Arizona-ASU Game 27: Cats clobber Tempe to end four-year skid

Some important things to keep in mind: This isn’t the 100th anniversary; the upcoming meeting will be the 100th time the teams have gone head-to-head. There were a number of years that they didn’t compete against one another. The Wildcats lead the all-time series vs. the Sun Devils, 52-46-1.

Fighting Wildcats Trample Tempe, 35 To 0

Matchup: Game 27

Date: Nov. 28, 1953

Where: Tempe

Winner: Arizona, 35-0

What was reported at the time: 

By ABE CHANIN

Star Sports Editor

GOODWIN STADIUM, Tempe — Arizona’s rearing Wildcats rode a flaming spirit and the churning legs of Kenny Cardella and Don Beasley for a smashing 35-0 football triumph here tonight that ended Tempe’s four-year domination of the Cats.

Behind a wild-charging line, Cardella, playing his final game for Arizona, and Beasley romped for 393 yards between them. The 190-pound junior halfback scored four of Arizona’s touchdowns, Cardella the other.

It was Beasley and Cardella who broke the game wide open in the first quarter. On Arizona’s first play of the game, Beasley sprinted over left tackle and 64 yards to score. Only one minute and 47 seconds were gone when Arizona took a 7-0 lead over their greatest football rivals.

Cardella Tears Loose

Less than four minutes later, Cardella gathered in a Tempe punt and sped 71 yards to the Tempe 21. Four plays after that Beasley drove for nine yards and Arizona’s second touchdown. Cardella kicked the point to make it 14-0.

Before the first quarter was over the stunned Sun Devils, an even choice in the game, were behind 21-0. This time it was a sustained 83-yard march that did the trick.

Reserve Tallback Bill McCormick tore away on a 39-yard run and Marty Lang, sophomore quarterback who engineered this victory, rolled around right end for 27 yards to the Tempe two. From there Beasley went over standing up and Tommy Grimes kicked the point.

No Sun Devil Threat

Although Arizona was held scoreless in the second period, Tempe was never a threat in the game after that first quarter splurge.

Cardella, running for 200 yards on 31 carries, set two new all-time Arizona rushing records. He broke two Eddie Wolgast marks of 756 yards for one season and 1,834 for a college career.

The 160-pound tailback from Los Angeles, although missing two games because of a painful knee injury, closed his collegiate career with 915 yards for one season and 2,028 for three varsity years at Arizona.

It was the first time an Arizona football player had hit the 2,000 mark in rushing. Beasley, scoring on runs of 64, 9, 2 and 2 yards again, averaged 9.2 yards on 21 carries for 193 net yards.

Beasley had led Arizona to its 26-26 tie with highly-favored Kansas State, but his three fumbles kept the Arizonans from upsetting the midwesterners and Beasley sat in the dressing room crying after the game. Brother Beas’, playing before many hometown friends from nearby Mesa, made it all up tonight and more.

Tempe Baffled

The running of Beasley and Cardella was baffling to the Sun Devils. Neither one was ever tossed for a loss of yardage.

Cardella missed two other touchdowns. He ran 60 yards to the Tempe 3 only to fumble when hit hard by Dick Curran. Tempe recovered to spoil his brilliant run. In the third period Cardella ran 29 yards to score but a holding penalty nullified the score and as the game ended Cardella had carried to the one-foot line.

Arizona’s triumph was complete tonight and university students paraded about the field in a wild demonstration as the game ended. They tried to take down the goal posts, but policemen stopped them.

The Wildcats gained 538 net yards on total offense tonight in the greatest show of power against Tempe since that 67-0 thumping of the Sun Devils in 1946.

Another key to Arizona's crushing of Tempe was the 94 net yards Tempe was held to on the ground by a great line. The line play was led by Tackle Buddy Lewis, who was just as sensational as Cardella and Beasley tonight.

Lewis broke open tremendous holes in the Tempe line on offense and he stacked up the Sun Devils' attack time and again with vicious tackles. All along the Arizona line the spirited fight ran Tempe linemen right off the field.

You could point out Center Glenn Bowers, Linebacker Carl Weller, End Bill Codd, Guard Al Webre and a half dozen more Arizonans who played their best games of the season.

So rugged was Arizona's line play that Tempe had to kick all but one time it had the ball in the opening quarter, and Tempe's vaunted passing attack fell before a fine backfield defense led by Cardella and Wayne Mancuso.

Tempe's fine pass-catching end, Johnny Allen, was hurt in the second quarter and did not play at all during the second half.

Arizona figured it had to stop Allen to beat Tempe. Allen didn't catch a single pass tonight.

Here's how the game went:

First quarter

Tempe won the toss and elected to receive. The Sun Devils could not move the ball on their first offensive series and Arizona took the ball on its own 36-yard line. On Arizona's first play of the game Beasley exploded over left tackle behind brilliant blocking by Buddy Lewis and sped 64 yards to score. Only 1.47 minutes were gone. Skip Corley kicked the point and Arizona led 7 to 0.

Again Tempe could not move the ball and Dick Mackey punted to Cardella on the Arizona eight. Kenny broke down the middle of the field, then cut to the east sidelines behind beautiful blocking by Beasley. Cardella raced all the way to the Tempe 21 before he was stopped. It was a 71-yard gallop.

UA Scores

Four plays later Arizona scored. Cardella, getting a fine block from Al Webre, cut around right end to the 15. Marty Lang then passed to Wayne Mancuso on the 11 and Cardella picked up two more over left tackle. On the next play Beasley smashed over to score with 5:15 minutes of the game gone. Cardella booted the point and the score was 14-0.

The teams traded fumbles after the kickoff and the Sun Devils put Arizona in a hole with Mackey's punt to the Wildcat 17. Arizona then marched 83 yards in eight plays to score again. Getting a great block from Lewis, Bill McCormick carried a pitchout around left end for 39 yards. Lyle Pierson stopped McCormick on the Tempe 39. A short while later Lang, faking beautifully, held on to the ball and raced around right end to the two. He was stopped there by Mackey. Beasley went over left tackle standing up for the TD and Tommy Grimes kicked the point with 1:50 minutes left in the quarter. Arizona 21, Tempe 0.

Second quarter

A poor punt by Lang gave Tempe the ball on Arizona 47 but again Tempe couldn't advance the ball and Mackey kicked out beautifully on the Arizona 4. A few plays later Cardella sprinted into the clear and raced all the way to the Tempe three where Dick Curran hit him. Kenny fumbled and John Allen recovered for Tempe on the three. It was a great 60-yard romp.

Get Nowhere

Tempe got one more crack at it in the second period when Lang kicked almost straight up in the air for absolutely no yards gained. But the Sun Devils didn't gain a yard and the half ended without further scoring.

In the first half Arizona had 10 first downs to Tempe's three and the Wildcats rolled up an amazing 307 net yards rushing plus 16 more via passing. Tempe gained four yards passing and only 58 yards rushing. That gave Arizona a bulge of 323 yards on total offense to Tempe's 62. Arizona had a record low punting average of 9.0 yards.

Third quarter

Tempe kicked off over the goal line to open the second half and the fighting Wildcats paraded the 80 yards in 11 plays to score again. Cardella and Beasley led the downfield parade. At the 13 Cardella was given the ball. He was trapped behind the line but cut back over the right tackle to zoom over the goal line standing up. Corley picked the point and Arizona led 28-0 with 8:35 gone in the period.

Arizona's next touchdown was set up when Bill Codd intercepted a Bob Hendricks pass on the Tempe 37 and ran to the 13. In six plays the Wildcats scored. Beasley went over from the two and Cardella kicked the point to make it 35-0.

Tempe made its deepest penetration of the game as the quarter ran out. The Devils went as far as the Arizona 12 before being stopped, the quarter ended, Arizona 35, Tempe 0.

Fourth quarter

Early in the period Cardella ran 29 yards over the right side to score but a holding penalty called the touchdown back.

Shortly afterwards Arizona moved to the Tempe 16 with reserves in the game. But the Wildcats stalled this time, and as the game ended Arizona was again grinding for a score. But time ran out on the one-foot line.

Press box notes

Tonight's game started the tradition of the awarding of the Governor's Flag—an Arizona State flag—to the winning team of the annual series. The idea was originated by Governor Pyle. Before the game Governor Pyle and the presidents of the two schools made short talks from the playing field. The crowd of 16,000 was treated to a brilliant exhibition from a fired-up team, the game capped Arizona's 1953 season in brilliant fashion, the win tonight made it 4-5-1. For Tempe the record is identical.

This was the first victory for 10 Arizona seniors finishing their careers and they all got into the game as the Wildcats ran freely over the Sun Devils. This was the 12th shutout over Tempe for Arizona and the fourth worst beating the Wildcats have given their state rivals. Coach Warren Woodson, at Hardin-Simmons before coming to Arizona, had never lost to Tempe. Last year his Wildcats were beaten, 20-18, on the margin of missed extra points, but tonight he continued his dominance over the Sun Devils and his Wildcats backed him up so perfectly they kicked every extra point.

In the second half Woodson treated Tempe to some fancy maneuvering as he stacked the line with four men on one side and on the next play four on the other. To set Tempe off balance Arizona had its wingback up in the line and shifted right tackle to a left guard position.

There was some rough stuff in the game but it wasn't until the end when Tempe Freshman Frank Bell was kicked out of the game for ungentlemanly conduct.

The fans were treated to brilliant band exhibitions by both Tempe and Arizona and the decision in this tussle was probably pretty much even.