Analyzing Noah Fifita vs Jeff Sims in Territorial Cup
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The 99th Territorial Cup is shaping up to be a much different matchup than the previous edition. The Sun Devils smacked the lowly Wildcats 49-7 in Tucson last season en route to a Big 12 title.
This time around, Arizona State and Arizona are both ranked for the matchup for the first time since 2014. Both teams are 8-3 and riding decent win streaks into the rivalry.
The one core difference is the matchup under center.
Arizona will still ride with Noah Fifita, who has enjoyed a remarkable bounce-back season since leading the conference with 12 interceptions a year ago.
For Arizona State, starter Sam Leavitt has already been ruled out for the season with a foot injury, and now there is speculation he could be done in Tempe for good if he decides to transfer. So, enter Jeff Sims, a journeyman quarterback at the college level, now at his third school.
While Fifita can win games with his big arm, Sims is a very capable runner who can make life difficult on the Arizona defense.
There are plenty of factors to think about for this bitter rivalry, but the shifting dynamic at quarterback for both teams is worth watching. Here's how the two signal callers compare heading into the Territorial Cup.
Noah Fifita
Fifita has been the leader of the Arizona offense once again this season, throwing for 2,677 yards, 25 touchdowns and just five interceptions. While the Wildcats have been ultra-aggressive through the air this season, last week against Baylor saw a much more balanced approach.
The junior quarterback took a backseat against the Bears, completing just 14-of-25 passes for 183 yards, one touchdown and one interception. However, Fifita did run eight times for 33 yards with more scrambles and designed runs, which was new.
Still, the big sticking point for Fifita will be his right shoulder. The Wildcats have scored 33.5 points per game this season (third in Big 12), led by Fifita and a passing offense averaging 251.5 yards per game (fourth).
Fifita was only sacked once against Baylor, but the Sun Devils are second in the Big 12 with 31 sacks this season. They have a ferocious rotation on the edge in Prince Dorbah, Clayton Smith and Justin Wodtly, with C.J. Fite also providing pressure from the interior.
Kris Hutson has stepped up as Fifita's top target in recent weeks, crossing the century mark in receiving in his last two games. He set new career-highs with nine catches for 133 yards and a touchdown against Baylor.
Fifita will have to get Hutson involved again, facing a defense 220.2 passing yards per game this season, but those numbers might be misleading. The Sun Devils have talent in the secondary, most notably in corner Keith Abney, who could draw Hutson as an assignment often.
For Arizona, the goal will be getting Fifita comfortable against multiple disguised zone looks from ASU, and not getting too trigger-happy against a secondary with good ball skills. Still, this is a matchup with more pros than cons for Fifita.
Jeff Sims
Sims has a long story of arriving in Tempe. In 2019, he started as a true freshman at Georgia Tech. After three years of moving in and out of the lineup, struggling with turnover problems, he picked up and transferred to Nebraska.
After just two games, where the turnover issues persisted, Sims had lost the job and then transferred to Arizona State, where he lost a preseason battle to Leavitt for the starting role.
While Leavitt led the Sun Devils to a conference championship, Sims sat on the sidelines and decided to return as the backup for one final season. Since Leavitt went down with an injury, Sims has made the most of his three games as the designated starter.
Against Iowa State, Sims rushed for 228 yards, the most in program history for a quarterback, and won AP National Player of the Week honors. He returned home against West Virginia and tossed three first-half touchdown passes, tying a career-high.
The point is, Arizona State is not afraid to put the ball in Sims' hands just because he is a backup. In fact, Kenny Dillingham trusts Sims a ton to run the ball so often. He's carried the ball 54 times for 321 yards in the past three games.
Arizona's strength on defense is in the air. ASU will still throw the ball, especially with projected first-round pick Jordyn Tyson returning to his receiver position out wide. That will be a matchup to watch, as he slides all over the formation for the Wildcats, making it a team effort for the veteran secondary to slow him down.
Sims will be more inclined to run, which has given Arizona trouble this season. The designed runs for Sims give ASU an advantage with an extra blocker in the scheme. Arizona will need guys like Riley Wilson and Chase Kennedy to be disciplined when reading the option runs to contain Sims as best as possible.
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Logan Brown is an alumnus of the prestigious Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He currently works as a General College Sports Reporter On SI. Logan has an extensive background in writing and has contributed to Cronkite Sports, PHNX Sports, and Motion Graphics.
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