The Arizona St. Sun Devils snatched the Territorial Cup away from the Arizona Wildcats on Friday night, coming up with 24 unanswered points that gave them a 41-34 victory. SB Nation's ASU blog House of Sparky calls it "one of the greatest and most entertaining games in Territorial Cup history."
The Sun Devils finish their season 7-5, and do it in a way that's particularly pleasing over at House of Sparky:
Coming into this season, fans had their doubts about this team being able to turn around the program in one year under the leadership of head coach Todd Graham. The ASU student body wanted a .500 record and their school not only beat that, but they did it against their cross-state rival.
It isn't just a victory for Graham, they point out, but one for recruiting and therefore the program as a whole. They have quotes from a number of players, including safety Keelan Johnson, who had one of ASU's three interceptions on the night. "For our last time playing U of A," Johnson said, "and going out with these seniors and this is my last time playing with my teammates was a great feeling."
Johnson's interception came early in the game, but a late pick by Robert Nelson helped the Sun Devils put the game away. Nelson grabbed a Matt Scott pass at the ASU 32 and ran it back 66 yards, setting up a 2-yard drive by the Sun Devils that put them up by 14 with less than 3 minutes left to play.
The full post at House of Sparky has a detailed rundown of the game as well as plenty more from players, so don't miss it.