Colorado @ Colorado State preview
Broncos Stadium at Mile High
Last Meeting ( Aug 29, 2014 ) Colorado State 31, Colorado 17
Colorado bounced back nicely from its mistake-laden season-opening loss in Hawaii with a 48-14 rout of Massachusetts. The Buffaloes are now looking to extend the rare momentum in Saturday’s Rocky Mountain Showdown tilt against Colorado State at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver.
Colorado has only posted back-to-back victories once – winning its opening two contests of the 2013 season – since 2010 and is looking for its first winning season since 2005. The Buffs held a 17-7 lead over the Rams in the 2014 season opener but watched the Mountain West program put up the final 24 points to notch a 31-17 win. “You never want to lose to a team twice in a row,” Colorado quarterback Sefo Liufau told the Boulder Daily Camera earlier this week. “We have a chip on our shoulder in terms of losing last year and wanting to perform better this year.” Colorado State’s season has gone the opposite way as the Rams opened with a 65-13 romp over FCS member Savannah State before dropping a 23-20 overtime heartbreaker to visiting Minnesota in a game they led for 40 minutes, 40 seconds.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network. LINE: Colorado -3.5
ABOUT COLORADO (1-1): The Buffs trampled the visiting Minutemen last Saturday with their best single-game rushing performance in eight years – a 390-yard outing spearheaded by 100-yard rushers Michael Adkins II (19 carries for 119 yards and a touchdown) and Christian Powell (eight,105, two). Colorado, though, lost starting left tackle Jeromy Irwin to a season-ending torn ACL in the game, and Liufau’s blindside will now be protected by sophomore Sam Kronshage. Defensively, the Buffs own the Pac-12’s third-best rushing defense (123.5 yards) and are led by safety Ryan Moeller (14 total tackles).
ABOUT COLORADO STATE (1-1): After throwing for 289 yards and five TDs against Savannah State in his first career start, Nick Stevens was pulled in the third quarter last week in favor of Coleman Key, but first-year coach Mike Bobo says Stevens will remain the starter. Stevens might also regain the services of All-American wide receiver Rashard Higgins, who sat out last week with an unspecified foot/ankle injury but has been able to practice on a limited basis early in the week. For whoever plays, though, taking better care of the ball will be a priority as the Rams own a Mountain West-worst minus-5 turnover differential.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Colorado leads the series 62-22-2, including an 8-6 advantage in Denver, but the Rams have won two of the last three with the 31-17 victory a season ago.
2. Buffs senior WR Nelson Spruce became the program’s all-time receptions leader (219) last week and with 2,427 career receiving yards, he needs 122 more to move into the school’s No. 1 spot on that list as well.
3. A win over Colorado would mark the fourth straight season the Rams have defeated a Power Five conference school.
PREDICTION: Colorado State 34, Colorado 30