 20 points over Arizona, according to the VegasInsider.com consensus. The Sun Devils opened as 21-point favorites over the Wildcats.
Arizona (1-10, 1-7 Pac-12) has lost the past four meetings with ASU (7-4, 5-3), including a 70-7 shellacking last season that spurred the firing of UA coach Kevin Sumlin.
Arizona has lost two in a row since ending its 20-game losing streak with a win over Cal on Nov. 6. ASU had won two straight before losing 24-10 at Oregon State on Saturday night.
The point spread is the largest in the series in at least 10 years, according to OddsShark.com. Three of the previous 10 matchups had a spread of 10 points or more. The largest was 2019, when the Wildcats were favored by 12.5.
The early signs point to Arizona having multipurpose weapon Jamarye Joiner available for the ASU game.
Joiner, a quarterback/receiver, sat out last week’s game at Washington State because of an undisclosed injury. Joiner, who had been nursing a knee injury, posted a photo of himself on Instagram with a caption that read, “11-27-21.” That’s the date of the Territorial Cup game.
On Sunday, Joiner tweeted another message: “ALL GAS! NO BRAKES!”
Joiner has thrown two touchdown passes and rushed for one this season. He had the best receiving game of his career vs. ASU in 2019 (seven catches, 140 yards, two TDs).
UA receiver Stanley Berryhill III has been invited to participate in the East-West Shrine Bowl, his father posted on Facebook.
Berryhill, a fifth-year junior from Tucson, is tied for 15th in the nation with 74 receptions. That total ranks second in the Pac-12.
Berryhill leads the Wildcats with 777 scrimmage yards. He’s also their primary punt returner and top punt gunner.
The 2022 Shrine Bowl will take place Feb. 3 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The college all-star game previously had been played in St. Petersburg, Florida. The game will be televised by NFL Network.
