Wildcats Stick a Fork in ASU

December 1, 2014

Setting rivalry aside, some UA and ASU fans tailgate together.

Fans celebrate in advance of the victory that landed the Arizona Wildcats in the Pac-12 championship game.

Arizona will face Oregon in the Pac-12 championship game on Dec. 5.

UA alumnus Nathan Federico with his mother, Jackie Federico-Lopez.

Fans of the UA and ASU football teams show their support at a 5K run. UA supporters made a stronger showing than their ASU counterparts.

The inaugural Rivalry Rage 5K was held at Reid Park in Tucson.

The Rivalry Rage turned out fans in red and blue and maroon and gold.

Before the Wildcats and Sun Devils chased a victory, their fans did the same at the Rivalry Rage 5K.

Arizona State started with the ball after the coin toss.

A critical play for the UA came just before Nick Wilson's run, when quarterback Anu Solomon connected with receiver David Richards for a 30-yard reception up the sideline.

Arizona came out in the second half and marched right down the field for a touchdown.

"Anu (Solomon) toughed it out. He was gutty, made a couple big throws. Anu's a competitor and he's a great leader for being a young redshirt freshman," said head coach Rich Rodriguez.

Linebacker Scooby Wright (33) tallied 13 tackles, including five for loss, and forced a fumble.

Safety Jared Tevis went out with a win in his final home game.

ASU tried four successive running plays near the goal line but was denied by the Wildcats.

Wilbur Wildcat makes his rounds, connecting with fans.

The UA defense finished with seven sacks on the day, including two each from linebacker Scooby Wright and lineman Dan Pettinato.

The Pride of Arizona, the UA's marching band, performs during the game.

The Wildcats stopped ASU on fourth down with 1:07 left in the game. Arizona took over and got in victory formation to seal the win.

The Wildcats and the Oregon Ducks will play for the second time this season. The UA won the first meeting, in October.

The Wildcats claimed the Pac-12 South title won by ASU in 2013.

The surprising Arizona Wildcats secured the Pac-12 South title with a 42-35 victory over Arizona State in the Territorial Cup game on Friday, advancing to the Pac-12 championship game against Oregon on Dec. 5 in Santa Clara, California.

"Our senior class deserves a lot of credit for establishing a great attitude and culture in our football program," head coach Rich Rodriguez said. “I didn’t know if this would happen in year three, but I knew it could happen, otherwise I wouldn’t have come here. This is the perfect environment to build one of the best programs in the country. We aren’t there yet, but we’re on our way."

Freshman Nick Wilson was named the Territorial Cup MVP for his three touchdowns and 178 yards rushing against ASU.

Also, Arizona football placed three student-athletes on the Pac-12 Conference All-Academic Teams: senior safety Jared Tevis, junior running back Jared Baker and sophomore linebacker Jake Matthews. Honorable mention went to freshman defensive lineman Calvin Allen, freshman receiver Abraham Mendivil and junior kicker Casey Skowron.

Wilson was named the team's Offensive Player of the Week by the coaching staff. Linebacker Scooby Wright was named Defensive Player of the Week. He made 13 tackles against the Sun Devils and forced a sixth fumble of the season on the opening play of the game, setting up the Wildcats’ first touchdown. Skowron was Special Teams Player of the Week.

(Photos by Ken Sterns/UANews)