So much for a rousing endorsement of Friday's ASU-UA game being the nation's most intense college football rivalry.
It might as well be a game of bridge for ASU head coach Dirk Koetter and UA head coach Mike Stoops.
Neither coach did much this week to ignite a spark in a rivalry that once captivated the state, even after former ASU quarterback Danny White's promise that he would never sleep in Tucson and former ASU wide receiver Keith Poole's fabled touchdown pose at Arizona Stadium.
Koetter said every rivalry game holds significance, regardless of whether it's Auburn and Alabama, California and Stanford or Florida and Florida State.
"All of our fans want us to say that the Arizona-Arizona State rivalry is bigger than Oregon-Oregon State or bigger than Missouri-Kansas," Koetter said. "To the Harvard and Yale fans, that's the biggest rivalry there is. I coach at Arizona State, and this is the biggest rivalry that I have."
For Stoops, playing for the Territorial Cup is no different from when his Oklahoma team faced Texas in the Red River Shootout.
"Any rivalry game is the same," Stoops said. "I hear about how people hate each other, and I don't get caught up much in that. I'm more focused on what it's going to take to win the game and what we need to do to win."
Recruiting battle
From a recruiting standpoint, Stoops admits Friday's game is important, largely because it can help sway in-state players who are undecided between ASU and UA.
Stoops has taken an aggressive approach in recruiting, garnering commitments from more than a dozen high school seniors. Despite landing some of the state's top prospects in running back Terry Longbons and offensive lineman Jordan Lowe of Peoria Centennial, Stoops said high school seniors from Arizona aren't as developed as those from other states.
"There's always going to be 10 to 15 kids that you have to evaluate very closely," Stoops said. "They may not be as far along as some kids in California, Texas or Florida, but their improvement rate, or their ability to get better is greater."
Kovalcheck still learning
Stoops said he has noticed improvement in freshman quarterback Richard Kovalcheck, who has thrown for 800 yards and three touchdowns and has been intercepted six times since replacing sophomore Kris Heavner.
"I think he's learning and maturing, and those are the things I like most about him," Stoops said. "To expect him to light it up his first year is a little bit unrealistic. He's still making young mistakes -- not trusting his protection, rushing throws, all the things that you experience with a young quarterback. He throws some awful nice balls. We're just not a very consistent football team offensively."
TV exposure
Fox Sports Net Arizona has several pregame and postgame shows planned for Friday's regular-season finale:
"Duel in the Desert," a 30-minute show previewing the Territorial Cup, will air at 6 and 10 p.m. today and 10 p.m. Thursday.
An hour-long pregame show starts at noon Friday, with segments that include cuts from White, former ASU quarterback Jeff Van Raaphorst and former UA head coach Larry Smith.
Koetter and ASU senior center Drew Hodgdon will be featured on a postgame show that airs at 6 and 10 p.m. Friday.
Reach the reporter at brian.gomez@asu.edu.
