If it’s possible to be shocking and completely predictable at the same time, the ASU football team has been the epitome of that description this season.

And in a season filled with close losses and “woulda’, coulda’, shoulda” moments, the Sun Devils saved the flukiest ending for last.

ASU fell to rival UA 20-17 on Saturday afternoon at Sun Devil Stadium on a 32-yard field goal by sophomore kicker Alex Zendejas as time expired that was set up by a botched play on special teams by the Sun Devil that had been the hero of the game just a minute earlier.

State Press Television

After the Sun Devils tied the game 17-17 with 2:02 to play on a diving 14-yard touchdown catch in the back of the end zone by senior wide receiver Kyle Williams from senior quarterback Danny Sullivan, the ASU defense held UA to a three-and-out on its next possession, and it looked like the Sun Devils would get the ball back with just over a minute to play to either go for the win or at least send the game into overtime.

But as Williams went to call for a fair catch on the ensuing punt, the ball bounced off his body and was recovered by UA junior cornerback Mike Turner to give the Wildcats possession in field-goal range at the ASU 22-yard line.

“It basically sums up the season, doesn’t it?” Sullivan said. “To have it happen like that to a guy [like Williams] who’s worked so hard this year to get to where he wants to be. [He] made two big plays in the game for us, and he’s my best friend, and I just feel so sorry for him that it had to happen that way.”

UA used three rushing plays to run the clock down and put the football in the center of the field before Zendejas’ game-winning kick.

“I’m kind of at a loss for words,” ASU coach Dennis Erickson said. “I don’t know how you can lose it any worse than that. It’s been a hard year for us, [but] never did they quit [and] never did they not fight until the end. But it’s still a loss, and that’s unfortunately the bottom line in this business.”

It was the Sun Devils’ sixth straight loss to end the season, as well as their fourth defeat by a combined 13 points. It was also the first time UA has beaten ASU for the Territorial Cup in back-to-back seasons since 1997-98.

The sour ending erased a second-half comeback by ASU, as the Sun Devils (4-8, 2-7 Pac-10) fell behind 14-0 in the first half and did not make a dent in the scoreboard until the midway point of the third quarter.

The Wildcats (7-4, 5-3) took a 7-0 lead when junior running back Keola Antolin split the ASU defense and outran the secondary for a 67-yard touchdown at the 3:54 mark of the first quarter. UA then extended that advantage to two scores when sophomore defensive back Orlando Vargas blocked a punt by ASU junior Trevor Hankins and took it into the end zone from 23 yards out with 3:50 to go before halftime.

ASU got on the board at the 6:50 mark of the third quarter on a 26-yard field goal by junior Thomas Weber that made the score 14-3. The Sun Devils then cut into that lead even more when Sullivan, who replaced sophomore Samson Szakacsy midway through the second quarter, led ASU on a 96-yard drive that was capped by the first touchdown connection between him and Williams, a 44-yarder with 11:54 to play.

UA stretched its lead back to 17-10 on a 30-yard field goal by Zendejas on its ensuing drive that was aided by an unsportsmanlike penalty by ASU senior safety Ryan McFoy.

Williams finished with 130 receiving yards on nine receptions and also had a 53-yard punt return that set up ASU’s first points.

“He made some great plays for us,” Erickson said of Williams. “If it wasn’t for Kyle, I don’t know that we’d even been in the game.”

Sullivan, who had been hampered by a biceps and back injury in recent weeks, completed 14 of his 28 passes for 168 yards in his first game action since being replaced by freshman Brock Osweiler in ASU’s loss to USC on Nov. 7.

“It meant everything,” Sullivan said. “I had never taken a snap in this game my whole career until I got in today. I think that’s probably why I was so devastated during the week. [I felt] like, ‘Man, I’m never going to get my chance.’ Finally I got in there and got the opportunity to make some plays.”

Senior running back Dimirti Nance ran for 115 yards in his final game in maroon and gold.

Antolin, who was named the Bob Moran Most Valuable Player, finished with 78 yards on seven carries, while UA sophomore quarterback Nick Foles completed 24 of his 43 passes for 148 yards.

Reach the reporter at gina.mizell@asu.edu