If you're only going to win one Pac-12 game all season, it might as well be against Arizona State. The Wildcats closed out their disappointing 3-9 (1-8) season with a 56-35 win over ASU to take back the Territorial Cup.
"This doesn't erase what was a tough year for us, but with what's going on in recruiting, and with our younger players, we're going to be OK," said head coach Rich Rodriguez.
Rodriguez and his staff hit the recruiting trail following Friday night's game. According to ESPN, the Wildcats have 26 commits for next year, three of whom are four-star recruits. Among the incoming freshman are quarterbacks Braxton Burmeister, from La Jolla, California, and Rodriguez's son, Rhett.
This year's season follows a stretch in which the Wildcats went to four consecutive bowl games, a first in the program's history. Arizona was the Pac-12 South champions just two seasons ago.
"We're going to be better than okay. Sometimes, you have to get down on the bottom to bounce back up. We're down on the bottom but we'll bounce back up."
Rodriguez thanked the fans for being so into the game, despite the team's eight game losing streak.
"I told our fans during the Wildcat Walk, 'hang in there, because something special is going to happen.'"
