Colorado @ Arizona State preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 13, 2014 ) Arizona State 38, Colorado 24

Arizona State got the victory it needed when it pounded then-10th-ranked UCLA last week to get its season back on course. But for the Sun Devils to stay on track, they’ll need to follow it up and beat visiting Colorado on Saturday night in Tempe.

“Obviously it was a huge, huge win for us, and I’m very proud of our guys,” Arizona State coach Todd Graham said Monday at his weekly media gathering. “But we've got seven more steps to get to the game we want to be playing in, and the next one and the most important one is Colorado.” Things also generally are looking up for the Buffaloes despite last week’s 41-24 loss to Oregon. Colorado brought a three-game win streak into that contest – the program’s first such streak since 2008 – and already has eclipsed last season’s victory total. The Buffaloes have outscored opponents 167-107 -- the first time they have had an edge through five games since 2007.

TV: 10 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network. LINE: Arizona State -15

ABOUT COLORADO (3-2, 0-1 Pac-12): The Buffs played Oregon tough for most of the game, but three Colorado turnovers and the Ducks’ 361-77 yardage advantage on the ground was simply too much to overcome. The defensive task also just got that much tougher for the Buffs as they’ve lost their second starting inside linebacker this season with Kenneth Olugbode going down with a leg injury against Oregon. Offensively, quarterback Sefo Liufau (229.4 yards of total offense per game) has been playing though a sore shoulder but got through last week’s game without re-aggravation and will look to test the Arizona State secondary with the school’s all-time receiving leader in wideout Nelson Spruce (31 receptions, 363 yards in 2015).

ABOUT ARIZONA STATE (3-2, 1-1): Saturday’s game is the third in a crucial four-contest Pac-12 South Division stretch for the Sun Devils, who lost to visiting USC (42-14), won at UCLA (38-23) and then visit currently unbeaten Utah a week from Saturday. In senior and current Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week Mike Bercovici (averaging 268.8 passing yards), Arizona State has one of the conference’s most experienced and productive quarterbacks, but translating that to the scoreboard has been an issue as the Sun Devils rank 11th in the conference with 27.6 points per game. Arizona State stands fourth in the Pac-12 while allowing an average of 369.4 yards, thanks largely to linebacker Salamo Fiso and safety Jordan Simone, who stand second and third nationally with 7.8 and 7.4 solo tackles, respectively, per outing.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Arizona State has won all six of its matchups against Colorado and has beaten the Buffs by an average score of 48-17 in their four Pac-12 meetings.

2. Sun Devils WR D.J. Foster, who has caught a pass in a school-record 45 straight games, is the only current FBS player who has 2,000 or more rushing yards (2,190) and 1,500 receiving yards (2,120).

3. The Buffs rank second in the Pac-12 and are tied for 14th nationally with eight interceptions, with seven different players recording a pick this season.

PREDICTION: Arizona State 37, Colorado 24