3 Devils have ties to Wildcats

Dave Bertrand was a Sun Devil trapped inside a Wildcats uniform.

The Arizona State backup defensive lineman has a unique view of the rivalry, because he has spent equal time on each side of it.

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Bertrand walked on at UA as a freshman and stayed for two years, then transferred to ASU in 2007.

But he's always been a Sun Devil. Bertrand's grandfather and uncle played for Arizona State, and his family has always cheered for the maroon and gold.

"I've always wanted to come to ASU," Bertrand said. "It was weird when I first went down there, because my family's always been ASU people. I've had ASU in my blood."

But it was the Wildcats who gave him a better opportunity.

"Originally, I was going to come here (to Arizona State) out of high school, but (the ASU recruiting) camp wasn't going to let me in and UA's was," Bertrand said. "So I ended up going to that one, or I would have come here to begin with."

Arizona State has two other near-Wildcats on its roster. True freshmen Gerell Robinson and Ryan Bass each committed to Arizona before changing their minds and eventually settling on the Sun Devils.

Arizona was the first team to offer a scholarship to Robinson, who committed as a quarterback out of Chandler Hamilton High. Later on, he switched positions and subsequently switched teams.

"I was young, inexperienced, and they said some things I wanted to hear," said Robinson on why he originally committed to Arizona. "But when I was done, I was done. I tried to do it the best way I could, talking to the coaching staff and doing it the right way.

"They said they respected me for that. Hopefully there's no bad blood by the time we get down there."

Bass' teammate at Centennial High School in Corona, Calif., Matt Scott, committed to Arizona, and Bass followed by making a verbal pledge.

But he visited Arizona State with high school teammates Brandon Magee and Shelly Lyons and then switched his commitment.

Bass, a four-star recruit at running back, said people have been warning him about a harsh reaction from the Arizona fans.

"That's what everybody's saying," Bass said. "That I'm going to get it when I go there, that the fans are going to be all over me. But I'm not worried about that at all. ... It's still just a game."

Robinson said any insults or taunts won't be a surprise.

"I expect it," Robinson said. "It's good. It'll keep me more in the game."

Bertrand still keeps in touch with some of his former teammates, but it's clear that he's on the other side of the fence now.

"I've seen some of them, and there's already some rivalry going," Bertrand said. "The smack talking is going back and forth."

TERRITORIAL CUP

Who: Arizona State at Arizona

Where: Arizona Stadium, Tucson

When: 6 p.m. Saturday

TV: FSN Arizona, ESPN