The name Zendejas has been great to ASU fans, but it also has been killer.
On Saturday evening, as rain and some small hail began to fall, it was a kick from a Zendejas that sent Sun Devils fans home unhappy again.
The name Zendejas is a staple in the kicking world. Luis and Alan both kicked at ASU and Tony kicked at Nevada-Reno. However no Zendejas is more famous than Max, who was an All-American and UA’s all-time leading scorer.
Enter Alex Zendejas, a sophomore kicker for the Wildcats, who has heard the stories many of times from his mentor and uncle Max.
In 1983, Max Zendejas hit a 45-yard field goal as time expired to knock off ASU, and in 1985, he did it again, hitting a pair of field goals in the fourth quarter to go down in history as a Sun Devil killer.
His protégé joined him on Saturday with a game-winning field goal as time expired.
“I’ve heard it plenty of times,” Zendejas said in regards to his uncle’s game-winning kicks against ASU. “I have one more to catch up to him.”
It has been an up-and-down year for the Glendale native. Zendejas has struggled with his consistency and has kicked the ball too low a few times. He missed a 24-yard kick last week in Oregon, hit a lineman in the head with a kick earlier in the year and missed his first attempt on Saturday.
All of that added up to make the game-winning kick that much sweeter.
“Alex has had good practices, and his consistency has been getting better and better,” UA coach Mike Stoops said. “Some of his kicks have come out low, but he has improved as a player.”
Like all players, Stoops said that his kicker had to go through the maturation process of playing at the college level.
“This has been a learning year for him, being in this role,” Stoops said. “I think he has matured; that comes from playing — you have to go through some trials and that is what builds character.”
None of this would have been possible without the lucky break the Wildcats (7-4, 5-3 Pac-10) were so desperately in need of.
All season long, the little breaks didn’t go UA’s way, most notably the off-the-foot interception that cost the squad against Washington.
The Wildcats got their break in Tempe when ASU senior wide receiver Kyle Williams muffed a punt with 1:03 to play, giving the Wildcats the ball on the ASU 22.
UA knew it was due to be on the receiving end of a lucky break.
“You feel like it has to even out,” Stoops said. “You have to believe through life and through football, you have to. We have had our share of bad breaks throughout the course of our time here.”
The hero of the game that will go unnoticed is junior cornerback Mike Turner. It was his coverage down the field on the punt that forced the muff, and Turner also recovered the fumble to give UA the ball.
It was another redemption moment for a UA player, as Turner spent the 2008 season suspended for an undisclosed reason.
“Those are little things that go unnoticed; his ability to cover was big,” Stoops said. “He beat his man down field, [Williams] was trying to make a play and that is why we punted.”
Without the fumble, Stoops knew UA would have struggled to move the ball. The Wildcats were unable to run the football and couldn’t get anything going in the passing game against the Sun Devils’ defense.
“We have to play better offensively, but you have to credit Arizona State on that,” Stoops said. “They made some key plays, [senior quarterback Danny] Sullivan gave them a chance. In the end, we knew it was going to take 60 minutes, and finally we got a break and capitalized on it.”
The win was not pretty, but a big one for the Wildcats. The win secures the second straight bowl appearance for UA, but what bowl it will be attending is unknown.
If the Wildcats can knock off USC at the Coliseum next weekend, they could finish as high as second in the Pac-10 and go to the Holiday Bowl. On the flip side, if the Wildcats fall to USC, they will likely be headed to the Poinsettia Bowl.
Regardless of all the scenarios that could be played out during the final week of the regular season, Stoops was just happy to be on the winning end of a crazy finish.
“Oh, man, I don’t know how much more I can take,” Stoops said with a giant grin. “A big difference three points makes in your life.”
Reach the reporter at andrew.gruman@asu.edu
