Arizona Football Aftermath: Storylines, stats and quotes from the Wildcats' win over ASU

TEMPE — It's been a November to remember for the Arizona Wildcats. 

The 25th-ranked Wildcats bested their arch rival in No. 20 Arizona State, 23-7, Friday night at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe.

Not only did Arizona avenge its 42-point loss to the Sun Devils in Tucson last season, the Wildcats have won back-to-back games in Tempe for the first time since 2009 and '11. 

Arizona (9-3) has won the Territorial Cup three of the last four seasons. 

The Wildcats have now won five straight games to end the regular season — all of them in November. Arizona has finished the regular season with nine wins for the second time in three seasons — the eighth time in program history. 

Additionally, the Wildcats spoiled ASU's hopes of repeating as Big 12 champions and eliminated the Sun Devils from competing against No. 5 Texas Tech, which will face No. 11 BYU for the conference title game. 

Arizona head coach Brent Brennan, who's now on the victorious side of the Territorial Cup for the first time as a head coach, was doused in yellow Powerade on the UA sideline moments before the Wildcats officially beat ASU (8-4).  

"Just an absolute team win," said Brennan. "I could not be more proud of us. As you guys know, this game means more to everybody than any other game. It's more important to our players, our coaches. It's more important to our university, to our fans, our community.

"To come up here and get the win, it's just incredible. I'm excited, because now the Territorial Cup gets to come back to Tucson, Arizona, where I think all of us Wildcats feel like it belongs."

Arizona's nine wins are the most for a second-year head coach at the UA since Jim Young in 1974.

As the Wildcats await their bowl plans following a historic regular season, here's a look at notable storylines, statistics and quotes from the latest edition of the Territorial Cup, along with a look at what's next for Arizona.

T Cup takeaways

Arizona isn't following a manual or a script during its five-game winning streak, but there has been a trend, especially the last four games.

The Wildcats trailed Kansas, Cincinnati, Baylor and ASU at halftime of each contest and rallied to win. 

Arizona's first-half struggles on Friday included red-zone issues and missed field goals, a similar situation as the win over Cincinnati.

All of Arizona's first-half drives ended in ASU territory — four of them inside the Sun Devils' 30-yard line — but the Wildcats only scored 3 points in the first half. Arizona was 0-for-3 in the red zone in the first half and finished 3-for-6 for the game.   

The Wildcats converted four third-down plays on the opening drive, but running back Quincy Craig, who missed the last game due to a leg injury, fumbled on the ASU 8-yard line. 

Arizona kicker Michael Salgado-Medina missed a 45-yard field goal on the left hashmark in the first quarter. His 42-yard attempt from the left hashmark in the second quarter was also blocked. Salgado-Medina made a 47-yarder with a second left before halftime to cut into the deficit, 7-3. Salgado-Medina made a 49- and 29-yarder in the second half. 

Salgado-Medina is 19-for-31 at kicking field goals this season. He's 5 for 12 at field goals between 40-49 yards this season. 

"Everyone is going to be talking about special teams because Michael missed kicks today, but our special teams have been damn good all season and I feel really good about that," Brennan said. "I believe in Michael and we'll get that worked out for our next one."

ASU quarterback Jeff Sims, who replaced injured starter Sam Leavitt, scored the Sun Devils' only touchdown of the game with a 27-yard designed run to the left side.

Arizona safety Dalton Johnson, who was the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week following his 18-tackle performance against Baylor, was in position to tackle Sims but whiffed and the ASU quarterback ran for a 27-yard touchdown — Sims' longest run since his 228-yard performance against Iowa State.

"It happens," Johnson said. "It's the open field and he's a great athlete. It happens." 

ASU scored after the UA defense forced back-to-back three-and-outs and an interception by cornerback Michael Dansby, who recorded his first pick of the season and the first since last November during his final season at San Jose State.

Excluding Sims' 27-yard run, the 6-4, 220-pound dual-threat quarterback had nine rush attempts for 16 yards — an average of 0.6 yards per carry.

"The guys up front did a fantastic job clogging those lanes and making him run sideways, and everyone was swarming to the ball," Arizona defensive back Treydan Stukes said. "That's how you play great defense and I think (defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales) put us in a great position to make those plays." 

In similar fashion as the Wildcats' previous wins, Arizona adjusted its defense and found a spark by forcing five takeaways, albeit Sims' first fumble was a botched exchange with running back Raleek Brown, which was recovered by UA linebacker Taye Brown (no relation). 

Stukes "Mossed" ASU wide receiver Jaren Hamilton for an interception on a deep pass in the third quarter for his fourth interception of the season. Stukes also had an interception at the start of the fourth quarter against Baylor that kick-started the second-half onslaught. 

"They had a fast receiver in there and we knew they wanted to take him vertical," Stukes said of his interception on Friday. "I just had a lead on the post, knowing I might not be helped. The quarterback launched a pretty deep ball, but I feel like I got a pretty good jump on the trajectory and I was able to make a play, jump on time and use my hands to finish."

Stukes "is a special football player and a special kid," Brennan said.

"You don't need to spend much time with him to get a feel for how amazing of a young man he is," said the Arizona coach. 

Added Brennan: "What I saw on that play was him playing it in the backdoor of a vertical off a heavy play-action and he's exactly where he's supposed to be and then as that ball got launched, I saw him climb on the back of that guy and play it off the top of his head. It's one of the best football plays I've ever seen." 

Johnson forced Sims, who had four fumbles this season entering Friday, to fumble on the UA 13-yard line — the first forced fumble of the season for Johnson, who had a combined six forced fumbles in the previous two seasons. Arizona safety Genesis Smith recovered the fumble. 

"I knew the play was coming because they ran it three times," Johnson said. "I got a jump on it. I was hoping he was going to come outside, but he stayed inside and kept the ball outside. I decided to take a shot and it worked out." 

Johnson put a bow on the win over ASU with an interception with just under two minutes remaining. 

Arizona outscored the Sun Devils 20-0 in the second half, a week after outscoring Baylor 27-0 in the second half — 47-0 in the second half of the last two games. The Wildcats are outscoring their opponents 83-36 in the fourth quarter this season.

"I think this team is resilient and they believe in each other," Brennan said. "If I did see long faces, I was pretty aggressive in calling it out on the sideline because we said coming into this thing that it was going to be bloody, messy and nasty.

"That's what this game is. We just had to stay in the fight, which, in the first half, our defense gave us a chance to. Obviously, in the second half, our offense responded in an incredible way. You're never out of any game unless you believe you are. ... We knew this game was going to be a bloodbath.

"It's this game. It's Arizona versus ASU. It's always a super physical, back-and-forth (game) and we just felt like we had to keep playing and keep responding and answering the bell. Our players did that and that's why I have so much love for this team, because the way they continue to show up for each other play in and play out is special."

Arizona has 28 takeaways this season, which is the most by a UA team since 2000, when it had 33. Arizona has more takeaways (15) than touchdowns allowed (10) in the last five games. The Wildcats shut out ASU in three quarters and now have five shutout quarters over the last two games. 

ASU recorded 214 yards of total offense, which is the Sun Devils' second-fewest total in the Territorial Cup series. ASU's 114 yards through the air marked the eighth straight game the Wildcats held their opponents to fewer than 200 passing yards — tied for the longest streak in the Big 12 since Missouri in 2004. 

The seven points allowed marked the fewest points surrendered by Arizona in the Territorial Cup since 1992. It's also the fewest points allowed by Arizona in Tempe since 1955. 

ASU's drives in the second half resulted in two fumbles, two interceptions and two punts.

"Finishing games is super important," Johnson said. "We always talk about starting fast, but we also gotta finish strong. Whether we're in a close game or not, we gotta finish the game out until the clock hits triple zeros. I feel like we did a great job of that." 

Fifita makes history, offense rises

The Wildcats took a 10-7 lead in the third quarter after quarterback Noah Fifita fired a 9-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Cameron Barmore, which is the first touchdown of Barmore's Arizona career. 

Fifita completed 28 of 45 passes for 286 yards, a touchdown and an interception, and was named the Bob Moran Territorial Cup MVP for the second time in three years.

Fifita is the first Arizona quarterback since Nick Foles in 2009 and '11 to win back-to-back road Territorial Cups. Fifita has passed for 939 yards, seven touchdowns and an interception in three Territorial Cup starts. 

After nearly getting shut out in the first half, the Wildcats scored on four of their seven drives in the second half. Arizona's final possession of the third quarter was a 16-play, 63-yard scoring drive that chewed up six minutes of game clock.

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Arizona's penultimate drive of the game was a 14-play, 87-yard touchdown drive that had 30 net rushing yards; the Wildcats had 88 net rushing yards the entire game. Arizona running back Kedrick Reescano capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run that was set up by Craig's 24-yard reception on a flat route on fourth-and-1 inside ASU territory. 

The Wildcats converted a season-high 10 of 20 third-down plays and dominated time of possession, 40:01-19:59. 

"Being able to slowly march down the field and doing what we wanted to do, it was nice to see," said Arizona left guard Chubba Maae. "It was satisfying being able to punch the ball in and hear that crowd go silent and hear our little corner (of UA fans) go off. It's the best feeling in the world."

The Wildcats "played great team football" in the second half, Brennan said.

"That's the thing that I feel about this group, this is an awesome football team," he said. "It's really, really special, this Arizona team. The offense in the second half had a bunch of sustained, long drives that kept the ball out of ASU's hands and our defense kept answering and coming up with big plays and takeaways." 

Arizona offensive coordinator Seth Doege "called a great game," Brennan added.

"They're really damn good on defense and Coach Doege called a great game," Brennan said. "Trust me, I would like every play to score — and so would Coach Doege. But football is not like that when you're playing against a good team in a rivalry game. It's going to go back-and-forth, you're going to trade punches and I thought the way we finished that game, especially in that moment, was so huge." 

As a result, Fifita is the only quarterback in program history to be the primary quarterback for two nine-win teams. Fifita's 26 passing touchdowns this season is a career-high and the fifth-most in a season by a UA quarterback. 

State 48 standouts

Several in-state products were on display for Arizona in the Territorial Cup, including Stukes, who made his first-ever Territorial Cup appearance in the Wildcats' 70-7 loss to the Sun Devils during the pandemic-influenced season in 2020. 

Stukes' final appearance in the Territorial Cup was "significantly different" than his first go-around.

"It wasn't a fun one (in 2020)," said Stukes, who signed with the Wildcats as a walk-on from Millennium High School in Goodyear. "It felt good to go out with a group of guys like this. To end my college career this way, it's fantastic."

Smith and Taye Brown, who both graduated from Chandler Hamilton, combined for 10 tackles, two fumble recoveries and a pass breakup on Friday. Fellow Hamilton product in wide receiver Tre Spivey III had four catches for 31 yards, while former Chandler Basha star receiver Gio Richardson had three catches for 27 yards. 

Arizona redshirt freshman right tackle and Glendale native Matthew Lado started alongside right guard and Phoenix-area product Alexander Doost. Lado replaced the injured Tristan Bounds, who started eight games for the Wildcats this season before suffering a season-ending leg injury. 

By the numbers

3: Road wins over ranked opponents for Brennan, which is one more than Jedd Fisch, Rich Rodriguez, Mike Stoops and Larry Smith. Brennan's mentor, Dick Tomey, had seven wins over ranked opponents on the road during his time at the UA.

4: Stukes' four interceptions this season are tied for the most in the Big 12.

13-11: Brennan's record at Arizona after two regular seasons. 

52-46-1: Arizona's all-time record against Arizona State. Next season's meeting in Tucson will be the 100th game between the Wildcats and Sun Devils. 

62: Preceding the first fumble in the second half, Arizona punter Isaac Lovison boomed a 62-yard punt that rolled to the ASU 4-yard line. 

90.3: Arizona's rushing defense grade on Pro Football Focus. 

100: Total rushing yards for ASU on Friday, the lowest since rushing for 98 yards against Houston last month. 

351: Total yards for Arizona wide receiver Kris Hutson in the last three games. Hutson has 24 receptions during that stretch and is averaging 14.6 yards per catch.

They said it

Brennan, on what the late Tomey would've thought about Friday: "I think Coach Tomey would've loved this game, especially the way we played defense. He pretended to care about all three phases, but he was really a defensive guy. He would've loved it, especially because the result ended up with the Wildcats on top." 

Johnson, on similarities between the 2025 and '23 Arizona teams that both finished the regular season 9-3: "U of A is looked at like a little brother or bottom-tier, so I think we go into each week hungry and we practice that way. We want to come out on top. When you've got that momentum and your team is playing as one, you're going to get on a run like we're on. There's some similarities you can find, but this team is special and it's its own (team)." 

Stukes, on comparing Arizona's Alamo Bowl team in '23 to the current UA football team: "You can definitely find some similarities with the way the season went in '23. It's just this group of guys. We've put so much hard work in to get to this point. We just kept attacking week after week and the team kept getting better and better."

Brennan, on Arizona winning the Territorial Cup for the upperclassmen: "The magnitude of the rivalry and what that means for them, those seniors to go out with a win is incredibly special. I also think it's special that Dalton and Genesis and Stukes chose to come back to play together. To see them make plays for each other and show up for each other that way, it's magic, man. It's a special part about being a part of a fun team, a great team." 

Maae on the "rewarding" win: "All the work you put in, starting off in the beginning of the year. It's a brand-new team. ... Not knowing what to expect as a group. Slowly but surely, seeing everything come together and having faith in each other ... You love it for everybody in the room. We've been through a lot together."

Brennan, on Arizona going from 4-8 to 9-3 in a year: "I really think I'm fortunate to be surrounded by awesome people. I think it starts with alignment with our administration, our president, our athletic director, all of the people who are helping us build it. The coaches are fantastic. ... When you have great alignment from top to bottom and everyone is all-in and moving in the same direction, you can do incredible things. I think that's what's happening with our program right now."

Injury report

Maae and cornerback Jay'Vion Cole, who were both listed as game-time decisions on the final availability report entering Friday's game, were active for the Territorial Cup. Maae started at left guard, while Cole was dressed but didn't play.  

UA defensive tackle Tiaoalii Savea missed his third straight game due to a leg injury. Arizona cornerback Marquis Groves-Killebrew also missed his fifth straight game due to an undisclosed injury. 

ASU wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, who's been nursing a hamstring injury in the last month, exited the game after aggravating his hamstring injury.  

What's next

The Wildcats await their postseason fate, which will be decided on Sunday, Dec. 7. 

With its current-standing Pac-12 affiliation for the postseason, Arizona could conceivably play in the Holiday Bowl at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego on Jan. 2. Representatives from the Holiday Bowl were in attendance for the Territorial Cup on Friday.

One of the Holiday Bowl reps attended the UA's postgame press conference and hinted at the bowl game inviting the Wildcats for the first time since 2009. The Holiday Bowl rep was also spotted talking to Brennan and other staffers in the hallway near Arizona's locker room after the game.  

Arizona could also play in the Bucked Up LA Bowl hosted by Gronk on Dec. 13 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, or the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, on Dec. 31.

The Wildcats "don't have a preference" for the bowl game they play in, according to Stukes.

"Anywhere we go, we'll have a good time," Stukes said. "This group of guys can click anywhere. We'll have a good time anywhere we go."

The goal for the next month?

"Soak it in," Stukes said. "It's our last few weeks as an Arizona Wildcat. With this special group of guys, these moments are going to be the days we look back on and these are the good ol' days, like that 'Office' quote. We're going to soak it in as much as we can for the last month." 

The Wildcats are also preparing for the early signing period on Wednesday. Arizona's 20-player 2026 recruiting class currently ranks No. 36 nationally — seventh in the Big 12, according to 247Sports.com. 

"I think the coaches need a little sleep," Brennan said. "This coaching staff is really special. Great people, they love their players, the players love them, everyone is so committed and works so hard to get us to this point. We're sitting here 9-3 in one of the best conferences in the country, it's pretty special. 

"This week, we'll have a little bit of downtime. Hopefully, we can heal up and get our bodies fresh and healthy. Then, we'll find out where we're going pretty soon after. I couldn't be more proud of this team. I couldn't be more proud of this coaching staff. I'm appreciative of them and the effort they put into helping us build something that's really special.

"I think we're just getting started."  

Photos: Arizona posts a gritty 23-7 win over Arizona State, 99th Territorial Cup