The Star's Michael Lev looks at five storylines heading into Saturday's game between Arizona and ASU at Sun Devil Stadium.
Cutthroat, emotional, serious — current Arizona Wildcats embrace intensity of Territorial Cup rivalry
Arizona wide receiver Jamarye Joiner (10) celebrates after scoring in the second quarter against Washington at Arizona Stadium on Oct. 12, 2019.
The Territorial Cup means different things to different people.
The longer you’re invested in it, the more you appreciate the rivalry’s intensity and vitriol.
Arizona Wildcats receiver Jamarye Joiner has been around it all his life. Asked to describe his experience with the rivalry growing up in Tucson, the redshirt freshman chose his words carefully.
“It was super, super … cutthroat,” Joiner said.
That hasn’t changed. As Joiner noted, a scuffle broke out almost two hours before kickoff last year.
“It’s serious,” said Joiner, who has followed the rivalry since he was a kid but is about to face Arizona State for the first time Saturday night in Tempe.
“I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “Emotions are going to be running high. So that’s something that I gotta control.”
Finton Connolly understands. He’s about to play in his third Territorial Cup game. It will be the fifth he has attended as a Wildcat. Officially, anyway.
Connolly’s father, Sean, attended Arizona. Finton used to go to games all the time as a youth.
“I just grew up loving U of A,” Connolly said.
And despising ASU.
Connolly kicked off the week with a tweet expressing his gratitude to his school and its fans. He concluded it by saying: “Got to take care of some scum down in Tempe.”
“I’ve had a couple years now where I finally get to understand the rivalry a lot better, being a player,” said Connolly, a fifth-year defensive tackle. “I’m just excited to get out there and play a physical game — a dirty, grimy game.”
That Connolly didn’t fully grasp the magnitude of the rivalry until he became a participant in it is somewhat surprising. He attended Campo Verde High School in Gilbert. His father is an officer for the Phoenix Police Department.
“As a player, you really understand it,” Connolly said. “How much hatred they have. Both sides do. But as a player, you definitely feel it a lot more.”
Connolly recalled the first time he played at Sun Devil Stadium. It was Nov. 25, 2017. ASU’s fans gave Connolly and his teammates a warm greeting.
“We’re coming out of the tunnel, and you already see them looking at you,” Connolly said. “They’re saying some things that I can’t really repeat. I was like, ‘OK, this is it right here.’”
Connolly predicted it would be “a shock” for those experiencing the rivalry for the first time.
Trevon Mason and Josh Donovan, a pair of junior college transfers from Texas, are among the Wildcats who will be playing in their first Territorial Cup game. Mason, a defensive tackle, didn’t realize at first that Arizona and ASU competed for an actual cup.
“I didn’t know what that was,” Mason said. “I just thought it was a game.”
Donovan, an offensive guard, didn’t really get it until he saw it in person. Donovan attended last year’s matchup as part of his official visit. Even though the Wildcats lost, he committed the next day.
“When I came on my visit … you could just feel the intensity of it,” Donovan said. “That’s really what brought me here. I expect the same thing on Saturday.”
Arizona’s young WR corps offers hope for future despite speed bumps in present
Arizona wide receiver Brian Casteel heads to the end zone to score after catching a pass in the second half of an NCAA college football game against Colorado Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019, in Boulder, Colo. Arizona won 35-30. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
If you’re looking for hope amid the doom and gloom of Arizona’s 2019 season, look no further than the Wildcats’ receiving corps.
A unit that lost most of its production heading into this year stands to lose only one senior, Cedric Peterson, entering next year. Among the other 10 scholarship wideouts on the roster, eight are redshirt sophomores or younger.
“That’s a pretty good group that’s got a huge future ahead of them,” UA coach Kevin Sumlin said earlier this season.
Redshirt sophomore Brian Casteel leads the team with 39 receptions entering the season finale against Arizona State on Saturday. Redshirt freshman Jamarye Joiner has a team-high 412 receiving yards.
Two true freshmen, Boobie Curry and Jalen Johnson, have flashed their vast potential. Each has six catches in eight games after missing time early in the season because of injuries. Much more will be expected of them in 2020 and beyond.
“They’re big, they’re fast, they’re physical,” Sumlin said. “But they’re young, and they’re learning.”
Curry made his first career start at Colorado on Oct. 5. He tried to body-catch a pass in the first quarter, allowing the defender to break up the play. Later in the half, Curry made his first career reception.
Sumlin believes in positive reinforcement, and he’s hopeful that Johnson can rebound the way Curry did. Johnson had a brutal drop against Utah last week. He was wide open and might have scored had he caught the ball.
Johnson didn’t get another chance in that game, but he will have plenty of opportunities in the future. Sumlin wants him to be in the right frame of mine when the next one comes.
“With those young guys, it’s ‘Hey, let’s go,’ ” Sumlin said. “You can’t do anything about what just happened. Particularly with young players, with freshmen in those situations, I think it’s important to be positive.”
Joiner said the players appreciate that approach. He has made his share of mistakes this season too. Receivers know when they have dropped a ball they should have caught, Joiner said.
“So you don’t need to go up to them and say too much,” he said. “You just pat them on the shoulder pad just to let them know: ‘We’re not mad at you. It happens.’ ”
Joiner shares Sumlin’s opinion that the future looks bright for the receiving corps. Add in the fact that the probable 2020 starter at quarterback, Grant Gunnell, is a true freshman, and Arizona has players at multiple skill-position spots who can grow together.
“If you have good receivers (and) you have a good quarterback to throw the ball, you will succeed on offense,” Joiner said.
Can Arizona develop linemen? Two prospects in pipeline show promise
Arizona's offensive lineman Josh Donovan, left, takes the field with his team for warmups before an NCAA college football game against Oregon, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Chris Pietsch)
Mykee Irving and Josh Donovan aren’t the types of players who will show up in a box score. But they’re the types of players Arizona needs to recruit and develop to improve as a program.
Irving is a 6-4, 320-pound defensive tackle. Donovan is a 6-5, 316-pound offensive guard. Both look the part, and both have played bigger roles lately for the Wildcats after battling injuries earlier in the year.
Irving has recorded a tackle in three straight games. He did not play in the first six while recovering from a knee injury.
“It’s been fun,” said Irving, a redshirt freshman from Calabasas, California. “I’ve had a great time playing with my brothers. And every game you learn new things, new things that you have to do to the opponent to win the one-on-one battle.”
Irving took a circuitous path to a spot in the defensive line rotation. He shifted to offensive guard in the spring, a move he described as a “mutual idea.” After spring ball, then-defensive coordinator Marcel Yates told Irving he wanted him back on defense. Irving liked the sound of that.
“I would say I’m more of a defensive guy,” he said. “Because I like to hit.”
Irving appeared in three games during his redshirt year but didn’t have much of an impact while working to get in better shape. When he arrived at Arizona in January 2018, he weighed 367 pounds.
Donovan also enrolled early, becoming a UA student in January ’19. The transfer from Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, Texas, worked with the first team at the outset of spring practice before a broken left hand took him off course.
“It was a little setback,” Donovan said. “I’m an offensive lineman with one hand. (But) you can’t really sit around and whine about it. You just gotta keep on moving.”
Donovan slid down the depth chart and made only one early-season appearance, against NAU, until injuries to others created an opportunity. Donovan rotated at right guard against Oregon on Nov. 16 and started there against Utah last week.
“I had a lot of support these past two weeks,” Donovan said. “Everybody was just telling me to be smooth, don’t panic, let it all come natural.”
There’s a slim chance starting right guard Cody Creason will return for the season finale at Arizona State. Regardless of whether Donovan plays, he will qualify for a redshirt this season, giving him two more years of eligibility. He should compete for a starting job in 2020.
Donovan knows he has plenty of room to grow. He can improve his footwork, flexibility and hand usage.
Despite playing in only three games so far, Donovan already has learned a lot about Division I football.
“It’s a whole lot more intense,” he said. “And faster.”
Tempe has been troublesome trip for recent UA squads
Arizona Wildcats quarterback Khalil Tate (14) jogs off the field during the second quarter of the University of Arizona Wildcats vs. Arizona State University Sun Devils in the Territorial Cup college football game on Nov. 25, 2017, in Tempe, Ariz. Arizona State won 42-30.
Arizona State has not dominated the Territorial Cup rivalry over the past 20 years, but the Sun Devils have controlled it.
ASU has won 13 of the past 20 meetings after Arizona had won 14 of the previous 20. The switch roughly coincided with the end of the Dick Tomey era.
Although the schools’ stadiums are separated by only 113 miles, where the game has been contested has had a sizable impact on the outcome.
Arizona has lost three straight and six of its past eight in Tempe. Meanwhile, the Wildcats have won two of the past three meetings and split the past eight played in Tucson.
Here are the results of Arizona’s last eight visits to Sun Devil Stadium:
2017: L, 42-30
2015: L, 52-37
2013: L, 58-21
2011: W, 31-27
2009: W, 20-17
2007: L, 20-17
2005: L, 23-20
2003: L, 28-7
Fastest Wildcats? Sprinter-turned-receiver Jamarye Joiner reveals his rankings
Who’s the fastest Arizona Wildcat?
Few topics generate more debate within the locker room. Every player has a perception, right or wrong, of his “Madden” speed rating.
To find out the truth, or at least one version of it, we asked receiver Jamarye Joiner, who knows a thing or two about speed. Joiner excelled for the track team at Cienega High School, participating in the 100-meter dash and 110-meter hurdles, among other events.
“Our team is very fast,” Joiner said. “We have a lot of athletes above the 20 miles-an-hour mark. We probably have 10-15 players that run 20-plus.”
OK, but which players are the fastest of the fast? Below are Joiner’s top six. He excluded himself from the rankings.
1. RB Gary Brightwell
2. CB Bobby Wolfe
3. WR Cedric Peterson
4. WR Brian Casteel
5. RB Michael Wiley
6. WR Tayvian Cunningham
Joiner also gave honorable mentions to defensive backs Lorenzo Burns and Troy Young.
That Cunningham landed at No. 6 on the list is something of a surprise given his past track exploits, which include a No. 5 finish in the 200 meters in the state of California as a high school senior. Joiner said Cunningham is “a freak of nature” but added: “I think I can beat him in any race.”
Peterson coming in at No. 3 also might come as a surprise because he rarely has been featured as a deep threat. His career average per catch of 15.0 yards suggests he might have been miscast.
“Cedric’s speed is very deceiving,” Joiner said. “He doesn’t look like he’s running so fast, but he moves.”
If it feels as if Joiner pays more attention to his teammates’ GPS readings than most players, well, it’s not a coincidence.
“I’m a competitive person when it comes to being the fastest, who’s dropping the most balls, catching the most balls, the most touchdowns, the most yards,” Joiner said. “I have to pay attention to stuff if I want to talk crap to my teammates.”
