ASU (4-1) gears up for the Buffs (1-4) in a battle of two bye-rested teams.
The Arizona State Sun Devils are playing the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field in Boulder on Thursday night. The game will be broadcast on ESPN, and kickoff is at 9 p.m. ET.
The last thing the Devils did before their bye week was beat a Pac-12 opponent on the road. Now, as they get ready for another road game (on a Thursday night no less, and in a city whose elevation is over 4000 feet above that of Tempe), the Sun Devils hope to continue their onward push toward a season that’s memorable for all the right reasons (and keep their spot as #1 in the Pac-12 South). Having garnered attention from some national media outlets (including Taylor Kelly and Will Sutton both receiving Pac-12 player of the week honors), another win in Boulder with enable ASU to continue on an upward trajectory that will hopefully land them among the most coveted spots in college football: a top-25 ranking.
The Colorado Buffaloes are 1-4 this season, losing their first Pac-12 game to UCLA on September 29th. Like ASU, the Buffs have been on a bye since then, with plenty of time to focus on what has gone wrong with their season (losing to in-state rival Colorado State and FCS school Sacramento State, among others). Buffs quarterback Jordan Webb is leading an offense that’s ranked 72nd in passing yards and 104th in rushing. While those numbers are nothing to write home about, the way the defense stacks up might be worse (71st in defending the run, 115th in defending the pass).
The versatility of ASU’s offense and the ability of the ASU defense to, if you’ll excuse the dreadful pun, ‘put a fork’ in the opposing team’s offensive efforts should provide a competitive advantage against a Colorado team with weaknesses on both fronts.
While many want to claim that ASU should have ‘absolutely no problem’ beating the Buffs, history (and football, be it the NCAA or NFL) often tells a different tale. There is no definition of ‘guaranteed win’ in the football dictionary, and that’s part of what makes the sport so compelling. Having said that, the Sun Devils and their accomplishments so far this season make it seem as though a Buffalo victory is unlikely.
However, this game sets the stage for a much bigger show: after the Colorado game, ASU faces four consecutive Pac-12 opponents, three of whom are currently ranked. A victory in Boulder is good, but it will do little to diminish the intensity of the remaining Sun Devil schedule. Any confidence is good, and a win is obviously better than a loss, but Todd Graham’s Devils need to treat the Colorado game as a last chance to perfect their A-game. Because they’ll need it.
2011 Colorado at Arizona State
