On display in the ASU football team's weight room is a clock counting down the remaining time until Saturday's Duel in the Desert.
UA only wishes it could start the entire season's clock weeks later than usual.
After losing six of its first eight games, the University of Arizona football team (5-6, 4-4 Pac-10) has won three in a row and is eyeing its first bowl game since 1998.
Operating a new spread offense, UA scored 48 points to beat Washington, 34 against UCLA and 34 more to upset an injury-riddled Oregon team on national television on Nov. 15.
Under coach Mike Stoops, UA has awakened at the end of each season to play spoiler, compiling an 8-4 record in November during his tenure. But the deficit is always too great to circumvent.
If Stoops can lead UA to the program's first four-game winning streak since 2000 Saturday night, it may prove to be enough to send the Wildcats to the Las Vegas, Sun or another bowl game.
"A bowl will take care of itself," said Stoops on Monday, according to the UA Media Relations. "If we win, then we have a lot of possibilities."
Which begs the question: Are the Sun Devils catching UA at the wrong time?
In 2006, UA faced an eerily similar situation. Enjoying a three-game win streak, the Wildcats hosted the Sun Devils, but fell 28-14.
Senior defensive back Antoine Cason said last season's game has no reflection on the 2007 version of UA.
"We have the momentum, and that can only help us," Cason said. "It's a whole new year, and we're ready to go. All we can ask of ourselves is to play hard."
The Wildcat defense is anchored by Cason and a senior teammate.
Cason has one sack, five interceptions and two forced fumbles. On Senior Day against the Ducks, he exploded for two touchdowns, one coming off an interception, the other on a punt return.
Cason is also among three finalists for the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the nation's best defensive back.
Linebacker Spencer Larsen, who was recruited by ASU coach Dennis Erickson during his tenure at Oregon State, has recorded 116 tackles.
"He's what football is all about," Erickson said Monday. "He plays how he should, and he's a senior leader."
Stoops obviously doesn't disagree.
"They are the cornerstone of everything we do," said Stoops Tuesday of Cason and Larsen. "The game comes so easy to them."
And for Cason, Larsen and other seniors, this is the last chance to finish on the right side of the game, which awards the Territorial Cup to the winner.
"I won the first my freshman year, and that was sweet," Cason said. "Then they won two, so I have to win this last one."
The most noticeable difference in UA from last year to this season stems from its new spread offense, which is overseen by newly installed offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes and led by junior quarterback Willie Tuitama.
Dykes spent seven years working with the offense at Texas Tech before Stoops brought him to Tucson following the 2006 season.
Erickson compared Dykes's offensive attack to that of Oregon's, but said the Wildcats run the ball more, feature more traditional packages and don't rely on immediate reads by the quarterback.
Thus far, UA is last in the Pac-10 in rushing.
Freshman tailback Nathan Grigsby averages 4.5 yards per carry but has reached the end zone just three times and has little help behind him.
Still, Tuitama and UA represent the second-best Pac-10 team in passing offense.
The junior's sole downside has been being able to stay on the field. In last year's matchup, Tuitama left early after suffering a blow to the head.
A rarity so far, Tuitama has made 11 starts and completed 63 percent of his passes for 26 touchdowns.
He'll be countering ASU's Rudy Carpenter Saturday night.
The junior Carpenter provided the Wildcats with some bulletin-board material when he told a Valley radio station during the summer he planned on throwing five or six touchdowns against his rival his next time out.
Though further motivation is likely not required, Cason said he is aware of Carpenter's comments.
"He can throw five or six touchdowns to us," Cason said. "That's how I look at it."
Reach the reporter at: andrew.pentis@asu.edu.
