The 2022 version of the Wildcats features a marked improvement on offense and a defensive unit that has struggled for most of the year. Here’s a closer look at ASU’s in-state rival ahead of the Territorial Cup matchup.

Arizona Offense

After a standout season in 2021 at Washington State, quarterback Jayden de Laura hit the transfer portal and chose to stay within the conference and join the Arizona Wildcats.

Statistically, the decision has paid off as he ranks fifth nationally with 3,485 passing yards with 25 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while completing 63.1% of his passes and adding 125 net rushing yards and four touchdowns.

This season, de Laura has six games with at least 300 passing yards and a seventh with 299. On four occasions, he’s hit 400 passing yards or more, including a high of 484 yards and six touchdowns against Colorado.

There is a boom-or-bust element to his game as he has six games with multiple touchdowns but also three games with multiple interceptions, including a four-pick performance last week against Washington State. In the past three games, he has a 3-to-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

On the ground, a trio of backs see regular action, with Michael Wiley earning the most reps and DJ Williams and Jonah Coleman also seeing activity.

Wiley leads the team with 101 carries for 557 yards with five scores and adds 33 receptions for 298 yards and three touchdown catches, while Williams has 359 yards on 56 carries with two touchdowns, and Coleman has 69 rushes for 324 yards and three touchdowns.

No Arizona running back has rushed for 100 or more yards in a game this season, as the season-high among the three is Wiley’s 97 yards on 21 carries against UCLA. Williams had 88 yards on 14 carries in the season opener against San Diego State.

The Arizona offense is largely driven by its trio of excellent receivers and a standout tight end, featuring a pair of 1,000-yard pass-catchers.

Both Dorian Singer and Jacob Cowing have surpassed the 1,000-yard mark this season as Singer has 1,014 yards on 63 catches with six touchdowns, while Cowing has 80 receptions for 1,001 yards with seven scores.

Singer and Cowing are one and two in the Pac-12 in receiving yards and rank ninth and 10th in the nation, respectively.

Singer has four 100-yard games and another with 99 while catching at least six passes in seven games this season. He caught nine passes for 176 yards and a touchdown last week and had nine receptions for 163 yards and a score earlier this season against Colorado.

Cowing came to Arizona this past offseason as a transfer from UTEP, and in his first year in Tucson, he’s posted four 100-yard games and has caught at least six passes in nine of 11 games this year while hauling in at least five receptions in every game he’s played in 2022. His top performance came against Colorado when he had 12 catches for 180 yards and a touchdown. Cowing also had three of his seven touchdown catches in the season opener against San Diego State.

High-profile true freshman Tetairoa McMillan has lived up to the hype, as he ties for the Pac-12 lead with eight touchdown catches and has 702 yards on 39 receptions. He has at least three receptions in nine games this year and has had five or more on three occasions – all in a three-game stretch to start October – including a seven-catch, 132-yard, two-touchdown effort against Washington, all of which are single-game season highs for him.

Tanner McLachlan has been a formidable presence at tight end with 33 catches for 431 yards and two scores. He has caught a pass in every game this year, at least two in 10 of 11 games and four or more in five games. He has been used slightly less of late, as he has ten catches in the last four games after catching 15 in the first four games of the season.

This group of four plus Wiley see the vast bulk of targets as no other player on the roster has more than eight catches on the year.

On the offensive line, center Josh Baker, right guard Jonah Savaiinea and right tackle Paiton Fears have started all 11 games, while Jordan Morgan started the first ten games at left tackle but did not start last week. Three players have started at left guard, with Wendell Moe having started the previous three games at the position.

Arizona Offense Summary

Driven by a pass offense that harkens back to the Nick Foles days for Arizona, the Wildcats rank fifth nationally in pass offense (329.2) and 20th in total offense (460.3). However, their scoring offense hasn’t quite been on par with those top-20 performances, as Arizona ranks 53rd in the nation in that category (30.2).

It remains to be seen if Arizona sticks with its pass-heavy approach or if it skews more than normal to the run game, given the major deficiencies against the run that ASU has shown in recent weeks. Also, a major factor in Arizona’s offense – and the game as a whole – is what sort of ball protection will be shown by de Laura.

Arizona Defense

On the defensive line, Hunter Echols and Jalen Harris have started all 11 games on the edges, as has nose tackle, Kyon Barrs. Paris Shand started the first seven games at defensive tackle, and Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei has started the last four.

Echols leads the team in sacks (4.5) and TFLs (8.0) and has 48 total tackles, as well as two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. Barrs has 36 tackles, including 3.5 for loss, while Uiagalelei has 12 tackles, including 1.0 sack on the year.

Jacob Manu has started the past five games at linebacker after Kolbe Cage started the first six, while Jerry Roberts has started all 11 games at linebacker. Gunner Maldonado has eight starts to his credit this season.

Roberts ranks third on the team with 67 tackles, while Manu has 47 tackles, including 3.0 for loss. Maldonado has 42 tackles and a team-high three forced fumbles on the year.

In the secondary, safeties Christian Young and Jaxen Turner have started all 11 games together, while Christian Roland-Wallace has started every game at cornerback, three players earning starts beside him, with Treydan Stukes having the most starts of the trio with six.

Turner leads the team in tackles (71), including 2.0 for loss, 1.0 sack, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and one of the two interceptions claimed by the Wildcat defense this year. Young ranks second on the team with 69 tackles and ranks second on the team with 6.5 TFLs.

Roland-Wallace has 52 tackles and a team-high six pass breakups, while Stukes has 35 tackles with four pass breakups and the other interception that Arizona has corralled this year.

Arizona Defense Summary

Even the most objective, unbiased view of the Arizona defense has to clearly admit that it’s been bad. BAD bad. Statistically, if not for Colorado, Arizona would unquestionably be the worst Power Five defense in the country.

Arizona is tied for the fewest interceptions in the nation (two), while only two teams have allowed more than the 31 rushing touchdowns surrendered by Arizona, and only three teams have fewer sacks than the Wildcats’ 14.0.

Also, Arizona is tied for 116th nationally with 11 takeaways, ranks 123rd in third-down defense, 124th in team TFLs, 125th in both scoring defense (36.64) and rush defense (213.5), and 126th in total defense (461.4).

Matters have improved a bit the past two games as Arizona allowed 28 in its win over UCLA and 31 in its loss to Washington State, but prior to that, the Wildcats allowed at least 45 points in each of the four previous games and in five of the six that came before that shocking UCLA win.

Arizona Special Teams

Entering a rivalry game that often has come down to punters, kickers, and returners, Arizona has one of the better punters in the conference in Kyle Ostendorp, who averages 45.6 yards per punt. He appears not to have enough punting attempts to qualify for the NCAA leaderboard, but his average would rank 11th nationally if he were eligible.

Kicker Tyler Loop has been highly accurate on the year – 17-of-20 on field goals – though he’s 4-of-7 beyond 39 yards with a long of 48.

Three players have split duties at punt returner, with Jacob Cowing leading the group with an 8.0-yard average on seven returns. Anthony Simpson leads the team with a 19.5-yard average on 17 kickoff returns.

Overall Summary

For the first time since 2003, the Territorial Cup game features teams each with four or fewer wins but make no mistake about it, there is a great deal on the line in this always heated rivalry game.

Arizona is trying to avoid a sixth consecutive loss to ASU and, in the process, substantiate claims of overall improvement, and in this scenario, there is a significant difference between a 4-8 finish and a loss to ASU and a 5-7 record and a win over Arizona State.

For ASU, the goal is to place some measure of positivity on an otherwise dreadful season and, in the process, hopefully, avoid what would be the worst single-season winning percentage for an Arizona State football team since 1942.

Arizona State hasn’t had a three-win season since 1994, but since that was in a time when only 11 regular season games were played, a 3-9 finish would be the worst winning percentage since ASU finished 2-8 in 1942.

There are times when this game plays out as expected, but seemingly many more occasions when unpredictable and even unimaginable outcomes occur.

Strategically, ASU should focus on the run game with a heaping helping of X Valladay against the Arizona run defense, that is one of the poorest in the country. On defense, the Sun Devils need to find ways to rattle de Laura to the point of inconsistency and hopefully repeated mistakes, as was the case for him last week against Washington State.

Above all, the Sun Devil need a much more motivated and spirited effort than has been seen through the majority of the past three games.

Though a new era of Sun Devil football – whatever that may mean – will be ushered in potentially much sooner rather than later, retaining ownership of the Territorial Cup would be a crucial starting point for the new regime to inherit.

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