Editor’s note: This year, UA and ASU football will face off for the 100th time in what has come to be known as the Territorial Cup game. Leading up to that Nov. 28 matchup, which will be played right here in Tucson, we will be republishing the Arizona Daily Star’s coverage of each rivalry game — one a day — going back to their first meeting in 1899. Tune in daily for a blast from the past.
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.
Matchup: Game 48
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Date: Nov. 30, 1974
Where: Tucson
Winner: Arizona, 10-0
What was reported at the time:
By TOM FOUST
Star Sports Editor
It took a sophomore from Tucson and a freshman from Phoenix to break up a ferocious defensive duel last night as the University of Arizona ended a decade of frustration by defeating Arizona State 10-0 before the second largest football crowd in the history of Arizona Stadium.
With just under six minutes left in the scoreless battle, Arizona linebacker Mark Jacobs, a 219-pounder from Tucson’s Flowing Wells High, intercepted a pass to put the ball in position for a 36-yard field goal by Lee Pistor, a skinny first-year man from Phoenix Central.
That was all the Wildcats really needed, but just before the final gun, senior Willie Hamilton sprinted four yards for a touchdown after unnecessary roughness and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties gave the Wildcats a first down inside the ASU 5.
A crowd of 40,782 — plus a closed-circuit television audience of 3,000 in Tempe — saw the Wildcats beat the Devils for the first time since 1964. It was the first time Arizona has held Arizona State scoreless since 1953.
Arizona State, which was shut out 9-0 by Missouri earlier in the season, wound up with a 6-5 record, its worst since a 5-5 mark in 1966. Arizona’s final record was 9-2, the most victories ever for a UA team, although the 8-1-1 in 1961 was a better winning percentage.
UA coach Jim Young praised both teams for their tremendous hitting and promised that from here on out that’s the way this annual battle will be played.
Young was carried to mid-field by his players after the game, and he and ASU coach Frank Kush embraced. Several Arizona players also rushed to shake hands with the ASU coach.
“It was a great victory,” said Young. “This week our goal was to hit. We felt we didn’t hit against ASU last year and to get ready we hit in practice Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. We felt if we hit throughout the game things would eventually go our way and that’s the way it turned out. From now on, UA-ASU series will be a hitting series.”
Young gave credit for the victory to his defensive coaches, headed by Larry Smith.
“Last year our defense faded near the end of the season but, this year it came on strong. The defense was superb tonight.
“We’re in the position now that we should be in — in position to become a tough football team.”
Willis Barrett gave Arizona its first break with 10:12 left in the first quarter when he jerked the ball out of Williams’ arms and fell on it for a fumble recovery at the ASU 46.
The Wildcats moved to the Devil 20 with Hill passing to Bell for 12 yards and Campbell for seven, but the UA quarterback was hit from behind on an option play, and his pitch to Hamilton dribbled along the ground, and Mike Martinez fell on it for ASU on the Devil 25.
The next two times the Wildcats got the ball, turnovers stalled them as they moved upfield. Kory Schuknecht intercepted a Hill pass on the ASU 19, and Larry Gordon recovered a Hill fumble at the ASU 26 just before the end of the first period.
After an exchange of punts, the Sun Devils started their first serious drive with Lovett breaking away for 14 yards from his own 32. Sproul passed to Washington twice for six and nine yards, but the drive stalled when Obra Erby blocked and nearly intercepted a Sproul pass, and Mike Shannon threw Washington for an eight-yard loss to the UA 41 when the Devils tried a triple reverse.
The Devils forced the Wildcats to punt and drove right back into UA territory. After Robinson had dashed 10 yards to a first down at the UA 20, the Wildcats held and Danny Kush’s 32-yard field goal attempt was short and to the left with just over five minutes left in the half.
With 1:37 left in the half, Dennis Anderson got the momentum back for the Wildcats when he recovered a Robinson fumble on the UA 34. Hill passed 11 yards to Piper on the first play, but then threw it over Bell’s head in the end zone and it was intercepted by Mike Haynes.
The six turnovers were the story of the first half. Arizona lost two fumbles and had two passes intercepted and the Devils lost two fumbles.
The total offense statistics were fairly even, 152 yards for the Devils and 129 for Arizona. Arizona State had 113 rushing and 39 passing on Sproul’s four completions in 16 attempts, while the Wildcats had 59 yards on the ground and 70 passing on Hill’s six completions in 10 tries.
Lovett rushed for 60 yards while Robinson had 36 and Williams 26. Randolph was Arizona’s rushing leader with 36. Hill had 14 and Upchurch 13.
Arizona got the field position advantage at the start of the third quarter when Bell returned the kickoff 25 yards to the UA 37. When the Wildcats were forced to punt, Mitch Hoopes boomed one 54 yards to the ASU six, where it was downed by Vince Phason.
Schuknecht punted out of his end zone and Arizona took over on the ASU 45.
Hill passed eight yards to Piper on third down, and Upchurch smashed three yards to a first down on the ASU 33. Another eight-yard third-down pass from Hill to Piper moved Arizona to the ASU 25 and on fourth down Pistor missed a 42-yard field goal attempt to the left. There was 10:28 left in the third quarter.
Starting from their own 25 with 32 seconds left in the third period, the Wildcats marched into ASU territory on runs of six and 13 yards by Randolph, and a nine-yard pass from Hill to Bell, but the Devils cut the ‘Cats off when linebacker Larry Gordon caught Hill for a nine-yard loss and defensive end Al Weigandt smothered the UA quarterback when he was trying to pass on fourth down at the ASU 33.
The Wildcats finally got on the board with 5:51 left in the game when Pistor kicked a 36-yard field goal after Jacobs put the ball in position by intercepting a pass and returning it 17 yards to the ASU 19. Two smashes by Randolph and a weak attempt at an option play by Hill produced no yards before Pistor was called on.
With 1:41 left, a fourth-down ASU gamble fell just short when Jacobs knocked Williams out of bounds after he had taken a pass from Sproul. Arizona took over on the Devil 38.
Randolph ripped off 15 yards to the 20 with 1:29 left. When it looked like the Devils might have the Wildcats stopped, Upchurch went wide, and a flag was dropped as he was driven out of bounds at about the 20. Kush protested the call, twice picking up the flag and tossing it into the air, which forced officials to add unsportsmanlike conduct to the unnecessary roughness. That gave Arizona a first down at the four and on the first play Hamilton went wide to the left to score with 32 seconds left. Pistor added the extra point.
Both teams had 259 yards total offense — far below their average for the year. The Devils had 181 yards rushing against 150 for Arizona, while the Wildcats out-passed the Devils, 109 yards to 78.
Arizona sophomore running back Dave (Tex) Randolph, who was called off the bench last week when senior players had trouble holding onto the ball, was the game’s leading rusher with 85 yards. He played in place of Hamilton, who carried only three times and had net yardage of minus one, although he did get the touchdown.
Senior Jom Upchurch gained 36 to become the second player in Arizona history to chalk up back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. His total for the year was 1,004.
ASU sophomore fullback Fast Freddy Williams gained only 46 yards, but he had already clinched the Western Athletic Conference rushing title. He now has 1,218 with a game remaining against Hawaii.
Another sophomore, Mark Lovett, was the Devil’s top ball carrier with 81 yards.
In the battle of the quarterbacks, junior Bruce Hill completed 11 of 18 for 109 yards for Arizona while ASU’s freshman, Dennis Sproul, had eight of 29 for 78 yards.
“T” Bell caught six of Hill’s tosses for 62 yards, Tom Campbell caught one for eight, and Scott Piper caught four for 39.
Climb into the Arizona Daily Star’s time machine as we revisit every Territorial Cup matchup between U of A and ASU football ahead of the Nov.…
