TUCSON, Arizona — In the 98th Territorial Cup Game, Arizona will try and prevent Arizona State from playing in the Big 12 Championship Game, which the Sun Devils will do with a victory on Saturday at Arizona Stadium.
Despite the Wildcats not being bowl eligible, Arizona head coach Brent Brennan says his team is not using the mindset of being a spoiler.
"The mindset is this is the biggest game of the year, every year, so that doesn't change," said Brennan. "And so for us, whether we're bowl eligible or not, all that matters is we are playing the team from up north.
That team has won four straight games, with the last two being against ranked teams. Former Sacramento State running back Cam Scattabo, who has over 1,221 yards rushing this season, is among the transfers who have had big seasons for the Sun Devils.
"I think they've done a great job of evaluating and hitting in the transfer portal, and they've done a good job of building culture. And, you can see the kind of confidence their team is playing with right now."
The 14th ranked Sun Devils might be the better team going into this game, but Arizona arguably has the best player in wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan. T-Mac has already broken the school record for receiving yards, and Saturday's game will likely be his last as an Arizona Wildcat before entering the NFL Draft.
"When that ball is snapped, that kid is a warrior," added Brennan. Watch how hard he plays, how hard he blocks, how hard he practices. Everything he's given to this football program every step of the way. The way he interacts with the community, how generous he is with fans, how he interacts with fans."
The Territorial Cup is a game that divides the state, and even households.
"It's such a special rivalry in college football. And, it means so much to everybody here, everybody at this University, everybody in Tucson, and thousands in the state of Arizona."
