Colorado University Athletics
Buffs Vs. Arizona State: Quick Facts & Figures
October 29, 2022 | Football, Neill Woelk
COLORADO BUFFALOES (1-6, 1-3 Pac-12)
vs. ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS (2-5, 1-3 Pac-12)
BOULDER — Colorado coach Mike Sanford is hoping for a little "Folsom Magic" when the Buffaloes square off with Arizona State in a 5:30 p.m. game at Folsom Field.
Sanford saw what Folsom could produce in his interim head coaching debut two weeks ago, when the Buffs scored a 20-13 overtime victory against Cal.
This week, on the heels of a road loss at Oregon State, Sanford and the Buffs return home and they are hoping a Homecoming crowd can provide some juice against the Sun Devils.
ASU is also operating under the direction of an interim boss, Shaun Aguano, who took over a month ago after the Sun Devils fired Herm Edwards. Arizona State is 1-3 under Aguano.
What you need to know:
KICKOFF:Â 5:35 p.m., Folsom Field (50,183)
TV, RADIO: The radio broadcast will be carried by KOA (850 AM, 94.1 FM) with Voice of the Buffs Mark Johnson and Gary Barnett in the booth. KOA's coverage begins at 3:30 p.m. with the pregame show. ESPNU will carry the telecast with Drew Carter and Rene Ingoglia on the call.
ON THE INTERNET: The game can be heard on the internet at CUBuffs.com, and www.850koa.com in the Denver-Boulder metro area. Live statistics will also be available at CUBuffs.com.
THE COACHES: Sanford, previously CU's offensive coordinator, is 1-1 at the Colorado helm.
Shaun Aguano, previously ASU's running backs coach, is 1-3 in the interim role.
Sanford is 0-0 against Arizona State while Aguano is 0-0 against the Buffs.
THE SERIES: Arizona State leads the all-time series, 9-3, including a 3-2 edge in Boulder. But the Buffs have won two of the last three meetings and have also won two in a row in Boulder (2016 and 2018).
WHAT'S AT STAKE:Â Colorado and Arizona State are two of six Pac-12 teams currently mired in the Pac-12 basement with just one conference win. Whoever wins Saturday will take a step up.
LAST OUTING: Colorado lost at Oregon State, 42-9. Arizona State lost at Stanford, 15-14, despite not giving up a touchdown.
TEAM LEADERS: Junior quarterback J.T. Shrout will get his fourth start. Shrout has thrown for 507 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions.
Deion Smith leads CU in rushing with 243 yards and one touchdown on 46 carries. He missed last week's game with an injury, but could be in action Saturday. Freshmen Charlie Offerdahl (160 yards) and Anthony Hankerson (140) are next on the rushing list.
Daniel Arias leads Colorado in receiving with 19 catches for 309 yards, but CU's leaders recently have been Montana Lemonious-Craig (15-198) and Jordyn Tyson (12-218).
Defensively, safety Trevor Woods leads the Buffs with 60 tackles, including 47 solo stops. LB Josh Chandler-Semedo has 55 tackles, including 10.5 for loss while cornerback Nikko Reed has 28 tackles, a sack and four pass breakups.
ASU's leading passer is Emory Jones, a Florida transfer who has thrown for 1,347 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions. But the Buffs could see Trenton Bourget, who led the Sun Devils to a win over Washington. Bourget has thrown for 182 yards and three scores in two games.
Xazavian Valladay leads ASU in rushing with 642 yards and seven touchdowns while averaging 5.6 yards per carry. Elijah Badger has caught 37 passes for 490 yards and four scores.
Defensively, nose tackle Nesta Jade Silvera has been a stopper in the middle with 39 tackles while DB Jordan Clark has 28 tackles and two interceptions.
KEY MATCHUP: Colorado's offensive line vs. ASU defensive line. The Buffs need to add some punch to their running game, particularly on first and second down. When CU gets behind the sticks, the Buffs have a hard time converting on third-and-long. But if Colorado can get into third-and-manageable situations, the Buffs have a much better chance of advancing the chains and giving their offense some much-needed momentum.
UP NEXT: Colorado returns to Folsom again next Saturday against Oregon, with kickoff time to be announced Sunday.
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