Arizona State vs Arizona Preview

By the end of the Arizona State vs Arizona game on Friday we will know two things. First off, we will know which school will have bragging rights as the best team in the state of Arizona for the next year.

Secondly, we will also know what school will represent the Pac-12 South in the Pac-12 Championship game. If UCLA, who controls their own destiny, loses to Stanford on Friday then the winner of the Territorial Cup will also win the Pac-12 South.

There have even been reports that fans at Arizona Stadium will not be receiving updates from the UCLA-Stanford game as coach Rich Rodriguez wants his players focused on the task at hand with their inter-state rival. Even if UCLA defeats Stanford, the winner of this game could very well receive a bid for the Fiesta Bowl.

Nov 30, 2013; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Rich Rodriguez (center) in the huddle in the second half against the Arizona State Sun Devils in the 87th annual Territorial Cup at Sun Devil Stadium. Arizona State defeated Arizona 58-21. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

This contest will only be the second time in head-to-head history that both the Sun Devils and the Wildcats are ranked, with UA coming in at 11 and ASU at 13. The only other time these two teams were both ranked at the same time was in 1975. With major playoff implications on the line, this game could very well make it or break it for these two squads to land a major bowl.

Arizona could be without starting quarterback Anu Solomon as he left last week’s victory over Utah due to an ankle injury. Solomon will be a game-time decision on Friday. Jesse Scroggins would fill in and make his first career start for Solomon if he is unable to play.

Nov 1, 2014; Pasadena, CA, USA; Arizona Wildcats quarterback Anu Solomon (12) passes the ball as offensive lineman Mickey Baucus (68) blocks UCLA Bruins linebacker Myles Jack (30) during the first quarter at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Solomon often resembles Russell Wilson as he is a dual-threat quarterback with great field awareness and is able to extend plays by avoiding the pass rush on a consistent basis.

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Offensively, these two squads are pretty similar. Arizona State (9-2, 6-2) enters the contest averaging 37.2 points per game, while Arizona (9-2, 6-2) is averaging 36.2 points per game. The Sun Devils are also averaging 6.1 yards per play and the Wildcats are averaging 6.0 yards per play.

DJ Foster comes into the game with a chance to eclipse the 1,000 yard mark as he currently stands at 968 yards. With Arizona’s defense allowing a 100-yard rusher in five of their past six games, there’s a great chance that we see Foster run wild. Foster ranks third in the FBS in plays of 10+ yards with 55 such plays.

Nov 22, 2014; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils running back D.J. Foster (8) celebrates his third quarter touchdown against the Washington State Cougars at Sun Devil Stadium. The Sun Devils defeats the Cougars 52-31. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Arizona State currently ranks 10th in the nation in sacks per game, while Marcus Hardison alone ranks 10th amongst defensive players in sacks on the season with 10. On top of ranking 10th in the nation as a defensive unit in sacks, they are also sixth in the nation in tackles for loss per game.

These two teams are very evenly matched and while ASU’s defense has looked depleted over the past couple weeks, they will turn it around against UA on Friday in a big-time game. With this game being the day after Thanksgiving many Arizona students will not be in attendance at the game, just as many Arizona State students were not at the game in Tempe last year so home-field advantage won’t be as big as usual.

The Sun Devils and Wildcats will kick-off from Arizona Stadium at 1:30 p.m. MT. You can watch the game on FOX.

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