It is known that Arizona State has had a terrible start to Kenny Dillingham’s career. They are 3-8, have numerous injuries, and have a self-imposed bowl ban. It’s not how Dillingham wanted to start, but it’s football.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!As we get to the Territorial Cup, the two teams that have been rivals for decades are in completely different positions. Arizona is on its way out of a huge rebuild. They have a redshirt freshman quarterback who has been lighting up the Pac-12. He has won Freshman of the Week the last five weeks, and Arizona was only one game away from a trip to the Pac-12 Championship game. With Oregon’s win last night, they were officially eliminated from that game. However, they got ranked #15 and have won five in a row.
Arizona has beaten #19 Washington State, #11 Oregon State, #19 UCLA, Colorado, and #22 Utah in five straight weeks. They have averaged 34.8 points per game and have held those opponents to 17.8 points per game. Arizona has also had 400 yards+ in all those games as well. They are led by Naoh Fafita, a redshirt freshman who has thrown for multiple touchdowns in four straight games. Fafita has been phenomenal for the Wildcats and looks like the future of that team. With how they’ve been playing, they sure look like it.
On the other hand, Arizona State just lost by 40 to Oregon, allowing Bo Nix to throw for 400 yards in the first half. They also allowed Utah to score 55 points. Dillingham already knows the season is dead, but this is the second season. They have their star freshman QB, Jaden Rashada, back. Coach Kenny Dillingham told the media that you play this week differently than the previous 11 and that there is much more intensity.
“There are two seasons when you play at ASU.” Dillingham said, “There is the first 11 games, and that’s the first season, then there is the “team down south,” and that’s an entirely different season. You only play 11 regular season games, and then you play this one, and it takes seven days to play it.”
This is the definition of rivalry week because records don’t matter come week 12. Can Arizona State stun the Wildcats?
ASU’s Kenny Dillingham Gives Updates on Key Players Ahead of Territorial Cup
