Check out more photos from Saturday's game against U of A in this slideshow. OR Were you in the student section for the game? See if The State Press caught you cheering on the Sun Devils in this slideshow.
Despite the old adage, time does not heal all wounds. It has been nearly a year since the ASU Sun Devils celebrated a Territorial Cup victory in Tucson, but the wound still felt fresh.The UA Wildcats (3-8, 2-7 Pac 12) have had a season to forget, but Saturday’s 31-27 victory over the Sun Devils (6-5, 4-4) will not only provide the 2011 season with a bright moment, but it also erases the pain of last year’s Territorial Cup defeat.
“Payback is a you-know-what,” UA senior wide receiver Gino Crump said through teary eyes. “There’s nothing better than to come into your rival’s house and take a victory like that. To have that opportunity to go out and spike our flag in our enemy’s territory, in the middle of their field, I dream about that.”
While Crump would have been happy to just win the game, he was overjoyed that he was able to contribute and be a factor in the game after giving an emotion pregame speech where Crump told his teammates he was willing to die on the field to get a victory. The senior receiver backed up his words with six receptions for 69 yards and a 33-yard touchdown reception where he caused four Sun Devil defenders to miss tackles.
Coach Tim Kish was not happy with the effort of his players in last week’s loss to Colorado, but a lot changed this week and the interim head coach was certainly pleased with the effort on Saturday.
“I’m so proud of this football team,” Kish said while soaked from his first ever Gatorade bath. “They prepared themselves as well as they did all year. I just couldn’t be happier for the seniors, the university and the city of Tucson.”
Offensive coordinator Seth Littrell had similar thoughts.
“I thought everyone put together great effort this week,” Littrell said. “We really came together as a team. This is the hardest I’ve seen them play for four quarters as a group and as a team.”
While this win was a total team effort, the Wildcats knew they would need big performances from their senior leaders. Quarterback Nick Foles, who won the Bob Moran Player of the Game Award despite some early struggles, and receiver Juron Criner did not disappoint.
“We put a lot of stuff on Nick because we believe in him and have faith in him,” Littrell said. “The thing he always does and it never fails is he always comes back strong and he never gets too high, never gets too low. When the game’s on the line, more times than not, he’ll pull you through it.”
Foles completed 35 of 51 pass attempts for 370 yards and two touchdowns, while Criner caught nine passes for 134 yards and a touchdown. Criner’s 23-yard touchdown reception was the 30th of his career, tying the UA school record.
The Wildcats will return home next week to host Louisiana-Lafayette for Senior Day, but the Territorial Cup — not the Louisiana-Lafayette game — will likely be the lasting memory for the seniors who finished their careers 3-1 against the Sun Devils.
“That was one of the best feelings of my life,” Crump said of running around the field waving a UA flag after the game. “I’ve played this sport since I was a child and I’ve never felt like this and probably won’t feel like this again. I don’t think we’ve ever been this happy as a team.”
Reach the reporter at william.boor@asu.edu
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