TEMPE, Ariz. — Of his 25 attempts, it might have been the best ball Arizona State quarterback Jeff Sims threw all night.
Deep down the middle of the field. A pass that carried more than 50 yards. One the No. 20 Sun Devils needed to have — and appeared to have. The ball reached receiver Jaren Hamilton in stride. Yet, at the last second, Arizona defensive back Treydan Stukes took it away.
It was not only the biggest play in Arizona’s 23-7 win here Friday night, but it was also one you had to watch on replay to fully appreciate. With the ball coming down, about to land in Hamilton’s hands, Stukes simply jumped over the receiver and grabbed it, one of five turnovers Arizona forced.
“I felt like I got a good jump on the trajectory,” said Stukes, whose college journey has taken him from walk-on to scholarship recipient to ACL injury to team captain.
“One of the best football plays I’ve ever seen,” Arizona coach Brent Brennan said.
In a battle for the Territorial Cup, the nation’s oldest rivalry trophy, Stukes’ effort mirrored Arizona’s performance. The red-hot Wildcats entered sold-out Mountain America Stadium and took what they wanted, robbing Arizona State of a spot in the Big 12 title game (the Sun Devils needed to win to keep their slim chances alive) and finishing the regular season with their fifth consecutive victory.
Winning on your rival’s home field is one of the best feelings in college football, but this had deeper meaning. In January 2024, Arizona hired Brennan to replace popular Jedd Fisch, who had left for Washington. Brennan’s 4-8 first season, which included a 49-7 loss to Arizona State, had been so rocky that people questioned whether he deserved a second.
After Friday’s win, while players celebrated in the locker room, a reporter reminded Brennan that this time last year, he had described his first season as “absolute misery.” Some coaches would have brushed the question off — the past is the past — but Brennan leaned into it.
“I wasn’t lying,” he said.
The 52-year-old coach credited the reversal with alignment, from administration on down, which is essential for any program’s success. However, Brennan’s role in this deserves Big 12 Coach of the Year consideration. The No. 25 Wildcats finished the regular season at 9-3 and 6-3 in the Big 12. They won their final five by an average of 17 points, outscoring opponents 91-23 in the second half. They reached nine wins for just the eighth time in program history.
“It’s just rewarding,” offensive guard Chubba Maae said. “All the work you put in. Starting off at the beginning of the year, it’s a brand-new team. You have like 30 new guys, not knowing what to expect. And it’s just slowly but surely seeing everything coming together … you love it for everybody in the room.”
TREYDAN STUKES: TAKE A BOW pic.twitter.com/0eWu4Mt6I3
— Arizona Football (@ArizonaFBall) November 29, 2025
Arizona State (8-4, 6-3) was a good story in its own right. For most of the season, it seemed there was no hurdle these Sun Devils could not clear. They lost quarterback Sam Leavitt, safety Xavion Alford and offensive lineman Ben Coleman — all among the best at their positions in the Big 12 — to season-ending injuries. They also lost star receiver Jordyn Tyson for a spell. Yet, they kept finding ways to win, keeping a pulse in the conference championship hunt.
Throughout, the Sun Devils had a significant flaw, one that would prove to be their downfall. Offensively, they struggled. Especially in the red zone. Coach Kenny Dillingham this week summed it up well: “We’re not playing good on offense — point plank.”
That made Friday a bad matchup for the Sun Devils, even at home. Under defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales, the Wildcats have improved greatly, going from 109th (31.8 ppg) in defensive scoring last season to 20th (18.9) this season. They also excel at forcing turnovers. In their first 11 games, the Wildcats had forced 23, which was tied for sixth nationally. Against Arizona State, they produced three interceptions and two fumble recoveries.
“You’re not going to win games having five turnovers,” Dillingham said. “It’s like the most fundamental thing in football.”
After a shaky first half — one that included two missed field goals (one blocked) and a red zone turnover — Arizona took control in the second. An Arizona State fumble led to the Wildcats’ first lead, 10-7. The Stukes interception led to Michael Salgado-Medina’s 49-yard field goal, one of three for the Arizona kicker. The defense did the rest.
The Wildcats kept the Sun Devils out of the end zone in the second half, limiting them to 96 yards. Sims never found a rhythm. Raleek Brown, who had run for 255 yards in last week’s win at Colorado, was not much of a factor. With two minutes left, Arizona running back Kedrick Reescano powered into the end zone from 1 yard out, sealing the outcome. Quarterback Noah Fifita — the Bob Moran Player of the Game, throwing for 286 yards — shouted and clenched his fists. Maae pointed to the sky.
“Being able to punch the ball in, hear that crowd go silent, and only hear our little corner (of fans) go off, it’s the best feeling in the world,” Maae said.
Aside from a September road loss at Iowa State, Arizona has been solid all season. The Wildcats had a chance in their other losses — 33-27 in double overtime to BYU (this one still bothers Gonzales) and 31-28 to Houston. They were good enough to win a conference title. And in their biggest game, following Stukes’ lead, they went out and grabbed it.
“U of A is just kind of looked at as little brother sometimes, or bottom tier,” defensive back Dalton Johnson said. ”We just go into each week hungry. And we practice that way. When you got that momentum and your team is playing as one, you’re going to get on a run like we are. … This team is special.”