It's been a while since Colorado earned a win. Here's how they can change that on Saturday night against Arizona State in the final home game of the season:
Get off to a faster start.
Julian Lewis' debut at West Virginia wasn't very successful for Colorado right away in terms of moving the football. Injuries to starting tackles Jordan Seaton and Larry Johnson III left a void on the offensive line, making it hard for the Buffs to establish any sort of rhythm early on both passing and running the football. Both tackles are listed as questionable heading into Saturday night’s matchup, so that’ll be something to keep an eye on moving forward.
Colorado didn’t score their first points until a little under the midway mark in the second quarter, after an Alejandro Mata field goal cut the lead to six. From that point on, JuJu looked like he was in control and comfortable running the offense.
With the bye and extra week of preparation for Julian’s second collegiate start, Colorado should have a firm game plan in place to make that happen.
Make Jeff Sims beat you with his arm
Let’s face it – Colorado hasn’t fared well in stopping mobile quarterbacks, and that’s just the cold hard truth. With quarterback Sam Leavitt out for the remainder of the season, Arizona State is relying on Jeff Sims to keep them in the thick of things in the Big 12.
Sims showed he could move the ball with his arm last weekend against West Virginia, going 19-of-28 through the air with 207 yards and three touchdowns. The signal caller also led his team on the ground, carrying the ball 17 times for 81 yards – very reminiscent of what Colorado saw with Haynes King week one.
The Buffs last saw Sims when he was with Nebraska in 2023. Colorado ended up winning that game 36-14, as Sims went 9-for-15 and 106 yards passing and one interception, while tallying 67 yards on the ground.
It will be essential for Colorado to limit Sims and the run game Saturday night for them to have a chance.
Utilize the home field advantage and create turnovers
Colorado is 3-3 on the season at Folsom Field, although two of the three wins have come against Delaware and Wyoming. To keep the game within reach, the Buffs must be stingy on defense, stop the run, and force turnovers - feeding off the crowd energy.
The defense has forced a total of 11 turnovers this season, which is good for 86th across college football. Arizona State quarterback Jeff Sims has been known to be turnover-prone, throwing 29 interceptions and fumbling 21 times over his collegiate career.
You can apply that advantage to Colorado if the defense generates pressure at Folsom and keeps the fans engaged.