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 53
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Date: Nov. 24, 1979
Where: Tempe
Winner: Arizona, 27-24
What was reported at the time:
By BOB MORAN
The Arizona Daily Star
TEMPE — It was improbable, it was spectacular, it was scintillating, it was dramatic, it was pulsating, it was perhaps the most exciting football game ever played between Arizona and Arizona State.
Even more than that, it was a 27-24 victory for the University of Arizona Wildcats, the first UA victory in Sun Devil land in 18 years.
It was improbable because the deciding points came on a 27-yard field goal by freshman walk-on Brett Weber with no time remaining on the clock. Weber, doing the field goal kicking for the varsity for the first time this year, had seconds before he missed a 37-yard field goal attempt, but got a second chance when he was roughed by Sun Devil freshman cornerback Ron Brown.
It was spectacular because of the many long scoring drives, the extraordinary individual efforts, and the physical punishment each team gave the other.
It was scintillating because it appeared the UA was on its way to a rout when it took a 17-3 lead in the first quarter. And the UA still had a 14-point lead midway through the third period. But the Devils fought back to tie it at 24-24 early in the final period.
It was pulsating because "Ole Mo" — momentum — that fickle intangible that coaches can't describe, but know when it's on their side, shifted back and forth faster than a politician's position on ERA.
But most of all, it was exciting because games in which coaches pull out all the stops, where the factor of human error helps determine the outcome, when fans are left hanging on the edge of their seats because both teams have several chances of winning in the final minutes and officials make questionable calls — games like these usually make for the best kind to watch.
It was a sweet victory for the 'Cats, who rebounded from losses to Stanford, Southern California and San Diego State to close out the regular season with a 6-4-1 record. Arizona State lost its 10th game in 11 starts (five by forfeit). The Devils get to lick their wounds in Honolulu this weekend.
The game was, as it should be when two archrivals meet, decided in the fourth quarter.
With 13:06 left in the game, Devil halfback Robert Weathers dashed 30 yards around right end, and the conversion tied the game at 24.
That set up a rather bizarre dash to the finish line.
The Wildcats answered Weather's TD with a drive that carried to the Devil 21. The drive stalled there, and the UA's first-string placekicker Bill Zivic missed a 39-yard field goal attempt.
Ole Mo, it appeared, was with the Devils now, especially after ASU was setting up shop at the UA 29. But two Mark Malone passes misfired, and the Devils had to try a 46-yard field goal attempt. Scott Peterson was short and wide to the right on the boot.
The Wildcats appeared to have moved in for the win when Donnie Butler made a spectacular grab that put the ball inside the Devil 10 with less than a minute left. But Butler was called for offensive pass interference and the play was nullified.
Arizona held the Devils again, but Mark Streeter dropped a punt at the UA 39. Victory, it seemed, belonged to the Devils.
But the UA defense again rose to the challenge and Jack Housley, a junior from Phoenix, intercepted Malone at the 'Cat 40 with 33 seconds left.
Two plays later, reserve split end Greg Jackson of nearby Scottsdale wrestled away a pass from Sun Devil cornerback Ralph Dixon and fell to the ground at the Devil 20, a 42-yard gain.
That set up the last-second dramatics, which included three times out.
"I didn't use Zivic because the pressure on the kids is enough," said a happy UA Coach Tony Mason. "He missed the one last year, if he had missed this year ... well, I didn't want to put him through that type of situation again."
Mason, who has now won two of three games he has coached at Sun Devil Stadium (his first came as coach of the University of Cincinnati), said his 'Cats rose to the occasion, playing their best game of the season.
"Yes, this is the best game we've played because of who we played," he said. "Our program has progressed in the right direction over the past three years.
"The whole defensive unit played a good game. Especially the secondary. And our running game was outstanding."
The victory kept the UA in the hunt for a Fiesta Bowl bid. The bowl will make up its mind who it will invite after the outcome of this week's Alabama-Auburn game.
"I don't know if we earned a Fiesta Bowl invitation, but we'll play if we're invited," Mason said. "If we have to wait until after the Alabama game, then we'll wait. I'll go out and sit on the 50-yard line and wait a week."
Arizona's Hubert Oliver moved into second place on the UA career rushing list and also earned a 1,000-yard season when he gained 95 yards on 23 carries.
"Hubie deserved the 1,000-yard season. He has been super all year," Mason said. Oliver was named the offensive player of the game by the news media, while Devil linebacker Gary Padjen earned the defensive honor.
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.…
