The 2015 chapter of The Territorial Cup is finally upon us after a roller-coaster of a season for both ASU and UofA. Despite the fact that the Sun Devils have fallen short of many pre-season goals, this game provides the opportunity to send their seniors out with a victory in the most important game of the year. 

Both teams are coming into Saturday with confidence after impressive wins last week. Disciplined play, replacing injured starters, and winning the turnover battle will be the story-line in this game. However, we have determined that there are four players/ positions that will have the largest impact in determining the Champion.

ASU on Offense – Kalen Ballage/ Sun Devil Running Game

The RB by committee (Demario Richard, Kalen Ballage, and DJ Foster) will be key in softening up the Wildcat front 7 who are decimated with injuries across their Linebacking Corp.

The strength of the ASU offense has been its rushing attack all season. After a severe lack of potency in the first half against Washington, Kalen Ballage was the offensive catalyst in ASU’s come-from-behind win.

Sun Devil RB Kalen Ballage

The ASU offensive line has been sporadic, to say the least, in providing QB Mike Bercovici time to get into a passing rhythm all season. I believe the Wildcats will continue to rely heavily on the blitz Saturday, hoping to create pressure in order to compensate for their depleted defensive lineup. This should give ASU plenty of running room to start the game.

A good dose of inside runs early could effectively slow down UofA’s defense, making them susceptible to quick slants, wheel routes, and swing passes. Ballage will be leading the charge. He has been playing his best football as of late, and he’s becoming a vocal leader to his teammates. It’s also abundantly clear that he is running the ball with greater urgency and determination.

UofA on Defense – Wildcat Front 7

As for the Cats, owning the line of scrimmage and forcing ASU into an inconsistent passing game could be the deciding factor in this game. I foresee a ton of run blitzing from LB’s and stunts by the UofA D-Linemen to disrupt the read-option decision-making by Bercovici, who has still shown a weakness in making correct reads on defensive ends. 

Make no mistake about it- this is not lost on the Wildcat defensive coaching staff, and they will game-plan to get into the ASU backfield and create as much havoc at that mesh point as possible. This DieHardDevil.com writer believes that the game will either be won or lost by this Wildcat position group.

UofA on Offense – QB’s Anu Solomon and Jerrard Randall

Whichever player gets the starting nod this week (Solomon suffered a concussion against Utah), they will try to exploit ASU defense with their legs. UofA’s receiving corps is arguably the strength of their team, and Rich Rod will be looking to create mismatches against the inexperienced players in the ASU secondary. 

The Wildcat offense has shown great run/pass balance including some option plays to RB Nick Wilson that we haven’t seen this season. We can expect Rodriguez to add some wrinkles to his offensive scheme. Ultimately though, he will rely heavily on Solomom and/ or Randall to create on their opportunities. 

UofA’s offensive line was stellar last week in protecting both quarterbacks and providing ample time to throw and run for huge gains. That lack of pressure on Solomon and Randall was the undoing of then #10 Utah. Will ASU’s defensive line be as ineffective as Utah’s, or do they have some hurried passes and sacks in store for Solomon/ Randall?

ASU on Defense – Devil Backer Antonio Longino

There will be so much to watch when it comes to ASU’s defense on Saturday, especially how well they react to losing multiple starters. There is cause for concern after UW torched the Devils on the ground and in through the air in the first half last week. 

Sun Devil LB Antonio Longino

The defense as a whole missed assignments which resulted in multiple explosive plays by the Huskies. They were also undisciplined in their tackling and lost outside contain against a QB who is not nearly as athletic as what they will face in the Territorial Cup.

UofA’s Quarterbacks make their living extending plays with their legs on broken plays. With Sun Devil SAM LB Salamo Fiso and Spur LB Laiu Moeakiola nursing injuries and questionable, several inexperienced players may be forced into action again. 

Additionally ASU has to replace Bandit Safety, Jordan Simone, and possibly Field Safety, Kareem Orr, for a second straight week. Although Coach Todd Graham’s makeshift defense came up big in the second half against Washington, it will take all four quarters of that same effort, heart, and discipline to slow down the Wildcat offense.

Enter Antonio Longino. Longino was nursing a hamstring injury going into the Washington game, but he certainly didn’t show it. He dominated the Huskies in the second half, so much so that he earned Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week. It will be paramount for Longino to create the same pressure in the UofA backfield. 

Utah was not able to get to the Wildcat QB’s last week, and they paid severely. In this facet, Longino can be a game-changer. It’s uncertain whether Graham will dial up the same blitzing schemes this week, leaving inexperienced players alone in man coverage. Or will he choose to drop LB’s into zone coverage more often?

Either way, Longino may have to be a one-man wrecking crew to account for our own depleted defense.

We’ve covered the players/ positions that we believe will have the biggest impact on this game. But there is an X factor that can never be overlooked in rivalry games, particularly The Territorial Cup. After all, this game has been decided by less than a touchdown in 8 of the last 11 battles.

Throw rankings, records, predictions, and home field advantage out the window. The team who comes out with more intensity, discipline, and will will have an immeasurable advantage.

Buckle-up, Sun Devil Nation. The hostility will be alive and well on and off Frank Kush Field on Saturday. Forks the hell UP!

DieHard-Apparel / By Devils, for Devils