10 Numbers to Know: Arizona State-Arizona
The Arizona State Sun Devils have not had the season anyone envisioned.
With so much talent, depth and leadership, this was supposed to be the year in Tempe for the Sun Devils to take advantage of what is likely to be the best team to come through Arizona State in years.
The Sun Devils sit at 7-4, well out of the race for a Pac-12 title game appearance and far away from any bowl game they would have preferred playing in.
Yet, with just one game remaining, Arizona State has a chance to somewhat rectify its failures by crossing off the one expectation that won't be negotiated by the Sun Devils: Beat Arizona.
That should be favorable, as Arizona has managed only one victory this season.
However, in rivalry games and for essentially any Pac-12 team, record books are as good as gone when two heated rivals meet each other on the field.
Here's 10 numbers to know (provided by the good people of Arizona State Media Relations):
10 Numbers to Know
- This will be the 95th Duel in the Desert, with Arizona leading the all-time series 49-44-1.
- The vast majority of those Wildcats wins came prior to 1950, however. Since 1949, ASU holds a 43-29-1 record in the series.
- The game between Arizona and Arizona State is recognized by the NCAA as the nation's oldest rivalry trophy game.
- The Sun Devils have won four straight in the series and eight of the last 11 contests. The four-game streak is the longest in the series since Arizona won five straight from 1982-1986.
- A win for Arizona State would mark five straight victories over its rival, the longest streak in the series since Arizona won five in a row from 1982-86 and the most for ASU against the Wildcats since winning nine straight from 1965-73.
- A win would also give Arizona State its best record to end the regular season (8-4) since 2014 (9-3).
- The Sun Devils have won four straight Territorial Cups in Tempe, with the last Wildcats victory at Sun Devil Stadium coming in 2011.
- Both teams this year have held three opponents under 100 passing yards in a game with both doing so for the first time in a single season since 1996.
- The Sun Devils defeated Arizona in historic fashion in Tucson last year, with a 70-7 victory; the second most points in a single game in program history ,and the most allowed by Arizona since 78 against USC in 1928.
- Arizona enters the game with a 1-10 record, having defeated Cal a few weeks ago to end the nation's then-longest losing streak at 20 games.