Territorial Cup win in 2011 'a lucky moment in a tough situation' for Arizona

Sometimes it’s good to be the underdog.

The last time Arizona beat in-state rival Arizona State in Tempe, the Wildcats were led by interim head coach Tim Kish, who replaced Mike Stoops after he was fired midseason, and Super Bowl MVP quarterback Nick Foles.

That last Territorial Cup road win for the Wildcats came 12 years ago — two days before Rich Rodriguez was announced as new head coach.

In Arizona’s 31-27 win over bowl-bound ASU in 2011, the Wildcats and Sun Devils combined for 1,061 yards of total offense. Foles and fellow former NFL quarterback Brock Osweiler combined for 857 passing yards, however Osweiler threw two interceptions. After Foles suffered a back injury in the fourth quarter, backup quarterback Bryson Beirne subbed in and after a pair of runs by running backs Ka’Deem Carey and Keola Antolin, Beirne threw a screen pass to wide receiver Juron Criner, who broke three tackles en route for a go-ahead, 23-yard touchdown.

Two years ago, Beirne said, “When we walked off the field, I took the decal off my helmet and slapped it on the field goal post — I put it on that little devil thing or whatever they call it, Sparky or whatever. I just stuck it right on the field goal post and walked into the locker room with a big ol’ smile on my face.

“The ASU fans didn’t like it and probably said more swear words than me, but who cares? We beat ASU in Tempe.”

The Territorial Cup win for Arizona in 2011 “revealed the character of our team that year.”

“It was crazy, but we dealt with it and coped, figured it out and tried our best to win every weekend,” he said. “Practices weren’t any different and we were working hard and just having a good time. We didn’t have the season we wanted, but man, it’s hard to argue against beating ASU in Tempe, I’m telling you.”

The Wildcats were 10.5-point underdogs entering that contest. Nowadays, 15th-ranked Arizona (8-3) is favored by 10.5 points to beat the Sun Devils (3-8) on Saturday.

“Sometimes it’s not always great not being the underdog,” Kish said. “You know Arizona State is gonna give them their best shot, but I think if Arizona just plays sound football the way they’ve been playing all year, everything will work out in our best interest.”

“Very satisfying to win at their stadium and silence the crowd,” he added.

Kish joined “Spears and Ali” on ESPN Tucson this week to reflect on the triumph in Tempe a dozen years ago, Foles’ leadership and the Alamo Bowl, along with his analysis of the Wildcats’ current defense. Here’s more of what he said.:

What did that win over ASU in 2011 mean for the team at the time?

A: “It started back in the middle of the season, to be honest with you. When the entire staff was let go six games into the season. We had a great start to the refurbished group. We lost three in a row and had a couple of hiccups in there that were a negative vibe for a team that was fractured at that point. We needed to find a way to regroup. The best way to regroup is to know you’re playing your arch rival away from home. We just had a great week of practice, I remember that vividly.

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

“Our team was ready to play and it certainly was an exciting game.

“Not so much defensively. We had three turnovers in that game and didn’t give up the ball, so that was a critical part in that game. To come out on the winning end and watch Marquis Flowers knock down a pass in the endzone at the end of the game to secure the win was very exciting for all of us. A lucky moment for us in a tough situation in that particular time of the year.”

What was your message to the team leading up to kickoff?

A: “The good news about a rivalry game is you hope you don’t have to say too much. The kids were ready, the team was ready, the coaches were ready. We had a great week of preparation. For the most part, I just wanted them to go out there and remember how much fun they had learning the game of football and bring that aspect to it. Just make sure they were keeping their focus. There wasn’t anything magical.

“But we were in a good frame of mind. Maybe it was a good thing we were on the road that year to play that game. We were certainly ready to go. Like I said, I just told the kids to remember how important football is to them and what they wanted to do to finish off the season and prepare for the road ahead.”

How did your relationship evolve with Foles over the course of the season?

A: “He was the first guy I brought into my office from the team to talk to, because he was the leader of the team and we had to be on the same page. We were fractured at that point and we just wanted to make sure to keep a positive attitude about everything. With Nick, he’s awesome. He never wavered in any shape or form. In fact, he got stronger as a leader in the last half of the season. For him to have the success after he left Arizona was no surprise to any of us. He’s just that kind of person when adversity hits, he was at his best. First and foremost, I counted on him to be the coach on the field for me and for us, and he certainly accepted that role.”

Arizona could potentially go to the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio; what do you remember about the game in 2010 and what are your thoughts on the Wildcats possibly returning?

A: “It’s a really good bowl down in San Antonio. Great place to have a bowl game to reward two teams that have had very successful seasons. Interesting thing about playing Oklahoma State in the bowl game that year, we turned around and played them in the second game of the year in 2011. Arizona, I’m very impressed with what Coach (Jedd) Fisch has done with his staff and the team this year. They’re hitting on all cylinders. They’re playing well in all three phases of the game. To be rewarded to go to a good bowl game, whether it’s the Alamo Bowl or something similar, it’s just icing on the cake at the end of the year for the kids.”

As a longtime defensive coach, what jumps out at you when you look at Arizona’s defensive improvements under second-year defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen?

A: “Several things. He’s mixing up his front and moving his front over the course of the game. I like what he’s doing on the back end a lot. You’re seeing basically a four-cross look but he’s getting into two-deep coverage and three-deep coverage and he’s really confusing quarterbacks. But most importantly, they’re playing at a very high speed, and whether or not he cut back on the number of calls he was making previously, I don’t know that for a fact. But I do know they’re playing very fast and I see a lot of guys around the ball, and that’s a good sign for the defense.”