It’s the Battle for the Territorial Cup! Arizona enters this game gunning for their seventh win, while this is Arizona State’s bowl game. If the Wildcats win, it will be two straight over the Sun Devils. The last time Arizona won consecutive football games over the Sun Devils was 1993-1998. The last time Arizona won in Tempe was 2001. Lots of “firsts” could happen today. You know what that means…time for another running diary!
Pregame – We had to do some shopping today (for needs, not wants), so I am watching this game in HD on my DVR from Dish Network. I highly recommend Dish Network . . . I have been completely satisfied with everything from them. Anyway . . .
ABC introduces the game by showing the Wildcats’ epic collapse against the Ducks last Saturday night in Tucson. Please drive the knife deeper, guys. Really. The ABC narrator called it “the emotion of the most exciting game of the season.” What he should have said was “the gigantic kick in the stomach.”
Meanwhile, the Cats enter the field to a chorus of boos. I love it.
15:00 (1) -- The Sun Devils kick off to the Cats. The returner gets to the 17. The grass on Frank Kush Field at Sun Devil Stadium on Arizona State University in Tempe in Arizona in the United States in North America on Earth looks great, might I add. (See how ridiculous it is to have all those names in a stadium? Just name the stadium for Kush, guys.)
14:54 – William Wright catches a sideline screen pass and gains four. By the way, Keola Antolin is injured and will not play today. Greg Nwoko will play tailback instead. He’s averaging 4.3 yards per carry, might I add, as Wright runs a slant and catches another pass from Foles and gains a first down.
12:04 – On third and less than a yard, the receiver drops the pass, so Keenan Crier comes out to punt. The returner gets nine yards.
11:47 – Kyle Williams makes a nice diving catch to gain 44 yards.
11:18 – Then Dmitri Nance rips a 15 yard gain on the ground. Arizona’s defense is still in the locker room, I guess, as Nance gains two yards on another running play.
10:08 – Nance gets stuffed on a run up the middle. I guess the defense IS here. I finally see ASU’s QB’s name in print. It sounded like “Sakachi” and looked like “Szfhdsjklafsdlchi.” But it’s “Szakacsy.” Well there ya go. Meanwhile, Arizona has the wrong personnel on the field and calls timeout.
9:33 – Xavier Kelly and a three other Cats force Szcaudsiofejwlkny to scramble and throw it away. Here comes the field goal unit. A delay of game penalty sets them back five yards. We now hear that ASU has 84.8 penalty yards per game, which is the second-highest amount in all of College Football. You mean that a team coached by Dennis Erickson lacks discipline?!??? Are you going to tell me now that John Kennedy was a womanizer? Amazing! Meanwhile, ASU narrowly misses a field goal wide left.
8:20 – Announcers just mentioned that the trophy they are playing for is the oldest trophy in college football. Arizona, meanwhile, self-destructs, fumbles, recovers, and punts. Crier is roughed (knocked on his back), but it was ruled as running into the kicker, which is a five yard penalty.
6:54 – ASU takes over on their 37 yard line. Szfdshahjchy’s first pass is nearly intercepted. Then Nance gets wrapped up in the backfield.
6:17 – The cameras show Threet, ASU’s incoming transfer QB, on the sidelines. He’s sitting out because of a transfer from Michigan. He transferred there from Georgia Tech. Maybe next year, if he doesn’t get the starting spot, he’ll transfer to Hawaii. Meanwhile, Szerwuiofdhsakjchy gets sacked and then ASU booms a 68 yard punt.
5:00 – Cameras show the A on Hayden Butte last Sunday, when it was red. Haha. Even today, you could still see the red peeking out.
3:54 – I thought Antolin wasn’t playing today! Guess what, he came into the game, busted up the middle AND WAS LONG GONE FOR A 67 YARD TOUCHDOWN RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!! Zendejas’ extra point is good for a 7-0 lead. It was only four yards shorter than the kick he shanked last week that knocked the Cats out of the Rose Bowl hunt. I will now go slam my head on a table.
3:49 – Right on cue, the color commentator mentioned how big field goals were last week. Darn it all.
ASU starts their drive on the 26 and rattles off a three yard gain.
3:12 – Another Sun Devil penalty. Three penalties for 15 penalty yards in the first quarter alone.
2:03 – Another sack by the Cats, dropping Szcsafsjdkltrauihgadschy on the ASU 19. Here comes another punt...
1:28 – William “Bug” Wright runs the punt 38 yards after a 44 yard punt. First and ten on the 26. The announcers mention all of the good punt and kick returners who came through the University of Arizona: Chuck Levy, Chris McAlister, Bobby Wade.
0:30 – While I’m typing the last section, Arizona gets another first down; this time they’re on the 14 yard line. End of the first quarter shows the Wildcats ahead 7-0 and threatening.
15:00 (2) – Arizona’s cheerleaders are better looking than ASU’s.
Arizona gets a one yard run on first and ten. Arizona’s red zone stats this year are horrid, we are reminded.
14:11 – Foles throws a pass that is caught by Carr, ASU’s safety, but his first foot landed out of bounds out of the back of the end zone. Replays show that he might have put his right foot down inbounds first, but I don’t think he did. Arizona calls timeout.
Buffalo Wild Wings Top 30 plays of the last 30 years. . . #6 is the famous Hook and Lateral by Boise State against Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl three years ago. That play should have been #2 in my book, behind only The Play in 1982 Stanford-Cal involving the Stanford Band.
13:39 – The Cats can’t do squat in the Red Zone, and then Zendejas shanked a 30 yard field goal that hit the crossbar and bounced out. 30 STINKIN YARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!! AAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
13:04 – Arizona should be ahead 14-0 but instead is only up 7-0. The three losses involved missed opportunities in the Red Zone. Come ON.
11:31 – After a failed Sun Devil drive, the Cats take over on their own 31. Matt Scott comes in at QB at runs the ball 15 yards on the second play of the drive, getting a first down. The ball pops out when he hits the ground, but he was down, and replay confirms it.
10:18 – First and ten from the 48, then Antolin ran the ball to the ASU 47. Scott then carries to the 44, two yards short of the first down. Third and two now. Nwoko carries it past the first down marker, but a horrible spot made him short of the first down. Foles is in now for the fourth down sneak, which looks to be more than enough for a first down. The official spot confirms this, and so does the measurement. On the replay, it is obvious that three ASU linemen were lined up offside. I am, for some reason, not comfortable with the officiating today.
7:34 – A deep ball by Foles on second and nine is incomplete. This is irritating. Arizona should be ahead by a lot already.
7:34, Part Two – DELAY OF GAME?!??? COME ON!!!!
7:34, Part Three – Foles fires a pass incomplete. Yet another failed drive. Sheesh. Crier’s punt sails out of the back of the end zone. Hangover from last week’s debacle?
7:21 – Just saw a report that Bud Selig will step down as MLB commissioner after the 2012 season. Why not sooner? I’m serious here.
6:47 – Now Danny Sullivan is playing QB for ASU.
5:05 – ASU just misses a first down. Their receiver also gets a wretched spot. At least it happens to both teams. ASU is going for it on fourth down. Nance easily gets the first down, by the way.
4:38 – Danny Sullivan bombs one deep that bounces as it reaches the receiver. Second and ten.
4:38, Part Two – Another ASU penalty; their fifth of the game.
4:34 – UA blocks a screen pass.
4:23 – Another screen pass for ASU falls well short. Fourth down.
3:59 – Hankins’ punt is BLOCKED BY ORLANDO VARGAS, WHO SCOOPS IT UP AND TAKES IT ALL THE WAY!!!!!!!!!!!! Zendejas miraculously tacks on the extra point and the Cats now lead 14-0.
3:43 – ASU’s kick returner is SMOKED on the return.
3:43, Part Two – Replays show that Vargas’ block was one of the rare punt blocks in which the defender never even touched the punter.
3:24 – Earl Mitchell nearly takes the handoff, dropping Nance for a huge loss.
3:09 – Mitchell badly airmails his pass. Third and fifteen.
2:47 – ASU’s fans are booing their completely inept offense. ASU gained 44 yards on the first play, and in every play combined since then, they have gained 27. The punt only went for 30 yards, giving Arizona the ball near midfield.
2:07 – Terrell Turner makes a nice shoestring catch on ASU’s 45.
1:46 – Another first down for the Cats.
1:26 – Wright makes another catch for the first down – wait, no it’s incomplete. Don’t know if I agree with it; but I’m not calling this game.
0:48 – Criner catches the third down catch but is four yards short. Fourth and four. UA goes for it, but Foles’ pass is overthrown. Criner looked like he might have been held. Either way, ASU gets the ball on downs.
15:00 (3) – Arizona is only up 14-0 but should be up “a lot more than that” according to the announcers. They need to blow it open. BADLY.
ASU gets away with a block in the back on the return.
14:41 – Nance makes a nice run, but a lineman held on the play. It’s the sixth Sun Devil penalty of the afternoon, by the way. Second and twenty now.
13:47 – Third and sixteen for ASU, and Sullivan completes a twenty-four yard pass to Taylor. First down. (?)
13:22 – Then Sullivan gets sacked by Ricky Elmore for a loss of 7. Elmore leads the Pac in sacks.
12:21 – Pass dropped. Wow. Williams could not have been more open. Another incomplete pass brings up fourth and sixteen.
12:03 – Another short pass, this one to Criner. Second and six.
10:35 – Wright makes a beautiful leaping catch and falls near the first down marker. The line judge spots it in another bad position. My goodness. The measurement confirms that they are inches short. Keenyn Crier comes on to punt.
10:05 – Criner booms it to the ASU 31. ABC now shows the famous catch by John Jefferson in 1975 where he caught it parallel to the ground.
9:30 – Somehow ASU got to third and eleven, and I have no idea how.
9:11 – Great breakup by Ross to prevent a first down. ASU is now punting.
8:59 – Hankins got bumped into. Seemed to me that the Wildcat was bumped into him. There was also an illegal block in the back on the return. Looks like Erickson has a decision to make. He accepts the block in the back.
8:59, Part Two – OH MY GOSH. Two absolutely dreadful calls. The Wildcat WAS blocked into the returner, for one. Two, the “block in the back” was NOTHING. It should have been a no-call. This former high school official is beside himself.
8:59, Part Three – Foles passes out of his own end zone incomplete. It is a good thing that the receiver dropped the ball, because it would have been a safety.
8:23 – Foles makes a gorgeous throw and Dave Roberts makes a diving catch for a first dow. . .WHAT?!??? That was a catch. Oh wait, no it wasn’t, according to the replay.
7:47 – Kyle Williams makes a very nice, long return and takes it all the way to the Arizona 20. There were some blocks there that looked more legitimate as blocks in the back than the one that was called on the Cats a few minutes ago.
6:54 – It doesn’t matter. . .Arizona’s defense only gives up seven yards. Here comes the field goal unit. Defensive victory.
6:50 – Thomas Weber makes the 26 yarder. Zendejas probably would have missed it. 14-3 Wildcats.
6:45 – Wright returns the kickoff to the 25.
6:41 – Foles’s screen pass falls incomplete.
6:36 – Delashaun Dean makes a tip-toey catch near the sideline for a first down. Antolin follows it with a run for no gain to the UA 39.
5:38 – ASU is tipping many screen passes in the backfield now. Maybe it’s time to throw downfield?
5:31 – Foles fires incomplete over the middle. As Wright is returning to the huddle, an ASU defender is following him and jawing the whole time. Where’s the official?
5:23 – Crier’s 40 yard punt is returned by Williams. A blatantly obvious illegal block in the back is seen by several officials and flagged.
5:17 – Brooks Reid goes untouched to Sullivan and sacks him for a huge loss. It was the fifth sack of the day.
4:30 – And then Nance makes a 22 yard run for a first down. Horrible job tackling and covering the play by the linebackers.
3:07 – After a failed reverse, ASU rattles off another huge run. COME ON, GUYS! DON’T LET THEM BACK INTO IT!!!!
1:48 – Sullivan overthrows Williams on an out pattern on third and four.
1:40 – The punt goes into the end zone for a touchback.
1:28 – Matt Scott is in at quarterback again for the Cats. He makes a nice five yard run up the middle.
0:50 – A QB draw by Scott gains three. Third and two.
The clock runs out to end the quarter. Arizona leads 14-3. They should be ahead 35-3.
15:00 (4) – Foles makes a horribly ugly throw on third and two. I am ready to go slap someone upside the head. PUT THESE GUYS AWAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
14:57 – Crier’s 65 yard punt is downed at the seven by the Cats. A flag is thrown by the field judge for an obvious hold on the Sun Devils during the kick, so the half-the-distance penalty will put them on the three-and-a-half yard line.
14:31 – Why did Arizona lose to Oregon, Cal, and Washington? They are HORRIBLE at putting teams away. Case in point: Sullivan throws from his own end zone for a 24 yard gain. You simply CANNOT allow this if you’re Arizona.
13:23 – Another converted third and long. This is ridiculous.
12:57 – Nance makes a nine and a half yard run. I am ready to go punch a wall. I thought Arizona had a good defense!
12:23 – Another first down on a run by Nance. TACKLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
11:54 – Sullivan should have been sacked, except for a non-called hold. Then Williams makes a catch after a failed gamble by the UA safety and goes 44 yards for a touchdown. I will now throw up. Sentence fragments are currently racing through my head. What’s the flag for? Unsportsmanlike conduct?
ASU’s extra point is now a 35 yard kick, which Thomas Weber makes easily. Zendejas probably would have made the kick difficult.
11:37 – Delashaun Dean makes a nice catch for an eight yard gain on second and ten. It’s right in front of the ASU sideline and he hangs on despite getting TATTOOED.
11:13 – Foles makes another nice throw to Dean for a first down. Now Arizona is 2 for 12 on third downs.
10:28 – Antolin runs for six yards. The ball comes loose after he’s down. Second and four.
10:09 – Nwoko runs for the first down.
9:48 – Criner just turned a pu-pu platter of a play into a five yard gain on an end-around. Most guys would have been dropped for a two yard loss.
9:03 – Turner makes a nice catch-and-run for a first down. There’s a flag at the end for unsportsmanlike conduct by an ASU defender, Ryan McFoy. HUGE penalty. ASU now has nine penalties for 73 yards. Ladies and gentlemen, the 2009 Dennis Erickson-coached Arizona State Sun Devils!
8:44 – Foles is off today. He overthrew Criner in the end zone on a play where he could have easily caught a touchdown pass.
7:50 – Alex Zendejas drills a 30-yarder to put Arizona up 17-10. I will not make any more jokes about his kicking performance last week. Nice job, Alex.
7:50, Part Two – And then the free kick goes out of bounds. Darn it all. ASU has the ball on their own 40 now.
6:28 – Third and three for ASU from their own 47. Sullivan throws under pressure and Chris McGaha can’t make the catch. Here comes the punter. . .
6:13 – aaaaaaaand it goes out of bounds at the four. Nice punt by Trevor Hankins. Vontaze Burfict for ASU needs to be flagged. He will not leave Dean alone after the plays are over.
6:04 – Third and ten from their own five. And then Foles gets delay of game. Now third and twelve from the 2 and a half. And Arizona gets flagged for a penalty on the play, which was yet another overthrown pass. I’m afraid it was in the end zone.
5:57 – Thankfully it wasn’t in the end zone. It was an illegal chop block, which is a block below the waist while your opponent is already engaged in contact with another player. The call was correct, and ASU declined. ASU gets the ball back on the UA 48 after the punt. Arizona has not shown up yet this half.
5:32 – Sullivan makes another miraculous throw and completion under duress. I am beyond irritated.
5:11 – Nance gets the ball to the 33 on first and ten.
4:37 – Third and eight. Sullivan back to throw. . .and BHDFSJHDSKJLYURAHJKL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Another first down! What the. . . come on! Defense? ARRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!
4:00 – I HATE DIMITRI NANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
3:15 – Nance is now inside the five. There is nothing in this room for me to punch or throw. That’s probably a good thing.
2:21 – Nance scores a touchdown, but Garth Gerhart is called for holding at the line of scrimmage!!!!!!!! Replays show that the hold prevented a UA player from tackling Nance for a loss.
2:09 – Third and thirteen, and the pass falls incomplete. I didn’t see the ball bounce initially, and I thought that there was an interception return for a touchdown, but I saw it hit the ground in the replay.
2:02 – ASU is going for it on fourth down and thirteen, Sullivan’s pass to the end zone is caught for a an apparent touchdown, but there is a flag on the play. What’s it for?
CRAP! It’s pass interference on the defense. WHY CAN’T ARIZONA CLOSE OUT GAMES?????????????????????? I think they just heard my angry yells all the way in Seattle. JEEZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thomas Weber comes out and splits the uprights on the extra point. 17-17.
2:02, Part Two – Arizona is playing absolutely horrible football. I am not thinking that they will win this game.
1:54 – Wright returns the kickoff to the 27.
1:47 – Dave Roberts makes a four yard reception.
1:29 – Dean makes the catch, and then drops it. Third and six.
1:11 – Terrell Turner makes the catch but is a yard short of the first down. Today’s pathetic effort is embarrassing. Arizona has been completely dreadful in the second half. And Danny Sullivan has looked like Joe Montana did in the Super Bowls in the second half.
1:10 – After a timeout, Crier punts it. Kyle Williams called for a fair catch, but MUFFS IT AND MIKE TURNER RECOVERS IT FOR ARIZONA AT ASU’S 22 YARD LINE!!!!!!!!!! It would have been a touchdown if it were a fumble.
0:58 – Greg Nwoko runs it up the middle for a three yard gain to the 19. Second and seven.
0:54 – Greg Nwoko runs it again to the 13. ASU uses their last timeout. Third and just over one.
0:52 – I really feel sorry for Kyle Williams. He’s a senior, and that was the last punt return of his college career. Nobody wants their college football career to end like that. Poor guy.
0:52, Part Two – Arizona now calls timeout. What will they do here? The announcers are wondering aloud whether they’ll QB sneak it to the center of the field and run the clock down for Alex Zendejas to kick an easy game winner.
0:05 – Arizona calls their last timeout to bring the field goal unit onto the field.
0:05, Part Two – Alex Zendejas attempts the game winning 32 yard field goal. . .AND HE MAKES IT!!!!!!!! CATS WIN, 20-17!!!!!!!
Postgame – And there’s a potential brawl at midfield. Lots of coaches and policemen are breaking it up, thankfully.
The camera shows Kyle Williams hanging his head on the bench, while Terrell Carr and Spencer Gasu attempt to console him.
Next week for the Cats: against the USC Trojans in the LA Coliseum.
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