Arizona-ASU Game 48: Arizona breaks 10-year drought, shuts out ASU in 1974

For Tucson football fans, the 1974 Territorial Cup delivered something that had been missing for a decade: an Arizona victory over Arizona State. The Wildcats ended a 10-game losing streak against the Sun Devils with a 10-0 victory at Arizona Stadium, turning a tense, defense dominated afternoon into one of the most significant wins in the rivalry’s history. The game also marked the first time Arizona had shut out ASU since 1953.

A crowd of 40,782 filled Arizona Stadium, the second-largest audience in the venue’s history at the time. Another 3,000 people watched the game on closed-circuit television in Tempe. They saw Arizona win its first Territorial Cup game since 1964, and they witnessed a contest in which neither team could find much offensive rhythm. The Wildcats and Sun Devils each finished with 259 yards of total offense, well below their season averages.

The first half established the game’s punishing tone. Arizona’s Willis Barrett created an early opportunity by stripping the ball from ASU’s Williams and recovering the fumble at the Sun Devils’ 46-yard line. The Wildcats moved to the 20, but a mishandled option pitch ended the drive. Arizona then lost additional chances when ASU’s Kory Schuknecht intercepted quarterback Bruce Hill and Larry Gordon recovered another Hill fumble. By halftime, Arizona had lost two fumbles and thrown two interceptions, while ASU had turned the ball over twice.

Arizona State also struggled to convert its opportunities. The Sun Devils moved into Wildcats territory behind runs from Mark Lovett and Robinson and passes from freshman quarterback Dennis Sproul to Washington. The drive ended when Obra Erby disrupted a Sproul pass and Mike Shannon dropped Washington for an eight-yard loss during a triple-reverse attempt. Later, ASU reached the Arizona 20, but Danny Kush missed a 32-yard field goal, sending the game into halftime still scoreless.

Arizona’s offense had its own problems, but the Wildcats gradually gained the field-position advantage. Early in the third quarter, T Bell returned a kickoff 25 yards to the Arizona 37. After the Wildcats punted, Mitch Hoopes answered with a 54-yard kick that pinned ASU at its own 6-yard line. The Sun Devils were forced to punt from the end zone, giving Arizona the ball at the ASU 45.

The Wildcats moved inside the Sun Devils’ 30, helped by Hill’s third-down completions to Scott Piper and a short run by Jom Upchurch. But Lee Pistor missed a 42-yard field goal attempt with 10:28 remaining in the third quarter. Arizona threatened again later in the period, with Dave Randolph running for six and 13 yards and Hill connecting with T Bell for nine. ASU stopped the drive when Gordon dropped Hill for a nine-yard loss and Al Weigandt brought down the quarterback on fourth down.

The breakthrough finally arrived with 5:51 left in the game. Arizona linebacker Mark Jacobs, a 219-pound sophomore from Tucson’s Flowing Wells High School, intercepted a Sproul pass and returned it 17 yards to the ASU 19. The Wildcats could not reach the end zone immediately, but Pistor made a 36-yard field goal to put Arizona ahead 3-0. For a rivalry that had been controlled by ASU for years, one field goal suddenly looked capable of deciding everything.

Arizona’s defense protected the lead. With 1:41 to go, an ASU fourth-down attempt fell incomplete when Jacobs forced Williams out of bounds after a pass from Sproul. Arizona took possession at the ASU 38, and Randolph broke free for 15 yards to the 20. The Wildcats appeared close to being stopped, but Upchurch was driven out of bounds and a penalty was called. ASU coach Frank Kush protested the decision by picking up the flag and tossing it into the air twice, prompting officials to add an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty to the original unnecessary roughness call. Arizona was awarded a first down at the 4-yard line.

On the next play, senior Willie Hamilton ran wide left for the touchdown with 32 seconds remaining. Pistor added the extra point, completing the 10-0 score. Hamilton had carried only three times and finished with negative one yard rushing, but his late touchdown provided the final punctuation to a game won primarily by Arizona’s defense, field position and persistence.

The defensive effort fulfilled the plan set by Arizona coach Jim Young, who said the Wildcats had focused on hitting during practice throughout the week. Young believed Arizona had not played with enough physical force in the previous year’s meeting, so the team emphasized contact on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. After the game, he credited defensive coordinator Larry Smith and the rest of the defensive staff, saying the unit had grown stronger as the season progressed. Players carried Young to midfield, where he embraced Kush, and several Wildcats went over to shake hands with the ASU coach.

The victory completed a 9-2 season for Arizona, at that point the most wins in school history. The record was not the program’s best by winning percentage, since the 1961 team had gone 8-1-1, but it gave the Wildcats a breakthrough in the rivalry and a strong finish to the year. Upchurch gained 36 yards and became only the second Arizona player to record consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, ending the year with 1,004 yards. Randolph, who had been called off the bench the previous week after senior players struggled with fumbles, led Arizona with 85 rushing yards.

ASU finished 6-5, its poorest record since going 5-5 in 1966. Its sophomore fullback, Fast Freddy Williams, gained 46 yards but had already secured the Western Athletic Conference rushing title, entering the final game with 1,218 yards. Lovett led the Sun Devils against Arizona with 81 yards. Hill completed 11 of 18 passes for 109 yards, while Sproul completed eight of 29 for 78 yards. Those numbers reflected the night’s central story: neither offense was dominant, but Arizona made the decisive plays. For Tucson, the shutout and the end of the 10-year drought made the 1974 Territorial Cup a lasting landmark in the rivalry.