Nov 23, 2001
By MEL REISNER
AP Sports Writer
TEMPE, Ariz. - Jason Johnson passed for two touchdowns and ran for another as Arizona finished a disappointing season on the upswing with a 35-21 victory over Arizona State on Friday.
Johnson threw a 19-yard scoring pass to Bobby Wade and a 10-yarder to Malosi Leonard and had a 6-yard TD run for the Wildcats (5-6, 2-6 Pac-10), who won the rivalry game for the first time since 1998.
The game ended with a melee at midfield as an Arizona State player ran hard into players exchanging handshakes. Arizona State was sent to the locker room before the Wildcats took possession of the Territorial Cup trophy.
Arizona took a 20-0 lead when Clarence Farmer ran 20 yards to score with 38 seconds left in the first quarter, and went ahead 34-14 when Malosi Leonard caught a 10-yard pass from Johnson and Brandon Nash returned an interception 13 yards late in the third quarter.
Nash's score was the highlight of a big defensive effort by the Wildcats. Lance Briggs had three of Arizona's six sacks, and the defense had two interceptions and a fumble recovery.
Farmer had 158 yards on 32 carries, and Wade set career highs with 11 catches for 157 yards.
Delvon Flowers had 130 yards on 20 attempts and scored on runs of 33 and 3 yards, and Andrew Walter threw a 19-yard scoring pass to Donnie O'Neal as the Sun Devils (4-6, 1-6) absorbed their fourth straight loss. Arizona State, guaranteed its first losing season and non-bowl postseason in three years, still has UCLA on the schedule Dec. 1.
Flowers' 33-yard scoring burst cut Arizona State's deficit to six points 1:33 into the third quarter.
But the Sun Devils went three-and-out on their next two possessions, and the Wildcats scored twice in a 55-second span to go up 34-14.
Johnson started an 80-yard scoring drive with a 12-yard pass to Leonard, and Farmer ran for 24 on the next play. On third-and-6, Johnson hooked up with Wade for 22 yards, and his TD throw to Leonard also came on third down with 3:15 left in the third quarter.
Nash picked off a throw by Jeff Krohn two plays into Arizona State's next possession and ran in untouched with 2:20 to play.
Wade had six catches for 97 yards to help Arizona to its big first-quarter lead.
Arizona State cut the deficit to 20-7 when Walter, a freshman making his first start, threw a 19-yard strike to O'Neal in the back of the end zone just 2:36 into the second quarter.
But the Sun Devils' chance to get closer before halftime ended when Fata Avegalio nailed Flowers, forcing a fumble that safety Jarvie Worcester recovered on the Wildcats 12 with 5:02 remaining in the second quarter.
Krohn, a two-year starter, was back calling signals the next time the Sun Devils got the ball, but was ineffective.
Arizona State tried two trick plays involving tailback Tom Pace, a former quarterback in high school. One worked.
On fourth-and-10 in the fourth quarter, Pace threw 33 yards to Daryl Lightfoot to keep the Sun Devils' final scoring drive alive.
Earlier, Pace overthrew Walter on a quarterback-receiver play, and Jermaine Chatman intercepted and returned it 35 yards to the Sun Devils 43, setting up Farmer's score with 38 seconds left in the quarter.