Arizona-ASU Game 81: Arizona’s bowl drought continues after another loss to ASU in ‘07

For Arizona fans in Tucson, the 2007 Territorial Cup ended with the same destination as the previous several seasons: nowhere. The Wildcats lost to Arizona State, 20-17, on Dec. 1 at Sun Devil Stadium, finishing 5-7 overall and 4-5 in the Pac-10. The defeat extended Arizona’s bowl drought, which had reached back to 1998, and sent the team back across Interstate 10 without a postseason game to prepare for. Arizona State, meanwhile, celebrated a 10-2 season, a 7-2 conference record and another trip to a bowl, possibly the Fiesta Bowl.

The final score suggested a tight rivalry game, but Arizona coach Mike Stoops believed the margin did not fully reflect the night. ASU had handled the critical moments, while the Wildcats repeatedly failed to turn opportunities into points. “They made all the plays,” Stoops said afterward. The contrast was painful for Arizona, where the season had ended with another missed chance to change the program’s trajectory. For ASU, winning had become familiar, part of the rhythm of a successful college football program.

Arizona’s postseason absence was especially glaring because the likely bowl destinations were not especially remote. The Wildcats might have qualified for the Las Vegas Bowl, the Sun Bowl or the Emerald Bowl, games that would not have required a long trip. Instead, the players boarded buses for Tucson after watching ASU fans celebrate. Arizona linebacker Spencer Larsen said the Sun Devils had learned how to do the things necessary to win, making that behavior feel almost automatic. Arizona, he said, still treated the postseason as something unfamiliar.

The Wildcats also struggled with problems that had surfaced before, particularly inside the red zone. Arizona reached the area inside ASU’s 20-yard line five times but scored on only three of those possessions. Quarterback Willie Tuitama threw two interceptions, including one in the end zone, and also lost a fumble. Against a ranked opponent, those errors left Arizona with little room for the kind of late recovery it needed.

Arizona State took advantage of its chances. Quarterback Rudy Carpenter tied the game in the second quarter with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Tyrice Thompson. On a third-and-goal play, Carpenter scrambled, appeared to threaten a quarterback sneak and then flipped the ball to Thompson in the end zone. Later in the half, Chris McGaha caught a 40-yard pass that moved the Sun Devils into scoring range. Thomas Weber followed with a 19-yard field goal, giving ASU a 10-7 lead at halftime.

Senior defensive end Mike Marquardt supplied two of the game’s most important defensive plays for Arizona State. He blocked Jason Bondzio’s 47-yard field goal attempt and recovered a fumble by Tuitama. Although Marquardt finished with only one tackle, he was selected as the game’s most valuable player. His impact illustrated the difference between the teams, as ASU repeatedly produced timely plays while Arizona struggled to find one that would shift the game.

The Wildcats did create moments that kept the result in doubt. Antoine Cason returned a punt 51 yards in the third quarter, giving Arizona a chance to build momentum. In the fourth quarter, Mike Thomas made a catch while falling backward that placed the Wildcats in position to take the lead. But Arizona’s rally attempts repeatedly stalled. Nicolas Grigsby scored a touchdown with 26 seconds left, yet the late score left the Wildcats needing an onside kick. Arizona failed to recover it, ending the comeback attempt.

The loss was difficult beyond the rivalry itself because it closed the door on Arizona’s season. As ASU supporters streamed out to celebrate, Arizona players were gathered and directed toward the visitors’ locker room. The scene included a lineman who was crying and a walk-on being hit by yellow pom-poms as coaches moved players away. Stoops described the finality of the moment as difficult, while the team’s return to Tucson marked another offseason spent outside the bowl picture.

The 2007 matchup was the 81st Territorial Cup game, part of a rivalry that began in 1899. The Wildcats held the all-time advantage at the time, with 52 wins to ASU’s 46, along with one tie, but the series record offered little consolation that night. The game also became part of the Arizona Daily Star’s retrospective countdown to the rivals’ 100th meeting. That future matchup was described as the 100th time the teams would play, not the 100th anniversary, since the schools had not met in every year. For Tucson fans, the 2007 loss remained a reminder that series history could not erase the immediate sting of another season ending before a bowl.