With a decision looming and hatred for UA present, Benjamin shines

For a moment late Saturday night, the Territorial Cup itself turned into a magnet. It was carried around Sun Devil Stadium like an idol, passed from hand to hand and paraded around by dozens.

And wherever it went, it attracted hoards. Those in maroon and gold followed it like there was a string attached, dragging them along for the ride. Senior center Cohl Cabral was the first to snag it, asking just seconds after the final whistle, “Where’s the cup?”

Someone fetched it for Cabral. Then he ran to the edge of the student section and raised it high above his head like an old cell phone with bad reception. It was up for all to see. From there, receiver Brandon Aiyuk took it for a victory lap -- a victory lap accompanied by an extensive entourage that has grown accustomed to the feeling.

With its 24-14 victory over Arizona, Arizona State has now won the Territorial Cup in three straight years, including both seasons under coach Herm Edwards. It didn’t have the dramatics of last year’s game, but on Saturday night, no one seemed to mind.

With the cup high above them in a scrum of bodies clamoring to touch it, junior running back Eno Benjamin turned to cornerback Chase Lucas in a moment of craziness. “We’re 3-0, bro. We’re 3-0, bro,” Benjamin said. “That’s all that matters.”

The statement, even with its full context unknown, served as the perfect way to remember ASU’s win over Arizona.

On a night when there were so many other things to think about, especially after the win, Benjamin offered a sentiment to stay in the moment, to appreciate and enjoy what the Sun Devils accomplished Saturday.

And it felt only right that out of everyone on Arizona State’s roster, Benjamin was one uttering the statement.

He had always been vocal about where he felt ASU could go this season -- now he wasn’t screaming, “Rose Bowl or bust,” -- but HBO’s College Football 24/7 showed him standing up in front of his team the night before the Washington State game, telling his teammates how special he thought their group was.

They likely didn’t reach the pinnacle of what he thought they were capable, but the regular-season finale still leaves him with a decision.

On the morning of his third Territorial Cup, Benjamin sent a text message to his offensive coordinator, Rob Likens. The text, Likens said, was the ASU tailback thanking Likens for everything, for helping him live out his dream.

“It was just really awesome and it really touched my heart,” Likens said. “I love that kid and everything he’s done. And we’ll see what decision he makes -- I’m behind him whatever he wants to do I love him.”

The “decision” is whether to return to school for his senior season or declare for the NFL Draft. For now, the text message seems like a good indication for which way he’s leaning.

And, if Saturday was the final time Benjamin takes the field as a Sun Devil, what a legacy he’ll leave behind. He rushed for 2,867 yards, broke the program’s single-season rushing record, its single-game rushing record and didn’t lose to Arizona.

On Saturday, he reached the 1,000-yard milestone for the second straight season. He carried the ball 34 times for 168 yards and a pair of scores, taking home the Bob Moran Territorial Cup MVP in the process.

Likens said he wanted to play big boy football, wanted to “run over them.” No better way then put the ball in Benjamin’s hands. After halftime, Benjamin carried the ball six times for 49 yards on a touchdown drive that gave ASU a lead it never relinquished.

“This is your game,” freshman quarterback Jayden Daniels said he told his running back after that drive. “It’s your time to eat … He just took over.”

If that’s his last game, he’ll stay on the track many projected for him following last season. After all, you don’t often terrorize school record books in a season and stay all four years. But at times this season, there were doubts.

With a true freshman quarterback and two freshmen on the offensive line, teams dared ASU to throw the ball. They loaded the box, they did whatever they could to make sure Eno Benjamin didn’t beat them. And a lot of the time, it worked.

With expectations of repeating his record-breaking season on his shoulder, Benjamin averaged just 74 yards in his first four games this season, finishing with under 100 rushing yards in half his games.

“Early, he struggled with that -- like we all would,” Likens said. “As the season went on, I just saw him grow up. He came to me and he said, ‘Coach, I just want to win. I just want to win games. I don’t really care anymore about all of this stuff.’”

Likens first saw Benjamin in the ninth grade, a shifty running back from Wylie East High School just northeast of Dallas who reminded him of someone.

“He reminded me of Walter Payton,” Likens said. “The first time I saw him, I looked at him, I watched how violent he ran and I said, ‘Man, that’s Walter Payton Jr. right there.”

Who knows if Benjamin will live up to those expectations whenever he does leave Tempe. But there will be a lot of carries and a lot of time in between now and that determination. Another one, however, may be easier to deduce.

In May, Benjamin tweeted a thought. “I want to be the most hated man in the city of Tucson,” he wrote.

The census rolls around next year, maybe they can pose the question to those in Tucson for a definitive answer. But on Saturday and for now, it was undoubtedly Benjamin. For a guy who is often quiet, he seems to be in his element playing Arizona, almost as if it’s encouraged to show off his emotion and passion.

Last season, he recreated Keith Poole’s famous two-hands-to-the-sky celebration. When he scored the go-ahead touchdown, he motioned his hands downward as almost an ironic ode to the hushed crowd.

On Saturday, he didn’t skip a beat. On a Daniels run before the end of the half, he blocked Arizona cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace almost 30 yards into a bench on the Arizona sideline. Later, with the victory all but sealed, it looked as if he was dancing and jumping while carrying the ball, mocking the Wildcat defender before he slid.

“I understand what this game is about,” he said, “There’s a lot of young guys, and so I was just trying to fuel that passion so that they understand what this rivalry means.”

It means a lot. And whatever happens down the road, Benjamin will always have his three wins.

Want to discuss this article and other Sun Devil football and recruiting topics? Don’t miss out on our incredible Holiday Promotion! Save 50% on subscription get $49.50 coupon to the Fan Shop or $75.00 for an annual subscription, and get a $75.00 eCard to use on adidas gear, either online or in any adidas store. Click here to sign up