Colorado’s path to keeping its bowl hopes alive in Week 10 runs through a few familiar names.
The Buffaloes head into their matchup with the Arizona State Sun Devils coming off a win over the Kansas State Wildcats, and that victory gave them a much-needed jolt. Several players turned in their best outings of the season in Week 9, and if Colorado wants to stack another win, those kinds of performances will have to show up again.
Richard Young was the biggest difference-maker against Kansas State. He carried the offense with 120 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries, setting a Coach Prime Era record in the process. More than just piling up yards, Young gave Colorado a real ground presence and took a load off quarterback Isaac Wilson.
Wilson said the run game made everything easier after the win. “Yeah, the run game is a quarterback's best friend, right?
You can always lean on the run game, on the O-line, on the running backs because it makes everything cleaner, simpler. It really brings down the coverage, and just having those guys behind me, really watching Richard do what he did.
He told me before the game he wanted 200 yards and two touchdowns, and he had 130 and two touchdowns, something like that. I mean, he's doing a hell of a job,” said Wilson postgame.
That support mattered because Wilson had been trying to do too much in earlier weeks. Against the Wildcats, he settled in, avoided turnovers and played cleaner football, which ended up being a major part of Colorado’s win.
Arizona State brings a different kind of challenge. The Sun Devils nearly knocked off then-No.
8 BYU in Week 9 even with backup quarterback Jake Fette running the offense. Fette finished with 166 passing yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, but BYU’s pressure made life difficult and sacked him six times.
That gives Colorado a clear target. Lamont Lester Jr., Toby Anene and Yamil Talib should be able to generate pressure, but the bigger question is what happens inside.
Defensive tackle Dylan Manuel is doubtful, which puts more on Hopper in the middle. He’ll need to handle work up the gut while still bringing pressure on Fette, and if he can do both, he could swing the game for Colorado.
The Buffaloes will also need help from the back end. Their cornerbacks have had a rough season, but the safeties have been steadier.
With Naeten Mitchell out, Fontenette will have to take on a larger role. The hard-hitting strong safety is likely to spend more time in pass coverage than usual, and that matters with Reed Harris and Omarion Miller giving Arizona State dangerous options on the outside.
If Colorado is going to slow the Sun Devils’ offense and ride its own momentum from Week 9, those three players will have to be right in the middle of it.
In Other News...
Arizona State Just Sent A Clear Message In Colorado Win
Arizona States 20-10 win over Colorado at Mountain America Stadium felt less like a grind and more like a statement. The Sun Devils controlled the game from the start, holding the Buffaloes scoreless in the first half while their defense kept repeatedly putting Colorado behind the chains and away from any real rhythm.
Colorado did finally find the end zone when Joseph Williams scored in the fourth quarter, but by then the damage had already been done. Linebacker Gideon Lampron turned in a standout defensive effort with 14 tackles and three tackles for loss, the kind of performance that helped Arizona State choke off a comeback before it could truly take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Kenny Dillingham Made One Thing Clear After Arizona State Beat Colorado
Arizona State left Boulder with a 20-10 win, but the box score told a more complicated story than the final margin. Colorado actually outgained the Sun Devils in total yards, yet Arizona State found ways to survive the critical downs, and a key penalty helped extend one drive that ended in a touchdown. Kenny Dillingham made a point of crediting Colorados defensive line afterward, a nod to how much resistance the Sun Devils faced even in a game they controlled on the scoreboard.
For Colorado, the frustration was familiar. The Buffaloes did enough defensively to limit damage in the red zone, but their offense could not consistently finish possessions, especially when it came to third and fourth down. The loss also stretched their conference road skid to nine straight, another reminder that even when the overall numbers are close, the results on the road continue to slip away. [Read more 🡒]
Jake Fette Just Gave Arizona State A New Reason To Believe
Jake Fette gave Arizona State a little bit of everything in the win over Colorado, and then some. In just his second career start, the Sun Devils quarterback threw for a touchdown, caught another and matched a feat last accomplished by Jake Plummer back in 1996. He finished 13 of 19 for 222 yards, a sharp showing that helped steady ASU in a 20-10 victory.
For a program trying to keep its bowl hopes alive, the timing mattered as much as the flash. Arizona State moved to 5-4 overall and 3-3 in the Big 12, and Fettes poise suggested the offense may have found another layer it can lean on down the stretch. The question now is whether this was a one-night novelty or the start of something more useful as the schedule tightens. [Read more 🡒]