ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥

There has been no rhyme, and no reason. Bad ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ teams beating good ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ State teams. Sorry Sun Devils lambasting winning Wildcats. The last 91 editions of one of the best rivalries in the West have indeed been wild.

Let’s take a look back at select excerpts from the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s perspective.

The Sun Devils were a surging squad, ranked 13th in the country when the two teams met on Nov. 30, 2013. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, well, the Wildcats were a whole bunch of Ka’Deem Carey. Perhaps the greatest Wildcat in history, Carey was dominant throughout the season and no less impactful against the Sun Devils. But he wasn’t enough to overcome an ASU squad led by the 1-2 punch of D.J. Foster on the ground and Jaelen Strong through the air. With Taylor Kelly dropping bombs, the Sun Devils struck early and often, leading 27-0 before ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ scored its first points. With 124 rushing yards and two touchdowns by Foster and 142 receiving yards and a score from Strong, Carey’s 157 rushing yards wasn’t enough to overcome the onslaught. The Wildcats would go on to finish the season at 8-5 and the Sun Devils at 10-4, setting the stage for a reversal of fortune one year later, when ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ surged ahead.

The Next Day’s Headline: “Cats Crushed�

We said it then: “Ka’Deem Carey sat on a makeshift table on the UA sideline with his uniform as green as it has been all season. Inches in front of him, B.J. Denker sat with his elbows on his thighs. Their heads were exactly where no ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats fan or coach wanted them to be — down. The Territorial Cup will remain empty for the UA for another season.â€�

Greg Hansen said it then: “There was more than enough blame to go around on ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s sideline Saturday night. The Wildcats couldn’t effectively block the ASU defensive front, and they never gave any indication they could stop, or even stall, the Sn Devils’ Rose Bowl Express.â€�

With an offense led by a pair of potent backs in Nic Grigsby and Keola Antolin and the dangerous Willie Tuitama at quarterback, plus a little guy named Rob Gronkowski, not to mention a defensive unit that featured several future NFL players, the Wildcats were a bit of a disappointment a decade ago. After a 4-1 start, the Wildcats were just 6-5 when they met the Sun Devils at home. ASU may have been an even bigger disappointment at 5-6. But ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ may as well have won the Super Bowl by preventing the Sun Devils from a postseason appearance as the Wildcats won, 31-10, in front of the then-sixth biggest crowd in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Stadium (58,704 in attendance). UA broke things open with a 21-0 third quarter, as Tuitama found Delashaun Dean for a 10-yard touchdown, Grigsby scored a 12-yard touchdown run and Mike Thomas followed up with a 52-yard interception return for touchdown in a five-minute stretch.

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ would advance to the Las Vegas Bowl, where it would beat BYU 31-21.

The Next Day’s Headline: “Deal Wildcats In�

We said it then: “ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s football players were exiting ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Stadium following their 31-10 win over ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ State when the thank-yous start.â€�

“Thank you Robby,� one fan screamed at tight end Rob Gronkowski.

“Thank you, No. 57,� another bellowed at walk-on linebacker Jeremy Samoy.

“Number 75!� a third fan screamed at Joe Longacre, “Thanks.�

The ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats took back the Territorial Cup, officially ended their decade-long streak of mediocrity, and gave fans something to celebrate Saturday, routing rival ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ State behind a rousing, second-half comeback.â€�

Greg Hansen said it then: “There’s a punt. Money Mike Thomas is gone. Home run. You haven’t had so much fun since 1998. You’re hugging the loudmouthed fan you have hated for all these years. It’s ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ 28, ASU 10 and the frustration and heartache of 10 seasons are forgotten.â€�

The Desert Storm defense will go down as one of the best units on either side of the ball in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ history. And for good reason — The Wildcats didn’t allow more than 14 points in any of the first five games and would eventually shut out then No. 10-Miami, 29-0, in the Fiesta Bowl. Not a bad run for Rob Waldrop, Brant Boyer and Co.

But on No. 26, 1993, the Wildcats had one of the best performances in Territorial Cup history, a 34-20 win, which sealed a then-program-best nine wins. All it took from the Wildcats was a 27-point second half. And that, after gaining just 17 yards in the first quarter. Billy Johnson led the way with 106 yards on 11 carries after halftime, and ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ clinched its best regular season in team history up to that point.

The Next Day’s Headline: “On-target White scorches Devils�

They said it then: “More than anything, we wanted to beat ASU,� head coach Dick Tomey said. “We were tired of all the talk and of nobody believing we come win this football game but the guys in our locker room.�

Greg Hansen said it then: “Of all the places to find an ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ football team, this was the most unlikely: In the winner’s locker room at Sun Devil Stadium, surrounded by men who would beg the Wildcats to be in their $3.1 million New Year’s Day bowl game. ‘It’s the only time we’ve ever been in first place at the end of the year,’ Tomey said. 'Snowball 1, Hell 0.'"