2015 Cactus Bowl coverage: West Virginia outlasts Arizona State in shootout

You either watched it on Saturday night, or you gave up on the game, went to a movie, and found out when you got out: TCU spotted Oregon a 31-0 halftime lead, flipped the script and forced overtime, then won after three overtime periods, 47-41. It was as crazy as it sounded.

There’s a point in seemingly every basketball blowout loss when your opponent, likely at home and already winning, nails some ridiculous 30-foot bank shot as the shot clock expires. That is the moment when you know your team officially has no chance. Fate has plans for you.

The 2015 bowl season’s last non-title bout featured two teams that were clearly on the undercard in Arizona State and West Virginia. The Sun Devils and Mountaineers combined to show that styles make fights in a wild Cactus Bowl anyway, with West Virginia holding on late for a 43-42 win.

West Virginia recorded an Immaculate Reception-esque catch in the first quarter, but that was all by forgotten by the second half, especially after a blocked point-after turned into two points for Arizona State just before halftime. By night’s end, there had been controversial replay reviews benefiting both teams, a timeout prior to a kickoff, two heated sideline arguments between Arizona State head coach Todd Graham and special teams coordinator Shawn Slocum, a play on which a referee gave a player who drew a flag for being hit late a forearm shiver, a touchdown catch by David Sills -- the player who infamously committed to USC and Lane Kiffin as a seventh-grader and quarterback -- and a baffling decision to go for one up five.

“Arizona State won 10 games in a rebuilding year. Sun Devils are built for 2015 and beyond.” That was the title of my 2015 ASU preview this past July. ASU won 10 games in what I like to call a “measure the fall” season, one in which you transition from one cycle of recruits to another and typically take a step backwards.

Heading into 2015, I saw bright things for the Sun Devils. They had to replace basically five key players -- quarterback Taylor Kelly, receiver Jaelen Strong, left tackle Jamil Douglas, pass rusher Marcus Hardison, and safety Damarious Randall -- but returned almost literally everybody else. ASU looked stacked from a depth perspective and seemed to have understudies ready to step up at QB, WR, etc.