Arizona State @ Colorado preview
Folsom Field
Last Meeting ( Nov 4, 2017 ) Colorado 30, Arizona State 41
Colorado is the only undefeated team remaining in the Pac-12 Conference and has climbed back into the national rankings at No. 22. But the Buffaloes’ schedule has been down-pillow soft so far – their four opponents (Colorado State, Nebraska, New Hampshire and UCLA) are a combined 1-16 – and now they will step up in class Saturday afternoon with 3-2 Arizona State visiting Boulder.
The No. 22 ranking is Colorado’s first since 2016 when they finished 10-4 and won the Pac-12 South Division title. The Buffaloes are atop the South again at 1-0 in the conference with USC (2-1), Arizona (1-1) and Arizona State (1-1) right behind, but head coach Mike MacIntyre stresses that the current rankings and standings matter little in the big picture. “As far as this team and what we’re doing, not one of the coaches has said one word about (the national polls),” MacIntyre said Tuesday at his weekly news conference. “I’m glad none of the players has said anything about it. We have bigger aspirations than just being ranked.” Coach Herm Edwards’ Arizona State squad also was ranked three weeks ago after upending visiting Michigan State 16-13 on Sept. 8 but road losses against San Diego State (28-21) and Washington (27-20) followed before last Saturday’s rebound, 52-24 rout of Oregon State.
TV: 4 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network. LINE: Colorado -3
ABOUT ARIZONA STATE (3-2, 1-1 Pac-12): Against the visiting Beavers, the Sun Devils fed sophomore tailback Eno Benjamin who delivered a school-record 312 rushing yards and four total touchdowns to earn Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week honors. It was the best single-game rushing performance in the FBS so far this season and puts Benjamin second in the conference at 119.0 yards per game. Senior quarterback Manny Wilkins also has played well, ranking fourth in Pac-12 total offense (273.4 yards), while the defense has been a terror with its unconventional 3-3-5 scheme, allowing 19.8 points, forcing seven turnovers and pacing the conference with 18 sacks for 129 yards in losses.
ABOUT COLORADO (4-0, 1-0): The Buffaloes’ attack ranks second in the Pac-12 in scoring (40.2 points) and has been powered by the triplets of quarterback Steven Montez, wide receiver Laviska Shenault and tailback Travon McMillian. Montez has completed 75.8 percent of his passes and ranks second in the conference in passing efficiency (173.7) and third in total offense (300.0 yards) while the sophomore Shenault leads the FBS with 9.5 receptions and 145.3 receiving yards per contest while scoring six TDs, including a pair on rushes as he’s been employed in multiple ways in offensive formations. McMillian, meanwhile, is a Virginia Tech transfer who ranks fourth in Pac-12 rushing (98.0 yards) and has topped 100 yards in three of four games so far.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Arizona State has won eight of the nine all-time meetings, but Colorado’s victory was a 40-16 rout two years ago in their last meeting in Boulder.
2. The Buffaloes have scored at least 30 points in their first four games of a season for only the second time in the program’s history with the other season being ’96 – as in 1896.
3. The Sun Devils only have lost a Pac-12-low two turnovers as Wilkins ranks sixth nationally with an interception percentage of 0.6, throwing only one pick in 170 attempts – an interception to close out the first half against Michigan State.
PREDICTION: Colorado 27, Arizona State 24