(Photo: Spencer Barnes/WCSN)
Primetime is coming to the Valley. The next tour stop for the rock-and-roll-esque Colorado Buffaloes (3-2) is at Mountain America Stadium against Arizona State. However, neither team will be high-stepping into this matchup as both are coming off disheartening single-score losses to extend their losing streaks.
The similarities between ASU (1-4) and Colorado don’t stop there, with each program having a first-year head coach trying to rejuvenate a depleting team and fanbase. The execution and success from them vary, but it’s a clashing of contrasting styles and ideologies that leads to an exciting matchup of two rebuilding programs on Saturday.
ASU is looking to avoid its first 1-5 start since 1942, while Colorado is trying to recapture America’s heart by getting back in the win column.
The amount of returning Buffaloes can be counted on a single hand, so last year’s matchup offers little insight into the upcoming battle between the two. Yet, through the first five weeks of the season, Colorado has illustrated that it still carries some of the baggage from last year despite bringing in some Louis Vuitton.
DEFENSIVE ISSUE
The Buffaloes were one of the worst defenses in the conference last season, and history is repeating itself as they again replicate those same efforts. Colorado’s 36.2 points and 480.2 yards allowed per game places the program at the bottom of the Pac-12. The injury to star players like dual-threat sophomore cornerback and wide receiver Travis Hunter, who’ll be out again this week, certainly doesn’t help either.
Fifty-one transfers decided to take their talent to Boulder but have yet to find success on the defensive end. Ironically, one of the Buffaloes’ best defensive playmakers is a returner, junior defensive back Trevor Woods. He is second in tackles with 30 and tacking on two interceptions to lead a secondary unit that has had its flashes.
Colorado is tied for first in the Pac-12 with eight interceptions. Hunter’s injury has opened opportunities to Woods and junior safety Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig, who leads the Buffaloes with three picks this season. Against USC, defensive backs such as junior Omarion Cooper and freshman Cormani McClain impressed head coach Deion Sanders and Hunter with their tenacious coverage.
Each name mentioned brings a lot of size to the secondary, with many standing six feet or above. The length helps with man coverage while not being overpowered at the line of scrimmage or jump balls. The passing game for ASU is anemic at times, as it places in the bottom echelon of the Pac-12 with the revolving doors of starting quarterbacks as a primary factor.
The front seven for Colorado hasn’t shown the same intensity as the secondary, with a lackluster pass rush and a dreadful run defense. The Buffaloes were able to tack on two sacks against the elusive USC junior quarterback Caleb Williams last week to bring their season total to nine, placing them middle of the pack of the conference.
Graduate student linebacker Jordan Domineck has led the charge with two sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss. The Arkansas transfer has helped Colorado increase its sack percentage from 2.67 percent to 4.59 percent this year but still ranks 99th in the nation and ninth in the Pac-12. While slight improvement to the pass rush is a welcome sight, the run defense is on a downward spiral.
The program is far and away last place in the conference with 184.2 rushing yards allowed per game. Opponents’ ground game against the Buffaloes has thrived, with three of five surpassing 200 yards or more this season. Luckily for Colorado, ASU’s 89 rushing yards per game ranks in the penultimate spot in the Pac-12.
However, junior running back Cam Skattebo tends to have the breakaway speed for big plays with back-to-back games with 50-yard or more receptions in the short game and the constant threat between the tackles. Skattebo is one of the few consistent offensive weapons through five weeks, and the Buffaloes’ lack of physical presence at the line could open up an opportunity for a career night.
OFFENSIVE FIREWORKS
Junior quarterback Shedeur Sanders has been as advertised and then some with his production in the pocket. Sanders’s 17 total touchdowns through five weeks, 15 in the air and two on the ground, matches Colorado’s touchdown total through ten weeks in 2022. Back-to-back defeats to top ten schools have slowed Sanders’ Heisman hype, but despite the losses, he still plays at that level.
In a crowded and talented Pac-12, Colorado’s offensive success gets lost in the shuffle, with their 34.2 points per game only granting them the sixth spot, but still almost doubles ASU’s average. Sanders sits in the top three in the conference in touchdown passes and passing yards.
Graduate student wide receiver Xavier Weaver and junior wide receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. are Sanders’ leading playmakers. Weaver leads the team with 41 receptions and 490 receiving yards, while Horn Jr. is tied at the top spot in touchdowns with four. They both hail from South Florida and have quickly angled themselves as Sanders’ top targets via their stellar speed and route running.
A new name to watch out for the Sun Devils is freshman wide receiver Omarion Miller, who surprised everyone last week with his 196-yard performance. Before USC, Miller hadn’t recorded a collegiate catch, but now heading to Tempe could be a headache for ASU’s defensive backs.
The Sun Devils secondary has boasted one of the best in the Pac-12. Their 212.2 passing yards per game is third in the conference. Leadership is a significant factor for the success as redshirt senior defensive backs Demetries Ford and junior nickel back Jordan Clark have stepped massively in their roles.
The improvements in the pass rush are widely apparent, with a substantial increase in sacks and quarterback hurries compared to this point last year. Colorado has struggled mightily in pass protection, allowing 26 sacks. Sanders’s elusiveness in the pocket and outside of it has hemorrhaged some of the offensive line’s woes but not enough for a permanent solution.
This season, ASU’s front seven struggles against the run, but luckily for them, Colorado has the worst rushing offense in the Pac-12. Before last week, the Buffaloes didn’t have a single game surpassing 70 rushing yards. Their 193 yards on the ground against USC was because of the heroics of Sanders and sophomore running back Anthony Hankerson, who, at a 5’ 9 frame, still packs a punch between the tackles.
ASU matches up well against Colorado, with the main point of emphasis focusing on Sanders and winning the battle in the trenches on both sides. The 2023 Sun Devils aim to avoid placing their names up with the likes from 81 years ago against the Buffaloes.
