Grudge match

Nicholas Valenzuela Arizona Daily Wildcat Junior quarterback Keith Smith (12) runs a quarterback keeper play during the game against Washington State on Nov. 7. The Wildcats face rivals Arizona State University Friday at Arizona Stadium.

"They came down here and killed us," junior running back Trung Canidate said. "They absolutely destroyed us."

But the 56-14 ASU win has become a distant memory as the two teams have headed in different directions.

This year it's ASU that's 5-5 overall (4-3 Pac-10) and in need of a win to become bowl eligible, while No. 7-ranked Arizona is 10-1 overall (6-1 Pac-10) and hoping for a Rose Bowl bid to cap the best season in school history.

The two teams square off at Arizona Stadium Friday at 4:30 p.m. The game will also be televised nationally on Fox Sports Net for those who are heading home for Thanksgiving.

"They're in the same situation we were last year," UA junior quarterback Keith Smith said. "They're going to be bringing down a dogfight."

Last year a 5-5 UA team upset then-No. 12 ASU in Tempe 28-16, sending Arizona to the Insight.com Bowl and knocking the Sun Devils out of a big payday in the hometown Fiesta Bowl.

"There's some parallels between last year's and this year's game," ASU head coach Bruce Snyder said. "But I'm certainly coaching a different team than last year's."

This year's edition of the Sun Devils were talking about playing in the Fiesta Bowl for the national title back during training camp. The talk was bolstered by a No. 8 national ranking and a predicted Pacific 10 Conference title.

But after a disastrous season-opening loss to Washington at home followed by a crushing defeat at BYU, the Sun Devils dropped out of the top 25 and have never come close to getting back in.

That doesn't mean a thing to any of the Wildcats, however.

"In the preseason they talked a lot," UA junior free safety Rafell Jones said. "But right now I'm not concerned about their season. This game is a season in itself."

The Sun Devils come into the game with several key players hurt, while UA is healthy by comparison.

ASU sophomore quarterback Ryan Kealy is still recovering from a Nov. 9 arthroscopic knee surgery, but Snyder said he is likely to start Friday.

Kealy has thrown for 1,650 yards on 117 of 205 passing with 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions on the year, usually targeting wide receivers Lenzie Jackson (37 receptions, 513 yards, 4 TD), Kenny Mitchell (27 receptions, 576 yards, 6 TD) and Tariq McDonald (27 receptions, 388 yards, 4 TD).

Snyder said the key to ASU's passing game having an effect against Arizona is for his offensive line to hold off the UA pass rush, which has accounted for 41 sacks this year, led by senior defensive tackle Daniel Greer's eight.

"It's a war," Greer said of playing ASU. "In the trenches it's an everyday war, but in this game it's something else. We're going to go at them full-strength, no holds barred."

Greer and the rest of the defensive line will be happy to know that sophomore defensive end Mike Robertson is finally well enough to play Friday.

Robertson bruised a nerve in his shoulder and sat out the last three UA games. Four of his eight tackles on the year are sacks.

The main job of the UA line, in addition to stopping the ASU passing game, will be to contain ASU running back J.R. Redmond.

"I think Redmond, of all the people we've played, is the most explosive offensive threat in the league," UA head coach Dick Tomey said.

Redmond has 812 yards on 151 carries this year, scoring 10 touchdowns. He also has 167 yards receiving, 242 yards on punt returns and 235 yards on kickoff returns.

But things are not all that good for the ASU back at present.

"J.R. Redmond hasn't played healthy in a month," Snyder said. "That's hurt us."

With Redmond and Kealy out, ASU's offense wasn't able to keep up with Oregon two weeks ago, losing 51-19 to the Ducks.

Jones said he would rather all the wounded Sun Devils be ready for this game, though.

"I want them to be at full strength," he said. "That way there won't be no ifs, ands or buts after the game. I want to beat them at their best."

The Sun Devils' defense has also been guilty of giving up a lot of points, especially through the air. ASU has surrendered 2,603 passing yards and 22 touchdowns to its opponents, something that will likely mean a big day for UA's passing attack.

Smith (108 of 157, 1,559 yards, 12 TD, 6 INT) and sophomore Ortege Jenkins (67 of 131, 951 yards, 5 TD, 3 INT) will be gunning for the dynamic receiving duo of senior Jeremy McDaniel (57 receptions, 865 yards, 9 TD) and junior Dennis Northcutt (59 receptions, 851 yards, 6 TD).

On the ground, UA will unleash another dynamic duo of running backs Trung Canidate (149 carries, 932 yards, 7 TD) and Kelvin Eafon (133 carries, 512 yards, 16 TD).

"I like Trung Canidate as a runner very much," Snyder said. "Every game it seems he's come out of the line of scrimmage and popped out with no one touching him for long touchdown runs."

ASU's defense has been tough against the run, holding opponents to only 1,262 yards and 11 touchdowns.

In the end, though, memories of what happened in 1996 still linger.

"I remember everything about that game," Greer said. "I remember them coming down here and they destroyed us. To watch them leave our field like that, I can't take that again."

ASU fans, celebrating the victory that sent the Sun Devils to the Rose Bowl, tried but failed to tear down Arizona's goal posts.

Smith was cautious about saying anything about the possibility of UA fans tearing down the posts after an Arizona victory this time around, but Canidate had a different view.

"I think they should tear down the goal posts every time (we win)," he said. "I'm a mellow guy, though, so I think I'll just sit back and watch rather than go join them."

Chris Jackson can be reached via e-mail at Chris.Jackson@wildcat.arizona.edu.