100 Day Sun Devil Football Countdown to Kickoff, #15: The James Brooks Block Party Against Arizona

It's August 15th, and there are only 15 days remaining until the start of the 2012 ASU football season. The Sun Devils will take the field against their northern neighbors, Northern Arizona. Today's countdown post, however, takes us south down I-10 and deep into the heart of Tucson, circa 2010.

It was a crisp December evening at Arizona Stadium as the Sun Devils and the Wildcats faced off in the Territorial Cup. ASU had won only four of their first ten games, while Arizona shocked the college football world by jumping out to a 7-1 record. With the season nearing its conclusion, Arizona was reeling, having lost three straight games prior to playing ASU.

The story has been told a million times by Sun Devil fans. Today, I tell the tale from my perspective, standing at the 25-yard line next to the Sun Devil bench.

I'm 23 years old, a little over a year out of college, and I've met many of the players on the field from class and from media events. Around my neck is an all-access pass with an Arizona logo on it. I feel dirty.

Arizona allows media members on the field with five minutes to go in the fourth quarter. 51 seconds prior, the Devils took a 20-14 lead; I couldn't bear to be in the press box any longer. I knew this was going to be a big finish, and being in the middle of it would be a memorable experience.

On the final Arizona drive, Nick Foles led the Wildcats down the field with confidence. After converting a fourth down pass to David Douglas, an eerie feeling of impending doom clouded my mind. This just felt like the perfect storm. Then, with 27 seconds remaining, the knockout punch: Foles connected with Douglas once again for a touchdown, tying the score at 20.

JediASU shows us what happened next...

But the story doesn't end there, as we all know.

Alex Zendejas redeemed himself in the first overtime, making a 19-yard field goal. ASU's Thomas Weber returned the favor, setting up a double overtime showdown.

The Sun Devils got the ball first, and Cameron Marshall punched in a 2-yard touchdown. Weber followed up with a clean extra point, putting all the pressure, once again, on the Arizona offense.

JediASU brings us home with the final minutes of the second overtime, where David Douglas sprints in the endzone on a swing from Foles to put six on the board and bring the score to 30-29. Then, the legend was born.

After the second blocked extra point, I almost sprinted on the field with the team. That's generally frowned upon as a member of the media, so I just smiled instead.

Nothing else needs to be said. Thank you, James Brooks.

See the previous entries on House of Sparky's 100 day countdown here