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 45
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Date: Nov. 27, 1971
Where: Tempe
Winner: ASU, 31-0
What was reported at the time:
By TOM FOUST
Star Sports Editor
TEMPE — Arizona State’s super-quick Sun Devils broke the game open in the second half as they have all season and defeated the punchless Arizona Wildcats 31-0 here last night in the 45th renewal of the state’s biggest football rivalry.
A crowd of 50,370 saw the Devils, who are headed for a Fiesta Bowl date with Florida State Dec. 27, blank the Wildcats for the first time since 1958 in the series.
It was also the first time in 15 games that the Wildcats have failed to score. The victory capped a 10-1 season for the Sun Devils and gave them a 7-0 record in the Western Athletic Conference. It was ASU’s 16th straight victory at home and 19th in a row in the conference.
The Wildcat defense held the nationally ninth-ranked Devils to slightly less than their average offensive output this season, but Arizona could generate no offense of its own, a problem that has plagued the Wildcats all season.
The loss closed out a disappointing 5-6 season for Arizona, its third losing season in a row under coach Bob Weber. It was disappointing mainly because the Wildcats looked like world beaters at times, but then turned around and lost games they should have won.
Eloy sophomore Ben Malone rushed for 101 yards and scored once for the Devils, and Woody Green, another sophomore sensation, scored twice, although he was held to 75 yards rushing, which is below his average of 125.9 yards a game.
Arizona State had 406 yards total offense against 168 for the Wildcats, who were quarterbacked most of the game by senior Brian Linstrom. Linstrom, a quarterback last year who started the season at tight end, replaced Bill Demory, who had started every game for Arizona this season.
On the first series, the Sun Devils marched to the UA 47, but they were having trouble running inside against the Wildcat defense and were forced to punt, with Arizona taking over on its own nine.
Going to the air immediately, Bill Demory threw two incomplete passes and then was thrown for a loss on his own one-yard line by ASU tackle Richard Gray. Deep in his own end zone, Marty Shuford got off a bad punt that went out of bounds on the UA 20.
Arizona linebacker Mark Arneson made two good tackles on Woody Green to hold the Devils to a yard, but on third down Danny White faked to Green and passed 19 yards to Joe Petty for the score with 10:06 left in the first quarter. Don Ekstrand kicked the extra point.
Near the end of the quarter, the Wildcats got good field position when Shuford’s 50-yard punt was downed on the ASU six. It didn’t do much good, however, when Joe Petroshus fumbled on the ASU 49 and middle guard Ted Olivo recovered for the Devils on the first play after Arizona received ASU’s punt.
White passed to Calvin Demery to the UA 27 and got additional yards to the 15 on a personal foul against Jackie Wallace. Three-and-out by Green took the ball to the five, and Ekstrand kicked a 22-yard field goal to make the score 10-0 just as the quarter ended.
Early in the second period, Ben Malone broke away for 69 yards to the UA 10, but a holding penalty nullified the play.
Arizona still tried to move the ball through the air without success, and with 9:06 left in the quarter, senior Brian Linstrom replaced Demory at quarterback.
Arizona made its deepest penetration into Sun Devil territory with 3:22 left in the half when Bob White intercepted a pass on his own 33 and returned to the ASU 47.
Linstrom completed passes to Mark Neal and Chris Eddy to the ASU 35 and then scrambled to the 27. A pass for Barry Dean was incomplete, but an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against ASU gave the Wildcats a first down at the Sun Devil 13. Linstrom passed incomplete three times, once off Bobby McCall’s fingers and once in the end zone to McKee, which Windlan Hall broke up, and Mike DeSylvia was short and wide on a 30-yard field goal attempt with 1:03 left in the half.
Arizona State had five first downs in the first half. The Wildcats held the Devils’ vaunted rushing attack to only 65 yards. ASU had another 60 yards passing, with White completing four of nine.
Arizona had four first downs with 20 yards rushing and 44 passing.
With 8:51 left in the third quarter, Steve Holden returned a Shuford punt 22 yards to the Wildcat 45 and the Devils picked up 15 more to the 30 on a personal foul against Arizona on the play.
Five plays later, Green dashed through the line for five yards and the score with 6:57 left in the quarter. The key play in the short drive was a fourth-and-six pass from White to Petty at the UA eight. Ekstrand kicked the point to make the score 17-0.
A perfectly executed screen pass from White to Malone that covered 35 yards to the UA 26 set up ASU’s next score. White passed 13 yards to hold at the 13 and then hit Malone on the one. Malone pushed it over to cap a 64-yard drive that took seven plays. Ekstrand’s kick with 3:40 left in the third quarter made the score 24-0.
Moments later Holden returned Shuford’s punt 63 yards for a score, but a clipping penalty killed the play.
Demory came back in at quarterback for the Wildcats when they took over the ball on their own 27 with 1:48 left in the quarter. He lost 10 yards, and Arizona was forced to punt. point to make the score 17-0.
Just as the quarter ended, Malone cracked through the middle of the UA line, broke at least two tackles and charged 32 yards to the UA 25. All that stopped him was that he stumbled over Holden.
Wallace kept the Devils from advancing any farther, however, when he intercepted a White pass on the UA seven. It was the 11th interception of the season for Wallace, tying a Western Athletic Conference record set by ASU’s Seth Miller in 1969.
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.…
