Territorial Takeaways and Looking Ahead

Video by Eliav Gabay

Another Territorial Cup has come and gone, and the cup is headed to Tucson. 

Arizona outpaced ASU 23-7. We knew it’d be a slugfest between two of the top defenses in the Big 12, and it played out that way. 

But the difference came down to offense. Noah Fifita was wildly efficient and the Cats had sustained drives. They converted half of their third down chances (10/20) while ASU converted 3 of 11 chances. They had some short fields to work with thanks to the five turnovers Arizona forced. Five receivers had at a least three receptions. 

Essentially, Arizona was able to do what they have done well all season on Friday night. They have an identity and have the versatility to pivot when needed.

Nine regular season wins (and if I had to guess, a Holiday Bowl bid) after four wins with a “more talented” team last year is another example of a team bouncing back and properly utilizing these avenues to build teams and expedite turnarounds. 

Sort of like how ASU did that last year. 

But the ability to bring in an influx of talent was part of the puzzle. The team still needed continuity in some way. It got it from Noah Fifita, from Treydan Stukes, from Dalton Johnson, from Genesis Smith. They got it from tackle Matthew Lado, starting tackle who had been in Tucson for six days before Jedd Fisch, the coach who recruited him, left for Washington. He gambled on a staff he didn’t really know and it’s worked out for him.

A massive piece of the puzzle is to have a full offseason to work with. Brennan got hired in January of 2024, meaning that talented roster had 30 days to transfer out. They then had to play defense again after spring ball to ensure multiple players didn’t transfer. Do you think the coaches pushed the players as hard as they could and risk them leaving? 

Nope. 

It’s a tough tightrope to walk, but building a culture that way is like building a plane while flying it but also making sure each passenger has a comfy seat and a beverage of their choosing. So it makes sense why the culture felt a little flimsy, why Brennan said last November that the team is still finding an identity. 

But he had a full offseason to build that culture and to admit mistakes in coaching hires and adjust (while hitting the new hires out of the park). To get a bunch of guys who truly want to be in Tucson. He built Redline – the mantra and the mindset of this program moving forward.

That was the difference from last year to this year for the Wildcats. 

For Arizona State, fans can look at the records of last year and this year and say it was a step back. In some ways, maybe it was. They had just about everybody returning from a Big 12 championship team. The standards were raised and they didn’t meet them, at least when it comes to the win column. 

But that’s the black and white view when sports are 1,000 of color. 

First, let’s look at the injuries: Sam Leavitt, Kyson Brown, Ben Coleman, Zyrus Fiaseau and X Alford had season-ending injuries. Jordyn Tyson had multiple stints where he couldn’t go. Last year, the major injuries came to Sam Leavitt (one game), Cam Skattebo (one game) and Jordyn Tyson (two games). Not only were they healthy, but they also had minimal time missed when injuries did occur. 

Jeff Sims had his moments, and had some moments he would want back, but how many teams can still rattle off wins when their starting QB goes down? 

Not many. 

Will adjustments need to be made to the roster and coaching staff? Will Kenny Dillingham do things a little differently?

Yes. 

Dillingham is one of the better coaches I’ve seen at self-scouting and self-adjusting. 

But think back to 2023 where ASU was severely out-manned. The swinging gate needed to be a thing. 

And now think about being disappointed about eight regular seasons wins. I’m not saying you can’t be disappointed or upset if you’re an ASU fan. But there’s “not meeting expectations” because a team didn’t do enough or the coaches didn’t keep those standards. There’s “not meeting expectations” because of factors outside of your control. 

2025 sure feels like the latter for ASU. 

And the Sun Devils fought every step of the way. 

Regardless, fans will probably disagree with me on this, but I firmly believe Friday night needs to be the norm for the Territorial Cup. There are plenty of Arizona fans that want ASU 0-11 entering the Territorial Cup. There are plenty of ASU fans that want Arizona 0-11 entering the this week. 

But it is a good thing when both of these teams are good. It raises the profile of storyline, of the recruit that is watching this game, of the national discussion around this weekend. It doesn’t happen nearly enough in this rivalry, and that’s what’s holding it back in the national perspective. It can’t be once a decade that both teams enter this week with eight wins. This should now be the norm. 

If Dillingham and Brennan stick around, I think I’ll get my wish. 

So now we’ll see where both teams head for the postseason, but it’s a reminder that college football in Arizona is healthy, no matter what the preseason narrative is for each team.