The Territorial Cup rivalry game between Arizona State and Arizona isn’t until Nov. 28.
But it’s already at the forefront of Arizona QB Noah Fifita’s mind.
The Wildcats quarterback addressed the game against the Sun Devils as part of his media availability earlier this week, vowing to defeat Arizona State in his final game in the rivalry.
Arizona (5-1 overall, 2-1 Big 12) is off this week before hosting Iowa State in a Big 12 game on Oct. 24.
“I hate that team,” Fifta told reporters earlier this week, via The Arizona Daily Star. “I hate that team with all my heart. It’s nothing that they did to me. I don’t have stories on what they did to me or doing anything disrespectful.”
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“I hate that team. I hate that team up north with all my heart.” — Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita, on ASU
Fifita said the 49-7 loss to ASU in Tucson in 2024 is “something that’ll live in my head forever.”
“We have a lot of business to take care of, but when the time comes,… pic.twitter.com/ax1ZPaTkTU
— Justin Spears (@JustinESports) October 14, 2026
Fifita is 2-1 against Arizona State, and he vowed to end his career with a 3-1 record against the Sun Devils.
In 2023, Fifita and the Wildcats defeated ASU football in Tempe, 59-23. Arizona State beat Arizona in Tucson in 2024, 49-7. The Wildcats knocked off Arizona State in 2025 in Tempe, 23-7.
“I’ll never forget the feeling of when they were winning 49-7 in Tucson and our student section was taken over by those colors, chanting those three letters,” Fifita told reporters. “That’s something that’ll live in my head forever. I’ve built a hatred for that team.
“We have a lot of business to take care of, but when the time comes, there’s no way I’m walking off that field my last time at Casino Del Sol Stadium with a loss to that team.”
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Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona QB Noah Fifita vows to beat Arizona State in Territorial Cup
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