As Thanksgiving approaches, the Arizona State football team has a lot to be thankful for. The Sun Devils played an entire season again, punched their ticket to a bowl game, and get to play their final conference game in the comfort of a home stadium environment.
However, those positive sentiments naturally shift when it comes to the visiting opponent ASU will compete against for Territorial Cup honors on Saturday.
“We know that this is going to be a game that is physical, tough, and going to be a dog fight no matter what the score is at the end,” junior left guard LaDarius Henderson said Tuesday on facing the Arizona Wildcats.
A transplant from Waxahachie, Texas, Henderson said he initially did not realize the gravity of the historic rivalry. Surrounded by big-name rivalries between the powerhouse schools in his home state, Henderson had never heard of the bitter spat between ASU and Arizona until he began his college football career for the Sun Devils. As Henderson realized the competitiveness in each team’s crusade for the Cup, he learned to appreciate the importance of the game.
“You just hear about Oklahoma-Texas or hear people argue about (Texas) A&M and Texas,” Henderson explained. So then I get out here and hear about the history and the severity of it. It’s like, ‘Oh, this is really cool.’ It’s really cool to be a part of this. It surprised me how big this is to the people in the city.”
Left defensive end Michael Matus, another Texas product, echoed Henderson’s thoughts on getting integrated into the rivalry. He first noticed the intensity amp up in practice when he observed the local players from the valley and how they approached their routine. With many current freshmen heralding from out of state, Matus said the newcomers would likely have a similar experience.
“Watching, you know, N’Keal (Harry), Manny (Wilkins), even Chase (Lucas), I could just see how serious they took practice that week,” Matus said. “And I think that’s what the younger guys are going to start to see.”
Henderson said the key to a victory over the Wildcats will not change compared to the eleven other teams ASU has faced this season. In the first half of ASU’s last two losses, the Sun Devils have been outscored 45-7. Starting the game on the right foot is vital for the team’s success and even more integral against an Arizona team searching for retribution in a season that saw the Wildcats earn a dismal 1-10 overall record.
“We just want to start fast against everybody we play against,” Henderson said. “That’s always been our mantra that we want to do. It’s always been something we’ve harped on and practiced for Saturday.”
On the other side of the ball, left defensive end Michael Matus preached Antonio Pierce’s matter-of-fact weekly message about fortitude in the trenches and suffocating the ground game.
“We have to stop the run,” Matus said. We just have to be ourselves and play us. No matter what they throw at us, we know that we can play sound defense. We have to go do that out on Saturday.”
Both players remembered moments from previous Territorial Cup battles that have stuck with them over the years. Matus recalled his favorite memory when he and linebacker Connor Soelle worked together on a pressure that resulted in a fumble. Henderson thought of his freshman season where Jack Jones had two interceptions and six tackles. Of course, last season’s 70-7 dominating win over Arizona was memorable in its own right, but Matus cautioned against expecting another lopsided outcome.
“I think the main goal is to not let that get into our heads,” Matus said. “I think the best thing that we can do is go out and be 1-0 this week. It doesn’t matter about what’s happened this season, what’s happened last year, what’s happened five years ago. It’s really just about us, this team, and what we can accomplish on Saturday.”
Nevertheless, Henderson is not taking the home-field advantage for granted. With many graduating players expected to be honored before the game, Henderson said he wants to send off the team’s upperclassmen in the proper fashion.
“I think it’s just really cool that we get to finish off our Pac-12 play at home,” Henderson said. “I think that’s tremendous, especially for the senior night for our seniors. They get to go out like this in our stadium.”
As a true freshman, injuries thrust Henderson into the starting lineup at left tackle. He started nine consecutive games at the position, protecting the blindside of Jayden Daniels as a 17-year-old and cementing himself as a future building block as the offensive line underwent a major revamp. In 2020, Henderson competed for the right tackle position and rotated with Ben Scott over ASU’s four games. He finally found stability this season at left guard, where he started every game and earned the Pac-12 Player of the Week award for his performance against UCLA.
Henderson reflected on his journey ahead of the last regular-season game of his third season. While he was heartened in his physical development, Henderson credited his perseverance and work ethic in crafting him into the player he is now.
“I think the only thing about me that’s really changed is my size and strength,” Henderson said. “I’ve always been, in my mind, at least a mentally tough, prepared guy. I attack the day, attack the week. I feel like sometimes it takes offensive linemen in college a couple of years to really get dominant, you know what I mean? I’m glad I’m starting to step into that.”
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