The Arizona Wildcats enter the final game of the regular season on a roll after winning two-straight games against conference opponents. The team will try to make it three as they welcome the Arizona State Sun Devils to Arizona Stadium in the annual challenge for the Territorial Cup.
The Wildcats have greatly improved under first-year coach Rich Rodriguez after winning only two Pac-12 games last season. The Wildcats have won four of the last five games since losing 54-48 in overtime to then-No. 18 Stanford and has scored over 34 points in each of those wins.
Friday night's game will be the first time Rodriguez has experienced the rivalry between the two teams. The coach is no stranger to intense rivalries though; as coach at Michigan he played against Ohio State each year in what is known as "The Game".
"This shouldn't be a game where I have to do all of the motivational tactics to get guys excited," Rodriguez said to the Associated Press. "It's a rivalry game, an in-state game and a conference game. Everything is in place. This should be easy to motivate."
Arizona has been very impressive on offense this season, a staple of Rodriguez's coaching philosophy. The Wildcats are ranked 22nd in the nation in scoring with 37 points per game and are averaging over 520 total yards per game. The team is ranked 24th in passing yards and is 15th in rushing with over 220 yards per game.
Running back Ka'Deem Carey has been the most impressive player on the team, rushing for 1,585 yards and 19 touchdowns this season, including a Pac-12 record 366 yards and five touchdowns in a win over Colorado on Nov. 10.
According to the Associated Press, Carey's game "was the highest single-game rushing total since Robbie Mixon of Central Michigan ran for 377 yards on Nov. 2, 2002."
"We thought coming into the season that he was one of our offensive weapons. We hoped that he would be one of the best backs in the league," Rodriguez said. "He's had a phenomenal year, and he'll keep getting better."
Quarterback Matt Scott has been nearly as good as Carey, passing for 3,008 yards and 21 touchdowns with only nine interceptions. The senior is completing over 60 percent of his passes and was stellar in Arizona's 52-17 win against Washington, throwing for over 250 yards and four touchdowns.
The defense has been the most inconsistent unit of the team, no more so than in back-to-back weeks in September. After opening with wins against Toledo and then No. 18 Oklahoma State, the team beat South Carolina State 56-0 to improve to 3-0, but lost the following week to then-No. 3 ranked Oregon 49-0 on the road, giving up nearly 500 total yards.
The loss sent Arizona into a their worst stretch of the season, a three-game losing streak that included close defeats to Oregon State 38-35 and then No. 18 Stanford 54-48 in overtime on the road.
The Wildcats have been drastically better than last year under coach Mike Stoops, who was fired after six seasons when the team started 1-5. Interim coach Tim Kish took over the team and led Arizona to a 3-3 finish before Rodriguez was hired in the offseason. The team was only 2-7 in the Pac-12, but took back the Territorial Cup from the Sun Devils after defeating them 31-27 on the road in the second-to-last game of the year.
Arizona State enters Friday's game with confidence after winning two straight games against conference foes Colorado and Utah.
The Sun Devils started the season off well under first-year head coach Todd Graham, opening with a 5-1 record. The team won their first two games against Northern Arizona and Illinois, but slipped up on the road to Missouri 24-20 on Sept. 15. The Sun Devils then went on a three game winning streak that culminated in a 51-17 domination of Colorado on Oct. 11, but followed with a four-game losing streak.
Arizona State rebounded last Saturday, winning 46-7 against Washington State to become bowl eligible. The team is now 4-4 in the Pac-12 and is tied with Arizona in the South division.
Graham is familiar with the coach on the other sideline after working with Rodriguez as linebacker's coach while he was head coach at West Virginia. The team also familiar with Arizona running back Ka'Deem Carey, who has rushed for the most yards in the FBS with 1,585. He also leads the nation in average yards with 144.1 per game.
Arizona State only allowed one rushing yard against Washington State in last Saturday's win, but gave up 250 per game during their four-game losing streak. The main focus on Friday night for the Sun Devils will be to stop or at least slow down Carey.
"He is the No. 1 rusher in the country. I think he is one of the best running backs we've played," Graham said. "We have played some pretty good backs, especially in this league, but just as far as the amount of carries he has and what he does, he is as good as there is. He is, no question, the guy you have to stop and it is a tall order to do that."
Arizona State has a high-ranked offense, but it hasn't translated in to a consistent amount of wins. The team is ranked 44th in both passing and rushing yards and average nearly 250 total yards per game.
Sophomore quarterback Taylor Kelly has been impressive for the Sun Devils, throwing for 2,851 yards and 25 touchdowns with only nine interceptions. He is completing over 66 percent of his passes and was stellar in last Saturday's win against Washington State, completing 20-of-23 passes for 246 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions.
Last year in the battle for the Territorial Cup, Arizona came back from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to rally for a 31-27 victory on the road. A win for the Sun Devils would be only the second in the series since 2007.
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