The Arizona State Sun Devils have done their part, winning their regular-season finale against the Arizona Wildcats in the Territorial Cup on Saturday, 49-7.
Now, they await their Big 12 championship game fate.
Will ASU make it? We’ll find out later Saturday, depending on how tiebreaker scenarios for the conference play out in the later games.
For now, ASU fans can relish the victory over Arizona, a complete domination of the Wildcats.
Arizona State, which was picked to finish last in the Big 12, now has a 10-win season. It is 10-2 after going 3-9 last season.
ASU limited Arizona to 210 yards in the game, while getting 643 total yards.
Updated:Arizona State football Big 12 championship game scenarios, tiebreakers, rooting guide
Sam Leavitt was 17-for-22 for 291 yards and three touchdowns in the game. Cam Skattebo rushed for 177 yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries.
It was an impressive win for ASU, which has won five straight games.
The only possible negative for the Sun Devils? Leading wide receiver Jordyn Tyson left the game with an injury to his shoulder area and was seen in a sling on the bench later in the game.
He had eight catches for 143 yards and a touchdown in the win, but his status looms large for the Sun Devils, who have completed one of the most remarkable turnarounds in college football this season, Kenny Dillingham’s second season as ASU coach.
Final score: Arizona State 49, Arizona 7
ASU vs Arizona schedule, TV channel:How to watch college football game Saturday
There’s now two minutes remaining in the Territorial Cup and ASU has a 49-7 lead.
The Wildcats just punted after going three-and-out.
ASU turned the ball over on down after four plays and nine yards, giving the ball back to Arizona with 4:33 left in the game.
The Wildcats pulled Noah Fifita from this game and backup Cole Tannenbaum threw an interception to give the Sun Devils the ball back with 6:54 left.
Laterrance Welch had the interception for Arizona State.
The Sun Devils aren’t done scoring yet.
Trenton Bourguet just threw a 64-yard touchdown pass to Derek Eusebio to give ASU a 49-7 lead. It was Eusebio’s first catch of his career.
Bourguet, a backup from Tucson, was seen celebrating with Kenny Dillingham on the sideline after the throw.
It only took ASU three plays to go 75 yards on the drive with Bourguet also connecting with his brother, Coben Bourguet, for a 7-yard completion on the drive.
Score: Arizona State 49, Arizona 7 (10:56 left in fourth quarter)
Arizona managed one first down on its latest drive vs ASU, but had to punt again.
This game is basically over, although there’s more than 12 minutes left. Arizona has just 12 first downs in the game and 157 total yards.
It’s been ugly for the Wildcats.
ASU quarterback Sam Leavitt has his third touchdown pass of the Territorial Cup and ASU has a 42-7 lead over Arizona.
Leavitt connected with Xavier Guillory on a 31-yard pass on a 4th & 8 play for the score.
Leavitt is now 17-for-22 passing for 291 yards and three touchdowns.
ASU went 81 yards over nine plays on the drive, and took 4:33 off the clock.
Score: Arizona State 42, Arizona 7 (14:55 left in fourth quarter)
ASU wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, who has eight catches for 143 yards and a touchdown in this game, was down on the field during ASU’s most recent possession with trainers and coaches around him.
Tyson has been huge for Arizona State, so his status loom large over the team. He was shown grabbing his left shoulder after going to the ground hard on a reception.
Tyson has 75 more targets than any other wide receiver on ASU. He was shown exiting the field toward the medical tent.
Arizona had a 4th & 2 at its own 43-yard line, but elected to punt, prompting a chorus of boos from some fans at Arizona Stadium.
What did the Wildcats have to lose by going for it? They are already down 35-7.
Arizona gained 18 yards on five plays on the drive.
Kicking woes have plagued the ASU football team all season. They continued against Arizona.
Parker Lewis just hit the upright on a 21-yard attempt after ASU drove 71 yards in seven plays, missing a chance to add to the Sun Devils’ lead.
Kyson Brown continues to impress for ASU. He had back-to-back 22 and 38-yard runs on the drive. He has eight carries for 100 yards, giving him his first 100-yard game in college.
Arizona opened the second half with its best drive of the game. Noah Fifita connected on a 28-yard touchdown pass with Tetairoa McMillan, putting the Wildcats on the scoreboard in Tucson.
Arizona’s drive went 75 yards over eight plays.
Fifita is now 10-for-19 for 94 yards in the game. McMillan has six catches for 68 yards.
Score: Arizona State 35, Arizona 7 (10:53 left in third quarter)
We’ve reached halftime of the Territorial Cup in Tucson and Arizona State has a 35-0 lead.
Yes, a 35-0 lead.
The Sun Devils scored touchdowns on five of their six possessions in the half of the rivalry game, with Cam Skattebo rushing for three touchdowns. He had 16 carries for 113 yards.
Jordyn Tyson had seven catches for 137 yards and a touchdown, with Chamon Metayer recording the other touchdown on a pass from Sam Leavitt, who went 13-for-17 for 242 yards.
ASU’s defense shut out Arizona, limiting the Wildcats to 57 total yards in the half.
Arizona State had 390 yards of offense in the first two quarters.
ASU is attempting to make the Big 12 championship game and would help its chances with a win, but the Sun Devils also need help.
There are several scenarios where they could make the Big 12 title game, which are broken down here.
But, winning the game against Arizona would put them in good position to get that berth.
Score: Arizona State 35, Arizona 0 (halftime)
Chamon Metayer is back in the game for ASU and he just made his presence felt in a very big way.
The tight end just caught a 22-yard pass from Sam Leavitt to give ASU a 35-0 lead over the Wildcats.
ASU went 70 yards in five plays and just 46 seconds on the drive.
Leavitt is now 13-for-17 for 242 yards and two touchdowns in this game.
Score: Arizona State 35, Arizona 0 (:40 left in second quarter)
The Wildcats just had their best drive of the first half, going 49 yards over eight plays.
But they came up empty again when Quali Conley was held to one yard on a 4th & 2 play at the ASU 31.
Conley now has seven rush attempts for 18 yards. The Wildcats have 10 carries for 29 yards in this game.
The Sun Devils were just forced to punt for the first time after a 4-play, 14-yard drive.
Sam Leavitt missed Chamon Metayer on a 3rd & 6 pass at the ASU 42 and Metayer was shaken up on the play, one of the few misses from Leavitt in this game and was shown walking to the Arizona State locker room.
ASU is 3-for-5 on third down in the game and 1-for-1 on fourth down.
Four possessions, three punts, one missed field goal.
The Wildcats’ struggles continued against ASU on its fourth possession, with Arizona forced to punt after going 3-and-out on the drive.
The Wildcats have three first downs in this game. They have 34 total yards. They have five yards rushing.
Some thought that the Noah Fifita to Tetairoa McMillan combination could make this game interesting for Arizona, but the Wildcats’ star duo has only connected on three passes for 26 yards.
Fifita is 5-for-12 for 29 yards in this game.
Four possessions, four touchdowns.
Arizona State is dominating this game against Arizona in the first half.
The Sun Devils built a 28-0 lead on the Wildcats with an 11-play, 63-yard drive, scoring its fourth touchdown on a 3-yard run from Cam Skattebo.
It is Skattebo’s third touchdown run of the game. He has 15 carries for 111 yards.
ASU is running on all cylinders. Arizona State has 306 total yards. Arizona just has 34.
The Sun Devils have a 16:53 to 6:39 advantage in time of possession.
Score: Arizona State 28, Arizona 0 (6:28 left in second quarter)
Tyler Loop is an exceptional kicker for Arizona, but his team didn’t help him out on the Wildcats’ latest possession.
Loop missed a 55-yard attempt after Arizona had a false start penalty called on his 50-yard attempt, leaving Arizona scoreless in the Territorial Cup in Tucson.
The Wildcats were desperate for a spark and it looked for a moment that Jeremiah Patterson might have provided it.
Patterson ran the kickoff back 61 yards to the ASU 37 on Arizona’s drive, giving the Wildcats great field position to start the possession, but Arizona couldn’t get on the board with the 4-play drive.
The Sun Devils are rolling in Tucson.
Jordyn Tyson just extended ASU’s lead to 21-0 with a 13-yard touchdown reception from Sam Leavitt.
This drive only took six plays to go 80 yards.
ASU’s Kyson Brown rushed for 27 yards on a 3rd & 11 at the Arizona 47 to extend the drive for ASU, carrying Arizona defenders for the last 15 yards of the run.
Leavitt is now 5-for-6 for 112 yards and the touchdown pass in this game. Tyson has caught four of his passes, for 89 yards and the TD.
Score: Arizona State 21, Arizona 0 (13:29 left in second quarter)
The Wildcats were forced to punt again on their second possession, this time after gaining 17 yards on six plays.
Each team has had two possessions and ASU has a 148-29 lead in total yards.
Fifita is 4-for-6 for 24 yards, but Arizona hasn’t been able to get anything going rushing the ball. The Wildcats have carried it four times for five yards.
That’s not going to cut it if Arizona wants any chance at upsetting the Sun Devils.
The Territorial Cup is off to a great start for the Arizona State Sun Devils.
ASU has scored touchdowns on its first two possessions, the latest a 2-yard run from Cam Skattebo to put Kenny Dillingham’s team up 14-0 at Arizona Stadium in Tucson.
Sam Leavitt connected on a 50-yard pass with Jordyn Tyson on 3rd & 5 at the ASU 32 to set up the score.
ASU drove 73 yards in five plays on the possession.
Skattebo now has seven carries for 43 yards and two touchdowns. Leavitt is 4-for-5 for 99 yards passing and ASU has an early two-touchdown lead in the rivalry game.
Tyson has three catches for 76 yards.
Score: Arizona State 14, Arizona 0 (5:37 left in first quarter)
More:Arizona State football gains national boost on ESPN with Nick Saban’s ‘favorite player’
The Wildcats gained 27 yards on their first possession, including 15 yards on a defensive pass interference penalty on the Sun Devils, but were forced to punt after four plays on the drive with quarterback Noah Fifita throwing two incomplete passes on second and third and 9 plays at ASU’s 48.
Fifita and wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan torched ASU in last season’s Territorial Cup in Tempe, so the stop was a big one for the Sun Devils early.
McMillan did have an 11-yard reception on Arizona’s first play of the drive.
The Sun Devils received the opening kickoff after Arizona won the toss and deferred until the second half.
They marched down the field to take a 7-0 lead early in the Territorial Cup, with Cam Skattebo running it in from two yards out after lining up at quarterback on the touchdown.
It was an impressive drive for ASU, with Arizona State going 75 yards in nine plays and taking 5:28 off the clock.
Sam Leavitt went 3-for-3 passing for ASU, while Skattebo rushed the ball five times for 34 yards.
Score: Arizona State 7, Arizona 0 (9:32 left in first quarter)
Are we going to have a thriller in the rivalry game between Arizona State and Arizona today?
The Arizona Republic’s Michelle Gardner sets the stage for the game, which has huge implications for ASU, in her scouting report, while also giving her prediction for the outcome of the matchup between the Sun Devils and Wildcats in Tucson.
You can read her breakdown of the game here.
More:College Football Playoff ranking with Boise State ahead of Big 12 teams has ‘no rationale’
Every week, USA TODAY Sports unveils some bold predictions for that week’s games and one writer for the site is predicting an Arizona upset over Arizona State in today’s Territorial Cup.
Paul Myerberg writes: “Arizona upsets Arizona State to end the year on a high note while likely knocking the Sun Devils out of the mix for the Big 12 title game and a playoff berth. The Wildcats have won two in a row in the series, including a 59-23 blowout a year ago. But this would qualify as a huge upset: While Arizona State has been on a roll to rise up the playoff rankings, the Wildcats have dropped six of seven with the lone win coming against Houston.”
Big 12 championship odds:Arizona State football favored over BYU, Iowa State, Colorado
For the Sun Devils, the stakes couldn’t be much higher.
A win would likely put Arizona State into the Big 12 championship game next week, giving the Sun Devils an unlikely chance at winning the Big 12 title in their first season in the conference, a season that started with them being picked to finish last in the conference.
There is only one tiebreaker scenario that would see ASU miss the Big 12 title game if it wins, which involves BYU losing and several other things falling into place, which you can read about here.
A win for ASU would also keep the team’s College Football Playoff hopes alive.
For Arizona, a win would help ease the sting of a disastrous season, one that saw that Wildcats go from being ranked in the preseason Top 25 to going just 4-7 overall entering today’s game.
It also might help Brent Brennan’s job security as Wildcats coach, whose name has come up in speculation as a potential one-and-done coach at Arizona because of his team’s disappointing season in his first year in Tucson.
More:ASU football bowl projections include College Football Playoff Fiesta Bowl quarterfinal
Arizona leads the all-time series against Arizona State 51-45-1. A majority of those Wildcat wins came prior to 1950, however.
Since 1949, ASU holds a 44-31-1 record in the series. The winner of the game will receive (or retain) the Territorial Cup Trophy, and the game is recognized by the NCAA as the nation’s oldest rivalry trophy game.
The Sun Devils had a five-game winning streak in the rivalry end in 2022 and the Wildcats have won the past two games in the rivalry series.
‘Pathetic’:ASU football coach Kenny Dillingham’s behavior vs BYU polarizes Big 12 fans
The Sun Devils are wearing white jerseys with maroon accents, gold pants and Sparky helmets today.
The Wildcats are wearing their all red uniforms.
More Sun Devils:ASU vs BYU college football thriller marred by locker room video controversy
The game can be seen at 1:30 p.m. MST time on FOX.
Jason Benetti (play-by-play) and Brock Huard (analyst) are scheduled to be the announcers for the Big 12 Conference game.
ASU football vs Arizona tickets:Best prices for Territorial Cup college football game
Arizona State is an 8.5-point favorite over Arizona in college football Week 14 odds for the game, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
The Sun Devils are -300 on the moneyline. The Wildcats are +250.
The over/under for the game is set at 53.5 points.
Who wins Week 14 game?Arizona State vs Arizona picks, predictions, odds
ESPN gives Arizona State a 71.6% chance to defeat Arizona football in the Week 14 college football game today.
Other sites are also giving the Sun Devils the edge in the Territorial Cup game against the Wildcats.
Big 12 football predictions:Picks, win probabilities, projections for games, championship
ASU football bowl projections include College Football Playoff Fiesta Bowl quarterfinal
Kenny Dillingham talks ‘horrible decision’ as No. 21 ASU ramps up for Territorial Cup
Not quite ‘win and you’re in’: Big 12 title scenarios show Arizona State might need help
‘We win close games and we like drama’: What we learned in Arizona State’s win over BYU
Catch this Territorial Cup: With Tyson, McMillan, this one looks to be as nasty as ever
When is Big 12 Conference championship game? Date, time, venue, teams, TV, how to watch
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
Support local journalism: Subscribe to azcentral.com today.
Gannett may earn revenue from sports betting operators for audience referrals to betting services. Sports betting operators have no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. Terms apply, see operator site for Terms and Conditions. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, help is available. Call the National Council on Problem Gambling 24/7 at 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ, OH), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN). Must be 21 or older to gamble. Sports betting and gambling are not legal in all locations. Be sure to comply with laws applicable where you reside.
