Arizona State Drops a 70-Bomb on Rival Arizona

For the most part, rivalry games haven't lived up to the hype this season.

Miami handed Florida State another 40-plus point loss. Alabama beat its three rivals (Tennessee, Auburn and LSU) by a combined score 145-47. Even the Ohio State-Michigan game was canceled.

Arizona State continued that trend on Friday night, handing its in-state rival Arizona an eye-popping 70-7 loss. The game started with the Sun Devils scoring 14 points in the first 56 seconds, and things surprisingly didn't slow down from there.

The result? The most lopsided win in series history.

These two squads were a combined 0-7 coming in. That guaranteed one of these teams would exit with their first win of the season, but Arizona State has at least been on the brink. Their two losses were by a combined eight points.

Unfortunately, they have only played three contests due to cancelations against Cal and Colorado.

Now at 1-2, it's still hard to know a lot about this team. What we do know, however, is that Jayden Daniels continues to be one of the most effective dual-threat quarterbacks in the country.

The sophomore finished 9-of-11 (81.8 percent) for 203 yards (18.5-yard average) and two passing touchdowns. He also added another 23 yards and a score on the ground.

On the season, he's totaled six touchdowns (four passing, two rushing) to only one interception.

But it wasn't just Daniels. The Sun Devils rushed for 259 yards and seven touchdowns (yes, SEVEN) against the Wildcats. Junior running back Rachaad White accounted for 133 of those yards and three of seven the scores.

Arizona, on the other hand, is in big trouble. Once again, Kevin Sumlin put an underwhelming squad on the field, and the result is an 0-5 start. Since arriving in Tucson, Sumlin is only 9-20 with his last victory coming back on Oct. 5, 2019.

The Wildcats offense was awful, turning the ball over seven times (three interceptions, four fumbles lost).

At what point do we start talking about an exit strategy for Sumlin? My guess? Soon.

These are two programs trending in opposite directions, but that Territorial Cup will end up in a familiar place.

Follow Clint Lamb on Twitter @ClintRLamb.