Shaun Aguano made sure that his players saw the defiled giant “A” perched atop A mountain overlooking Arizona State’s campus on Sunday morning. The A is usually bright gold, serving as a monument on the butte that houses Sun Devil Stadium. As the sun rose over Tempe on Sunday morning, a visual symbol of the beginning of rivalry week was visible to all Sun Devils. The A was painted red and navy blue, the overnight work of some Arizona road trippers, no doubt.

“I made sure that our kids saw that. I also made sure that our kids saw that little scuffle on the sideline,” Aguano said with a smile. “Anything that I can use as an advantage. We played the Arizona fight song today at practice which they weren’t happy about, which is good. There are a couple of things from an engagement and motivational standpoint. It keeps it interesting.”

It’s rare that a game with state bragging rights is played between teams who are in the midst of unremarkable seasons, at best. ASU limps into the territorial cup at 3-8, while Arizona is 4-7.

“We’ve talked from the day I got here about playing with passion and not emotion,” Aguano explained. “If you play with emotion, you’ll get yourself in trouble. Playing with passion because you love the football game and the atmosphere, and you love the challenge. That’s what we need to make sure that our kids play with. Emotional will hurt the football team. And the last thing we want to do is hurt our brotherhood.”

As if the stakes weren’t high enough for everyone on both rosters already, Friday afternoon’s contest will serve as a personal homecoming for Arizona State quarterback Trenton Bourguet. The Tucson native prepped at Marana High School before heading north to become a Sun Devil. He’s watched the last three territorial cups from the sideline, although he got in the game during ASU’s biblical 70-7 rout over the Wildcats in an empty Arizona stadium in December of 2020. He is well versed in the history of the rivalry and knows just how much it means to both Sun Devil nation and fans of the school down south. Aguano expanded on the emotions his quarterback may be feeling ahead of the contest.

“I try not to bring it up with him,” Aguano said while acknowledging that this game may carry even more weight for Bourguet. “He’s a competitor. I know what it means for him to go down there and win. He will be prepared and ready like always.”

The mantra of a one-game season and the importance of stacking days and weeks has been reduced to just that. The season will end on Friday with a win or a loss. Stacking days in this week and putting all of your eggs in this basket is no longer just lip service.

“This is a one-game season right here. This game probably means more to the state of Arizona more than anyone really imagines,” Aguano said without hesitation. He then highlighted the importance of making sure each and every player on the roster has his sights set on this week and being on the same page when it comes to understanding the significance of such a game. “There is no time to worry about what happened on Saturday; we’re just moving forward. The video department did a great job explaining the why and the history of the territorial cup. Just so everyone understands exactly what they’re playing for.”

The Saturday to Friday turnaround is ASU’s first and only short week of the 2022 season. The condensed preparation time complicates things just a bit for the coaching staff and players, but it’s clear that preparation for this game may have begun earlier than it would for a normal game. Aguano is used to putting in long hours at the facility each week. This week that is exaggerated.

“Coaches didn’t get out of here until probably one in the morning,” he said. “We were here with little sleep and condensed our practice a little bit. (Today) we went with just helmets and no pads because there are still the normal bumps and bruises from Saturday. But tomorrow will be full pads to get these guys ready to go.”

Aside from the pageantry of the Territorial Cup, there are, of course, Xs and Os for the team to prepare for. This Arizona roster is much improved from the awful one-win team that ASU trounced in last year’s showdown in Tempe. Quarterback Jayden de Laura ranks second in the conference in passing yards per game with 317. Last season, he quarterbacked a Washington State team that took ASU to the woodshed in a late October contest in Tempe. Stopping him from doing the same to this year’s team is of paramount importance to Aguano.

“They have a dangerous quarterback. They will probably throw the ball 40-50 times. He makes great off-schedule throws, and we will have to make sure our eyes don’t get dirty and that we keep an eye on our man. There’s a lot that we have to do defensively to keep them contained. On offense, we have to be able to run the ball, make those conversions on third down, and not be one yard short on three of them. All of those things to extend our series and play fundamental football.”

On the defensive side, there has not been much for Arizona State to be proud of. Explosive plays (passes of 15+ yards and runs of 10+) have been especially brutal for the Sun Devils. They have allowed an astonishing 43 such plays in three games. For Aguano, the remedy is as simple as playing fundamental defensive football.

“We haven’t contained the quarterback like we should be. Sometimes we are playing a little too soft to tell you the truth and not coming up and competing,” he explained. “We have to get better at just being more physical from a defensive standpoint.”

If the players don’t take it from Aguano, they can take it from countless other voices around the program. This game is so personal for anyone who’s ever been involved with either school. Even in an abysmal year like the one Arizona State has endured, a sixth straight Territorial Cup victory would serve as an element of salvation for this team in history’s place.

“I am bringing in alumni to talk about this game. At our letterman’s meeting last night, Juan Roque, Kevin Miniefield, and Jean Boyd spoke,” Aguano said. “I thought to myself last night, do these kids really understand what this is about? I had to give them an educational lesson, and I thought it worked out because they were engaged and watched. You never know kids nowadays, but it’s our job to bring the intensity every day at practice.”

The last time Arizona won this football game in 2016, only a handful of players on either roster had even suited up for a varsity high school game. Keeping that streak alive is about legacy above all else.

“It’s absolutely amazing that you can win one football game, and most of the rest of the season will be forgotten,” Aguano said thoughtfully. “It’s a legacy for this class.”

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