Buffs out to reverse fortunes versus ASU
Colorado looks to exact revenge on Arizona State when the Buffaloes play host to the Sun Devils in a key conference matchup Saturday night in Boulder that will leave one team alone atop the Pac-12 South.
It’s the first game for No. 21 Colorado (4-0, 1-0 Pac-12) inside the AP Top 25 since closing out the 2016 campaign ranked No. 17 in the nation. If the upstart Buffs can remain undefeated on the year, they’ll do so by avenging last season’s meltdown in Tempe at the hands of the Sun Devils — in which Colorado squandered three 10-points leads, the last entering the fourth quarter.
“We are absolutely going to remember what happened down there last year,” Buffaloes linebacker Drew Lewis said. “We are taking this personal. We can’t let that happen again. We have to stay strong for all four quarters.”
Mike MacIntyre’s squad has had little trouble finishing off opponents this year.
Colorado has won its four contests by an average margin of 22.5 points per game. They’ve done so using a quarterback-wide receiver tandem in Steven Montez and Laviska Shenault Jr., respectively, that’s invoked the nickname “Folsom Fast” to describe what’s becoming one of the conference’s more dynamic passing attacks.
Montez has thrown for 1,092 yards and nine touchdowns. His 75.8 completion percentage is tops in the Pac-12. But, it’s the junior’s improved athleticism (81 yards, two touchdowns vs. UCLA) that has helped somewhat reverse Colorado’s woes on third down, going eight for 14 against the Bruins when needing to reach the sticks.
Of course, that means getting to third down. Colorado’s fast-paced offense has worn defenses down, evidence by the three scoring drives of fewer than three minutes last week.
Arizona State (3-2, 1-1) should prove to be the Buffs’ stiffest competition to date in what will be Colorado’s first look at the Edwards’-led Sun Devils.
Arizona State running back Eno Benjamin is the reigning Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week for a reason. The sophomore is coming off a 312-yard rushing performance against Oregon State to set the school’s single-game rushing record.
“Coach Edwards has done a good job with the team,” MacIntyre said. “Todd Graham left him a lot of talent there. They had that tough game at Washington that could have gone either way. Same thing with SDSU. They could easily be undefeated.”