(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)
As Manny Wilkins took a final Territorial Cup-claiming knee, sealing Arizona State’s 42-30 over Arizona on Saturday, ASU Vice President of University Athletics Ray Anderson gazed on from behind the north end zone of Sun Devil Stadium.
The Sun Devils’ athletic director had a lot to digest.
His football team had just completed a wild 10-point comeback in its most important game of the year, knocking off its in-state rival to clinch its first winning season since 2014. Down 24-14 at halftime, the Sun Devils (7-5, 6-3 Pac 12) benefitted from a wacky turns-of-events — including a first-half injury to UA quartback Khalil Tate and a blocked Wildcats punt — to swing momentum back in their favor and win coach Todd Graham the fourth Territorial Cup of his six-year tenure in Tempe.
It all left Anderson with a $10 million question to answer: Will it be Graham’s last game at ASU too?
Minutes prior to Saturday’s kickoff, the USA Today reported that Graham believes he will be fired by the school, which had reportedly already begun to vet potential coaching candidates. After the rivalry win, Anderson offered no public comment on Graham’s future.
Graham meanwhile wanted to keep the postgame attention on his senior class, but still offered up plenty regarding his thoughts on his in-question job status.
Asked during his press conference if he expected to return to the program next year, Graham was blunt in making the statement of the night.
“Yes I do,” he said.
“I’m proud of these seniors for getting this program back on track to where it needs to be,” he added. “I think we did that.”
He pointed to Saturday’s victory over the Wildcats (7-5, 5-4) as the latest piece of evidence.
“I thought that looked pretty good,” he said.
Despite the winning result, Graham’s squad got off to an inauspicious start in the 91st playing of the in-state rivalry. ASU was lethargic early against an upstart Arizona program led by its emerging star quarterback, Tate. Known for his elite rushing abilities, it was Tate’s right throwing arm that helped the Wildcats build a big first-half lead, completing his first 10 passes for 127 yards to set up three rushing touchdowns for UA.
A second-quarter injury to Tate’s left arm however kept him sidelined for all but one drive after halftime.
Cue the madness.
Backup quarterback Brandon Dawkins (who started in Arizona’s win over ASU in Tucson last season) entered the game and the Wildcats opened the second half with a three-and-out. On 4th down, a low snap to UA punter Josh Pollack allowed 6-foot-7 ASU special teamer Curtis Hodges to get his hands on the kick and record his second blocked punt of the season.
It sparked the comeback in motion.
“I was really proud of our special teams,” Graham said. “Our whole plan was to put a lot of pressure on their punter and that was a big factor in the game.”
ASU took over on Arizona’s 5-yard-line, setting up senior running back Demario Richard (22 carries, 166 yards and 2 TDs on the night) to score a 2-yard touchdown run.
On the ensuing drive, Dawkins promptly threw an interception after his misfired toss to the edge was snagged by junior safety Demonte King at the UA 30, the highlight of an impressive 6 tackle, 2 pass break-ups performance from the inexperienced defensive back.
“To watch him grow up on the field tonight, man I was having fun with him,” Graham said. “I said, ‘Man you are balling out.’ It was amazing to watch him gain confidence.”
Eight plays and a Wilkins hurdle later, sophomore receiver N’Keal Harry (4 receptions, 43 yards, 2 TDs) came down with a 5-yard, one-handed touchdown catch in the corner of the end zone to give ASU a 28-24 lead. The Sun Devils led the rest of the way.
“[There was] no panic at halftime,” Graham said. “We were down 10 points. I walked in the door fixing to say something, but (the players) said ‘We’ve been here before. Let’s get the adjustments made and we’ll get back out right where we need to be.”
Tate made a short-lived return to the game after Arizona’s capitulation at the beginning of the half. But he was clearly protecting his injured left arm too much and was shelved for good midway through the third quarter.
The cause of Tate’s injury wasn’t obvious. UA coach Rich Rodriguez told reporters after the game that his quarterback got “nicked up” during the first quarter. But Tate was also slow to get up after unleashing a hail mary on the final play of the first half.
“We kind of saw him on the ground, but we weren’t too sure,” safety Chad Adams said when asked if he knew Tate was injured during the first half. “We came back in the second half and knew he was kinda banged up.”
Graham rejected the notion that Tate’s departure was the reason for ASU’s comeback, saying both UA signal callers were challenging to stop. He instead praised his team’s mental resolve and ability to adapt mid-game to the rivalry-atmosphere adversity.
“This is the closest football team I think I’ve coached in my career,” he said. “These guys really love each other. I think you can see that heart.”
Graham believes his team’s performance this year has done enough to warrant him a return for a seventh season in charge next fall. He cited a 2nd-place finish in the Pac-12 South — a position clinched with the Territorial Cup win — as a sign the program is still pointed in the right direction.
“That’s pretty good,” he said of finishing near the top of the standings. “I’m proud of our team, I’m proud of our coaching staff. With the schedule we had, there were challenges obviously. I’m really proud of our coaching staff, just how they really evolved well and adapted to our guys, and even more proud of our players.”
When Wilkins (11-17 passing, 163 yards, 3 TDs) was asked if he felt like the team needed to win on Saturday for their coach, he kept from indulging in the hot seat speculation.
“We didn’t worry about that,” the junior quarterback said.
Richard, on the other hand, interjected, calling the only collegiate head coach he’s ever had “a winner.”
“He means a lot to this program,” the senior tailback added. “I wouldn’t hire nobody else.”
Unfortunately for Graham, his team’s leading rusher isn’t deciding on his coaching future.
Anderson is. It shouldn’t be long until everybody knows what the athletic director’s final decision is.
