No amount of meat and potatoes will satisfy the Sun Devil football squad this Thanksgiving, nor will any of the players be overly concerned with being charitable towards their neighbors.
After all, their neighbors are swine ...
The spirit of giving will mean something vastly different to the Sun Devils on Friday, as they head south to Tucson to face UA and avenge last season's disgraceful, embarrassing loss. The only thing the Sun Devils will be giving to -- or sharing with -- the Pussycats will be a few late hits, or maybe several perfectly timed cut blocks.
Last time they met, there simply wasn't enough time for ASU, or any of the fans, to deal with their intrastate rivals.
Watching the riot that followed the 34-21 loss at Sun Devil Stadium was like watching a perfectly good fistfight broken up by the cops. The melee dissipated before any hometown fan could break out the brass knuckles on anyone wearing navy blue.
Standing near the southern end zone as time expired, I distinctly recall the terrifying look on ASU senior defensive lineman Kurt Wallin's face as he and nearly the entire Sun Devil bench charged the center of the field towards UA tailback Clarence Farmer, who thought it was appropriate to celebrate by scuffing up the midfield Sparky logo with his cleats ... with time still on the clock.
The two teams collided. There was brief pandemonium. Players screamed like animals. A couple of ASU players tore a helmet off a Pussycat (it was unclear whether or not they left the head intact) and held it aloft to an excited hoard of fans before rushing the keepsake into the locker room.
One or two UA players knocked me to the ground as everyone pushed their way to the heart of the fight. I tried to keep my eyes focused on Farmer, who, I hoped, was getting beaten into a bloody pulp.
But after time expired, the disorganized battle only momentarily distracted fans from what they'd just witnessed. Only the strongest of Sun Devil fans could speak about the game later that evening without the guidance of stiff cocktails.
UA jumped ahead 20-0 in the first quarter. Farmer and receiver Bobby Wade combined for about 5,000 yards. The Sun Devils played comeback the entire game.
The memory of last season's final game is not easy to forget. So if you're following the Devils south, be sure to arm yourself with more than the typical tortilla.
It's sure to be an emotional afternoon on enemy soil.
Reach the reporter at michael.ferraresi@asu.edu.
