No. 11/12 Arizona took down archrival No. 13/13 ASU 42-35 in a game that proved to be much more than just a rivalry matchup. With Stanford upsetting No. 8/9 UCLA 31-10, Arizona wins the Pac-12 Conference South division and will play No. 2/3 Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship game on Dec. 5.
UA linebacker Scooby Wright opened the game with a sack and forced fumble on ASU quarterback Taylor Kelly. Arizona scored shortly after when safety Anthony Lopez picked up the fumble and took it 25 yards to the end zone.
Wright’s energy set the tone for an Arizona defense that racked up seven sacks, one interception and 15 tackles for loss.
ASU star wideout Jaelen Strong finished the game with four receptions for 80 yards and one touchdown. UA wideout Samajie Grant ended with four receptions for 91 yards and two touchdowns.
ASU gained 380 yards, while Arizona gained 333 yards.
Despite totaling just 13 rushing yards in the first half as a team, the Wildcats bounced back in the second half. UA running back Nick Wilson continued his dominant freshman season, racking up 178 yards and three touchdowns.
Key Plays
First Quarter:
-UA LB Wright sacks and forced a fumble on ASU QB Kelly, UA S Lopez scooped and scored a 25-yard touchdown to put the Wildcats up 7-0 with 14:16 left in the quarter
-UA QB Anu Solomon fumbled deep in Arizona territory, and ASU DL Demetrius Cherry scooped and scored a two-yard touchdown to tie up the game at 7-7 with 5:56 left in the quarter
-UA WR Grant took a pass from Solomon 69 yards to the end zone to put the Wildcats up 14-7 with 5:01 left in the quarter
Second Quarter:
-ASU WR Strong makes an acrobatic one-handed touchdown reception to tie up the game at 14-14 with 11:54 left in the first half
-UA S Tellas Jones blocks an ASU punt, giving the Wildcats prime field position with about 5:46 left in the first half
-A few plays after, UA RB Wilson reached the end zone on a 21-yard rush to put the Wildcats back on top 21-14 with 3:41 left in the first half
-UA WR DaVonte’ Neal muffed a punt return deep in Arizona territory, giving ASU starting field position at the UA 12-yard line with 1:15 left in the first half
-Three plays later, ASU RB Demario Richard takes a short pass from Kelly to the house to tie the game up at 21-21 with 24 seconds left in the first half
Third Quarter:
-Just one play after a 31-yard reception, Wilson recorded his second TD of the day to put the Wildcats back on top 28-21 with 12:22 left in the third quarter
-ASU K Zane Gonzalez missed a 45-yard field goal attempt with 9:18 left in the third quarter
-Wilson recorded his third TD of the day on an explosive 72-yard rush to put Arizona up 35-21 with 9:06 left in the third quarter
-ASU starting QB Kelly is replaced by Mike Bercovici
Fourth Quarter:
-ASU TE Kody Kohl hauled in a two-yard TD reception to make this a one possession game at 35-28 with 11:23 left in the game
-UA S Jourdon Grandon picks off Bercovici deep in ASU territory with 9:13 left in the game
-Two plays after, Solomon found Grant for a 20-yard touchdown to increase the Arizona lead to 42-28 with 8:31 left in the game
-ASU TE De’Marieya Nelson grabbed a nine-yard TD from Bercovici to cut the Arizona lead to 42-35 with 5:02 left in the game
-Wright recorded his second sack of the game with 2:45 left, forcing the Sun Devils to call timeout and stop the clock
-ASU failed to convert on fourth down late in the game to secure the UA victory
Check back with us later today for a full recap and analysis column on today’s rivalry action.
