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 34
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Date: Nov. 26, 1960
Where: Tucson
Winner: Arizona, 35-7
What was reported at the time:
By ABE CHANIN
Star Sports Editor
They’ll never believe it in Tempe today!
It was Arizona 35, Arizona State 7 last night in the worst football defeat for the Sun Devils in a half-dozen years.
Arizona, a 7-point underdog to this Arizona State team, which had defeated both Washington State and North Carolina State and held a No. 18 national ranking earlier in the season, struck for a touchdown 4:38 minutes after the game opened and rolled up the score with five different players scoring.
The triumph capped Arizona’s greatest football season—7 wins and 3 losses—in a half-dozen years, and the fans stormed onto the field even before the game was ended in tribute to the Wildcats and Coach Jim LaRue, who took over two seasons ago when the sport had dropped to an all-time low at the school. The victory closed out Arizona’s season with six straight wins.
Not since Arizona had crushed Arizona State, 54-14, in 1954 had a Sun Devil team been scored upon so freely.
The scoring opened with senior halfback Warren Livingston rocketing 60 yards in the first quarter. Arizona State took a short-lived 7-6 lead in the second quarter on a 58-yard pass play from quarterback Ron Cosner to end Bob Rembert.
But as soon as the Wildcats took the ball again, they scored on a 28-yard pass from Eddie Wilson to Jackrabbit Joe Hernandez. It was the seventh straight game this season in which Hernandez had scored.
Leading 14-7 at halftime, the Wildcats scored after taking the opening kickoff of the third period. This time it was a 1-yard plunge by senior fullback Jack Gillespie.
In the fourth quarter, to the glee of most of the 25,500 fans in Arizona Stadium, Bobby Lee Thompson — the other half of Arizona’s Touchdown Twin combination — scored on a 5-yard sprint. And Joe Carroll, a senior fullback playing his finest game for Arizona, charged 11 yards to score.
Arizona’s vaunted line was expected to be the difference in the game. But the Wildcats’ line held by seniors Tony Matz, Ted Urness and Bill Ismay, all playing their final collegiate game, took the charge of the Sun Devils in the first half and held command throughout the game.
The last time an Arizona team had a 7-3 season was in 1954, and it was back in 1941 that a six-game winning streak was recorded.
This Arizona team, which hasn’t lost a game since mid-October, turned the greatest finish of a Wildcat squad since Tex Oliver’s 1937 Blue Brigade, which also closed with six straight wins.
The statistics bore out the Arizona victory. The Wildcats were in front 21-18 in first downs. They ground out 318 yards rushing to the Sun Devils’ 157, even though Arizona State was supposed to make its most yardage on the ground and Arizona was rated a passing threat.
The total offense was 384 yards for Arizona to 324 for the Sun Devils.
The game was roughly played with 133 yards in penalties against Arizona and 96 against Arizona State. There were so many penalties it took almost three hours to play the game.
Here is how the game went:
First Quarter
Arizona State moved into Arizona territory on its first series of plays. A 22-yard sprint by Joe Drake took the ball to the Arizona 42. The Devils could move the ball only a couple of yards more, and then a fourth-down pass by Joe Zuger failed, and Arizona took over at its 38.
On the second play from scrimmage, Warren Livingston shook off a tackler at left end and then threw a stiff-arm at Zuger at the Arizona State 15 to score a 60-yard romp. There was 4:38 gone in the game. Ray Shackleford, taking the ball from center for the extra point kick, placed the ball on its side, and Eddie Wilson’s kick went into the ground.
Arizona 6, Arizona State 0.
Arizona State came back quickly as Ossie McCarty took a short pass from Ron Cosner and raced to the Arizona 25 on a 42-yard gain. Hard-running Dornel Nelson of Phoenix carried on three straight plays to put the ball at the 7. On fourth down, Zuger completed a pass to Ron Jackson in the end zone, but Arizona State was called for backfield in motion, and the ball went back to the 12. Then Walt Mince broke up a Corner pass into the end zone and Arizona took over at its 12. On third down, Wilson booted a 60-yard punt that rolled to the A-State 24.
Arizona State was pushed back by rugged Arizona defensive play and had to punt out. As the quarter ended Arizona had the ball on its 45.
Second Quarter
The Wildcats were forced back and had to punt with the Sun Devils taking over at their 10. On third down, Zuger quick-kicked 60 yards to the Arizona 30.
With 6:46 left in the half, Cosner passed to Bob Rembert for a 58-yard touchdown. Jones kicked the extra point.
Arizona State 7, Arizona 6.
Livingston returned the kickoff 29 yards to the Arizona 32. Two 15-yard penalties—for a personal foul and clipping — helped Arizona move to the Sun Devils’ 32. Wilson completed a 16-yard pass to Hernandez to the 14 on third down. The Wildcats were pushed back to the 28, and then Wilson hit Hernandez as he raced into the end zone for a 28-yard touchdown pass with 4:38 left in the half. Wilson passed to Hernandez for the two extra points.
Arizona 14, Arizona State 7.
Arizona took control of the ball in the final 3 minutes when Gene Bubala intercepted a Cosner pass that Livingston had deflected at the Wildcat 41. On third down, Hernandez grabbed a Wilson pass that had bounced out of Zuger’s hands on the Arizona State, but the Wildcats had an illegal receiver downfield, and the play was nullified. Wilson then punted 62 yards to the Arizona State 7 and the Devils were penalized for a personal foul to the 3. John Renner recovered a Drake fumble at the Arizona State 33 and the Wildcats took over with 43 seconds left in the half. On fourth down, Wilson missed on a 38-yard field goal attempt.
The halftime statistics showed Arizona State with 11 first downs to Arizona’s 7. The Sun Devils had 229 yards total offense to Arizona’s 144. The Devils had 41 plays to Arizona’s 29.
Following Arizona's 42-17 win over Northern Illinois, the Star's Justin Spears and Michael Lev react to quarterback Noah Fifita's record-breaking night and the Wildcats rallying after a sluggish first quarter.
Third Quarter
Arizona started to roll on the kickoff. Hernandez got off a 10-yard run and Arizona State was called for piling on to move the ball to the Sun Devil 42. Thompson reeled off three runs that carried to the 16. An offsides penalty moved the ball back to the 21. Thompson then raced around right end behind fine blocking to the 7. Livingston, running niftily, sped left end to the one-foot line. Gillespie charged up the middle for the score. There was 9:54 left. Wilson kicked the extra point.
Arizona 21, Arizona State 7
Arizona State drove all the way from its 32 to the Arizona 21, but on fourth down a trick play from quarterback Zuger to quarterback Cosner failed, and the Wildcats took over to kill the threat. The Cats quickly moved into Sun Devil territory as Hernandez ran 16 and then Thompson 16 more. Another key run was an 8-yarder by Livingston to the 11.
Fourth Quarter
On fourth down, Wilson faked a field goal and passed to Thompson to the 5 and a first down. Then Thompson raced around right end to score with 43 seconds gone in the period. Wilson kicked the extra point.
Arizona 28, Arizona State 7
Arizona moved toward another score when Minner Williams drove 37 yards to the Sun Devil 42. Joltin’ Joe Carroll led the downfield march with 14 yards on two runs to the 21. Carroll picked up another 7 to put the ball on the 11 with 5:30 left in the game. Carroll then exploded 11 yards for the TD with 5:26 left in the game. Wilson kicked the point.
Arizona 35, Arizona State 7
Arizona State missed on a field-goal attempt in the waning seconds of the game.
FINAL SCORE: Arizona 35, Arizona State 7
Press Box Notes …
These were some of the other firsts scored by Arizona in last night’s victory:
— The 1960 Arizona squad was the first in six years to avoid being shut out.
— The 233 points scored were the most in a season since the 1954 team’s 385.
— Last night’s crowd of 25,500 swelled home attendance for the season to 155,200, surpassing the 1954 record of 132,860 for the same number of games.
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.…
