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👋 GOOD MORNING

Monday, Dec. 2, 2024 -- Wow, was that ever a football weekend.

Huge congrats to the Sun Devils, who have created a personal crisis of conscience for me, a proud Iowa State alum. It's been impossible to not fall in love with this ASU team, and it will now square off against the Cyclones in the Big 12 Championship Game on Saturday in Arlington, Texas.

Make sure to follow along with our incredible PHNX Sun Devils crew throughout the week to keep up with everything heading into a huge weekend, and our very own Erik Ruby, Anthony Totri and Kyle Cooper are heading to Arlington to give you the best possible coverage. Can't make it to the game? Come join us at Gila River Resorts and Casinos - Wild Horse Pass at 9:30 am on Saturday for a championship watch party!

I'll be here in the desert, wondering how exactly I'm going to feel on Saturday -- before, during and after the game -- but I'm pretty sure I'll be happy for whoever emerges victorious!

Finally, a HUGE congrats to the ASU women's volleyball team, which won the Big 12 outright in their first season of play in the conference. The third-seeded Sun Devils host an NCAA Tournament match against New Hampshire on Friday at Desert Financial Arena, and if you're not making the trek to Texas for the football team's showdown, you should really go check them out. Tickets go on sale at noon today.

On to the show!

📰 LEADING OFF

A Weekend of Triumph and Defeat in Football

Patrick Brown PHNX Daily Editor patrick@gophnx.com

Was your weekend of football great, OK or lousy?

It's likely not hard to figure out who you cheer for, depending on the answer.

Sun Devils? Check. Cardinals and Wildcats? Not so much.

It was a weekend that highlighted the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to the state's biggest football teams, and we learned a fair amount along the way.

⏱️ BECOME A DIEHARD TODAY!

The Good: Sun Devils to Play for Big 12 Title

All signs pointed to Arizona State breezing past the Wildcats on Saturday, but when the Territorial Cup is at stake, all bets are off. If that's truly a tough sentiment to grasp, look no further than Michigan's 13-10 upset over Ohio State, in which the Wolverines were 19.5 point underdogs in Columbus, yet emerged victorious.

Coach Kenny Dillingham's team rolled to a 49-7 win in Tucson, putting an exclamation point on a remarkable regular season that started with the Sun Devils picked to finish last in the Big 12. It's now ending with a date against Iowa State in Arlington, Texas on Saturday, with a chance to win a conference championship and earn a berth in the College Football Playoff.

What a turnaround.

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ASU left no doubt that it's the top college football program in the state at the moment, outgaining Arizona 646-210 behind yet another monster game from running back Cam Skattebo (177 yards on 21 carries, three touchdowns).The senior has 1,398 rushing yards on 247 carries this season and 17 touchdowns, which ranks ninth in the nation.

Quarterback Sam Leavitt threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns as the Sun Devils found the end zone on each of their first four possessions. By that point, there wasn't anything the Wildcats could do to keep pace.

"Our guys played their best game of football on the most important game of the year," Dillingham said. "It was great to see.”

It wasn't all great news, as leading receiver Jordyn Tyson left Saturday's game with an arm injury, leaving his status for Saturday's tilt against the Cyclones in doubt. The sophomore wideout has 75 receptions for 1,101 yards and 10 touchdowns this season, and if he's deemed unavailable, it would be a tough blow heading to Texas.

Even so, from 3-9 to 10-2, this season has been a dream for the Sun Devils and their fans.

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The Bad: Cardinals Lose Ground in NFC West Race

As if the loss to the Vikings yesterday wasn't bad enough, the Seahawks rallied for a win over the hapless Jets to seize control of the NFC West race, at least, for now. That now sets up a huge showdown in Glendale on Sunday, when the Cardinals host Seattle in a critical game.

Part of what made Sunday's defeat so crushing against the Vikings was that Arizona led almost wire-to-wire, facing its first deficit following Minnesota's touchdown with 1:13 to play in the game. Kyler Murray was unable to engineer his 14th game-winning drive, and Arizona's loss to the Vikings marked its second consecutive defeat.

Not ideal.

"They're disappointed, they're down, but it's the NFL," head coach Jonathan Gannon said. "They know they have to put all of their energy and focus into it tomorrow."

All is certainly not lost for Arizona, which still has three division games (Seattle, San Francisco, L.A. Rams) and two games against teams with a losing record (Carolina, New England), but you would think at this point the Cardinals essentially need to run the table to produce a postseason berth this season.

The Ugly: Wildcats Wrap Hugely Disappointing Season with Blowout Loss

It's as if ASU and UA were complete opposite versions of each other this season.

The Wildcats were picked by many to contend for a Big 12 title following a 10-3 season that included a win over the Oklahoma Sooners in the 2023 Valero Alamo Bowl, but Arizona won just one of its last eight games following an upset of then-No. 10 Utah in Salt Lake City. First-year head coach Brent Brennan is seemingly already on the hot seat -- at least if you poll Arizona fans -- and even he called the loss "soul crushing" when the clock mercifully expired on Saturday.

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“This year was not fun," Brennan said. "It was absolute misery. There were some fun moments, but not nearly enough, and I feel bad because I feel like I let down these players, I feel like I let down this community and I feel like I let down this university."

Credit Brennan for holding himself accountable, but it's hard not to wonder where the Wildcats go from here. One year certainly isn't nearly enough time to evaluate a coach's effectiveness or ability, but it feels like Tetairoa "T-Mac" McMillan's talent was wasted in a lost season, and the star wideout is likely to declare for the NFL Draft following his junior season.

Is a coaching change in order? It's hard to imagine after just one season unless there's a can't-miss option ready and willing to face the NIL challenges today's landscape has become known for. But it's likely, at the very least, we'll see staff turnover in an effort to right the ship and turn the page on a disappointing season.

"I've been through things like this before," Brennan said. "I've been a part a lot of staffs that have taken over programs, so I'm not afraid of the challenges. I'm actually excited about them."

Wildcats fans sure hope they have something to be excited about soon, too.

Editor's note: Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up for the FREE PHNX Daily here, and don't miss out on free, exclusive content about The Valley's top sports stories every morning!

🎟️ ABOUT LAST NIGHT... (weekend edition)

Wednesday, Nov. 27​ ​ 🏀 Sun Devils WBB 95 - South Dakota 88 ​Nevaeh Parkinson scored 26 off the bench, while Tyi Skinner added 20 points and six rebounds. The Sun Devils had five players reach double-figures in scoring in the win. ​ ​🏀 Stockton Kings 113 - Valley Suns 136 ​Jaden Shackelford led all Suns with 22 points, Jalen Bridges added 21 points and five rebounds, and the Suns had eight players record at least 10 points in the win. ​ ​🏀 Wildcats WBB 74 - Cal 62 ​Jada Williams led Arizona with 18 points, but the Wildcats fell to Cal in the third place game of the Acrisure Holiday Invitational. U of A was out-rebounded 40-24 in the game, marking the team's third loss in its last four games. ​ ​🏀 Wildcats MBB 104 - Davidson 71 ​Anthony Dell'Orso contributed 21 points off the bench while Caleb Love chipped in 20 points on 7-for-13 shooting. Tobe Awaka notched 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Wildcats, but the remainder of the tournament would not go nearly as well.​ ​​PHNX Postgame​ ​ 🏒 Firebirds 3 - Roadrunners 4 (OT)​ ​Goalie Dylan Wells recorded his first win since April as the Roadrunners avenged an ugly 8-2 loss to Coachella Valley the night before. Andrew Agozzino notched the game-winner in overtime to send Tucson fans into Thanksgiving happy.​ ​ 🏀 Nets 127 - Suns 117 ​The Suns were unable to recover from a third quarter in which they were outscored 33-21, ultimately falling to Brooklyn at Footprint Center. Devin Booker led all scorers with 31 points and Kevin Durant added 30 points and eight rebounds. ​ Thursday, Nov. 28 🦃​ ​​ 🏀 Wildcats MBB 77 - Oklahoma 82 ​Caleb Love recorded 17 points and Jaden Bradley added 16, but Arizona had no answer for Oklahoma's Jalon Moore and Jeremiah Fears, who combined for 50 points in the game.​ ​​PHNX Postgame​ ​ 🏀 Sun Devils MBB 85 - New Mexico 82 ​ASU saw a 13-point lead evaporate, but recovered behind clutch play from Basheer Jihad and B.J. Freeman, who combined for 36 points. Joson Sanon added 19 points off the bench. ​ ​Friday, Nov. 29​ ​​ 🏀 Wildcats MBB 76 - West Virginia 83 ​Cause for concern in Tucson? The Wildcats dropped their second straight game, and have now lost four of their last five following a 2-0 start. Caleb Love led Arizona with 24 points on 9-of-20 shooting.​ ​​PHNX Postgame​ ​ 🏀 Sun Devils MBB 68 - St. Mary's 64 ​ASU dropped previously unbeaten St. Mary's en route to the Acrisure Classis championship, an impressive feat for the 7-1 Sun Devils. Joson Sanon again excelled off the bench, notching 19 points in 29 minutes, while Jayden Quaintance added 10 points and nine rebounds. ​ ​Saturday, Nov. 30​ ​​ 🏈 Sun Devils 49 - Wildcats 7 ​Not much more needs to be said here - scroll up to read more! ​PHNX Sun Devils Postgame​ ​PHNX Wildcats Postgame​ ​ 🏒 Roadrunners 3 - Gulls 0 ​Goalie Matthew Villalta earned the shutout with 22 saves as the Roadrunners have now won five of their last six games. Lleyton Moore and Travis Barron each found the back of the net for the first time this season.​ ​ 🏀 Warriors 105 - Suns 113 ​Nice bounce back win for the Suns, which sent Golden State to its fourth straight loss. Devin Booker led all scorers with 27 points on 8-of-20 shooting, while Kevin Durant notched a double-double with 1 points and 10 assists. ​PHNX Postgame​ ​ ​Sunday, Dec. 1 ​ ​🏈 Cardinals 22 - Vikings 23 ​Disappointing loss for Arizona, which blew a 13-point lead. Coupled with a Seahawks win, the road to the NFC West title just got much more difficult, and the Cardinals have no more room for error. Kyler Murray was 31-for-45 for 260 yards and a touchdown, but Arizona was unable to convert multiple red zone opportunities into touchdowns, leaving a trail of 'what ifs' all the way back home to Phoenix. ​PHNX Postgame​ Register Today!

⛽ CIRCLE K CIRCLING BACK

ASU Puts Wildcats Out of Their Misery Brent Brennan's first season didn't go as planned. Anthony Gimino​ Read Article

ASU Football is 2024's Best Valley Sports Story What a ride it has been. Craig Morgan​ Read Article

Suns Scenarios to Clinch Spot in NBA Cup Everything you need to know. Gerald Bourguet​ Read Article

💬 THAT'S WHAT THEY SAID

"Our guys played their best game of football on the most important game of the year."   Kenny Dillingham on the Sun Devils' Territorial Cup win. 📺 WHAT'S ON TAP ​ Monday, Dec. 2​ ​ 🏀 Seattle University at Wildcats WBB​ ​6 pm | ESPN+ | Listen ​​ ​🏀 Salt Lake City Stars at Valley Suns​ ​7 pm | AZ Family Sports 🧢 TIP OF THE HAT BY BRANDED BILLS Despite the disappointing result, Kyler Murray and Marvin Harrison Jr. had a beautiful pitch-and-catch, which put Arizona up by 13 points at the time. Arizona Cardinals @AZCardinals Marvin Harrison Jr. ON DISPLAY 1:8 PM • Dec 1, 2024 134 Retweets 781 Likes Read 22 replies ​ ⁉️ THE PULSE

(results to be posted in next Monday's newsletter)
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Wednesday's poll: What's your favorite Thanksgiving Dish?
​Turkey, the main course: 17%
​It's all about the sides: 53%
​Dessert, of course: 30%

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