Two Teams At Different Stages of Rebuild Met at Territorial Cup

70-7.

Mention that score to anyone in Arizona and they know what you’re talking about. 

The shellacking that occurred in Tucson on December 11, 2020 sent Kevin Sumlin packing.

Arizona State really posted a 70-burger on the rival Wildcats during the weirdness of the 2020 season. It was a bright spot for the Sun Devils, and rock-bottom for Arizona.

A few weeks later Jedd Fisch was hired, an unpopular decision in some circles.

One of the first rallying cries Fisch implemented was “It’s Personal.”

Most of the coaches currently in Tucson weren’t there for the 70-7 game. Same goes for a good chunk of the roster. 

But Arizona still carried the weight of that loss, of the program’s previous struggles, with them. Just 13 players remain from that 2020 roster, but Fisch still used the game, and the billboard that followed, to motivate this year’s team ahead of the Territorial Cup.

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Looks like I-10 just got a little better… pic.twitter.com/6cH0KDiB2Z

— Evil Sparky (@Evil_Sparky) January 20, 2021

“I just showed them the billboard,” Fisch said prior to Saturday’s Territorial Cup match-up.

As Fisch and his staff found building block after building block over the years, that mindset was the mortar.

Fast forward a few years, and Arizona has climbed the ladder of the Pac-12. Arizona finds itself near the bottom.

On Saturday, Arizona imposed its will on ASU in a 59-23 Wildcat win.

Noah Fifita set the Wildcat single-game record with 527 passing yards. Tetairoa McMillan set the Territorial Cup record for receiving yards with 266 yards. Tanner McLachlan now has the most receptions for a tight end in an Arizona career with 76 grabs.

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The Territorial Cup stays in Tucson 🏆

Noah Fifita’s 527 passing yards vs. ASU sets program's single-game record as No. 15 Arizona scores 59 on Arizona State. Highlights ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/ByPLXIZIfC

— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) November 26, 2023

While it’s not as catch as 70-7, ‘Cat fans can now mutter 59-23 in utter glee. It will be followed by a few expletives from Arizona State fans. 

A whole lot went right for Arizona this year. Not a lot did for the Sun Devils. 

The Wildcats have completed the rebuild in a rapid pace. They’ve hit the transfer portal effectively. Despite winning one game in Fisch’s first year, Jonah Coleman, Tetairoa McMillan and Noah Fifita highlighted an impressive recruiting class. 

After a five-win season last year, Fisch’s first win came in the off-season when Jacob Cowing, Jordan Morgan and Michael Wiley, who all could make the case to jump to the NFL, decided to stay for one more year.

Now you see the well-oiled machine Arizona is on offense and the depth and physicality of the defense. 

It’s a wildly different roster both in terms of quantity of contributors and quality of the top-end.

That’s the exact thing Arizona State needs. 

When Kenny Dillingham took over the program, ASU fans envisioned a high-flying offense that would make the Dirk Koetter passing attack look obsolete.

That was not the case in Year 1 of the Dillingham era.

The Sun Devil roster was one of the most injured in all of college football, especially along the offensive line and at quarterback. 

It was musical chairs up front with whoever was healthy at the time. It got to the point where the Sun Devils were unable to attempt a field goal against Washington in a crucial time of the game because they did not have enough bodies for proper field goal protection. 

Dillingham had said time and again this was Year 0 of the program, that they were just setting a foundation for the ensuing years to come.

Saturday was a reminder of how far they have to go, but a beacon of hope that ground can be gained quickly. They just have to look to the opposing sideline for a blueprint.

As Dillingham sat in his post-game availability on Saturday, he said the same things Arizona fans were saying after 70-7.

“Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom to bounce back up,” Dillingham said. “Where we were as a program and the direction we’re going, I have 1000% confidence that the ball is bouncing up, not down. But I do believe we finally hit rock bottom.”

While the Wildcats will be preparing for a bowl game (I hear San Antonio is nice this time of year), the coming weeks will be crucial for ASU to have that jump-start the Wildcats had just a few years ago. 

Dillingham said after the game his focus will be fundraising with the occasional moment to recruit. He wants to build the program in a meticulous way. Now that the culture is set on the field, the funding, the roster-building and the development can take shape.

And the fuel to get to that next level is to take it personal. 

The see was planted for Arizona in this game back in 2020. It has blossomed into something special for the Wildcats.

Will the Devils look back on this Saturday years down the line in the same way?