Arizona State's reign as Territorial Cup champs comes to an end

All good things must eventually come to an end.

Unfortunately, the 99th playing of the Territorial Cup brought an abrupt end to Tempe's possession of college football's oldest rivalry trophy, falling 23-7 to their rivals to the south in the regular season finale. At 8-4, the Sun Devils' season is not over, having become bowl eligible for the second straight season. Selection Sunday on December 7th will reveal where the Devils will be bowling, but until then, there is ample time to review just what got Arizona State to this point.

The Good

Run Defense

The defensive effort from the Sun Devils was outstanding in the face of 5 turnovers committed by the offense (more on that later). A forced fumble on the opening defensive series recovered by Javan Robinson offered some promise in stopping what looked to be a sure early deficit. The run defensive in particular shined, limiting the Wildcats to just 2 yards a carry (88 yards on 44 plays). The sheer volume of plays that the defense was forced to stay on the field for was overwhelming, enduring 89 plays and a staggering 40:01 time of possession.

Bowl Eligibility

The Sun Devils will be playing in a postseason bowl this season, thanks to their win on the road at Iowa State to open the month of November. The final bowl assignment is still up in the air with conference championships next weekend, but most projections have the Sun Devils playing in the LA Bowl, the Sun Bowl, or the Holiday Bowl. Plan accordingly if you're looking to see the Sun Devils in postseason action.

The Bad/Ugly

Normally these are split into two different sections, but with the game as lopsided, so much can be applied to either categoty.

Offensive Playcalling

This has been a questionable area on and off all season long. A week after Raleek Brown set a program record for rushing yards in a road game, the playcalling was an abrupt 180 from that success. While it was good to see the playbook open more for Jeff Sims, this strategy backfired spectacularly, resulting in five turnovers as he found himself with the ball in his hands and unsure how to effectively move it.

Turnovers

Losing the turnover battle at 4-1 and still winning at Colorado was not a recipe that should have been replicated. Little did we know that the Sun Devil offense would out-do themselves to the tune of three interceptions and two fumbles, giving the Wildcats ample scoring opportunity with short fields. As alluded to before, the time of possession battle was incredibly lopsided with the Sun Devils controlling the ball for less than 20 minutes. Official time of possession records are not kept for FBS, however this game is believed to rank among one of the worst offensive performances in that metric.

Passing of the Cup

Losing the Territorial Cup and the bragging rights that come with it is never an enjoyable moment. The countdown clock has started anew for the 100th edition of the Territorial Cup and the next opportunity to bring it home in November 2026.

Stay tuned as we bring you coverage of Sun Devil football throughout bowl season.