Devils in Detail
Fansided

ASU Football: Sun Devils host Colorado in must-win game

By Alec Henden

TEMPE, AZ - AUGUST 31: Head coach Todd Graham of the Arizona State Sun Devils touches the new Pat Tillman statue as he leads his team onto the field before the college football game against the New Mexico State Aggies at Sun Devil Stadium on August 31, 2017 in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
TEMPE, AZ - AUGUST 31: Head coach Todd Graham of the Arizona State Sun Devils touches the new Pat Tillman statue as he leads his team onto the field before the college football game against the New Mexico State Aggies at Sun Devil Stadium on August 31, 2017 in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

After the embarrassing debacle against USC last Saturday, ASU football faces a must-win game to try and keep pace in the Pac-12 South.

The Colorado Buffaloes face a similar situation, after beginning conference play with three straight losses Colorado now is in position to reach bowl eligibility with a win against ASU.

Todd Graham’s Sun Devils are still reeling after a third-straight season of being destroyed by USC. Luckily, the schedule doesn’t feature a matchup with a team as talented as the Trojans.

With that being said, these upcoming games are must-wins losing at home more than twice in a season is unacceptable and ASU must beat both Colorado and Arizona or else Graham’s future grows murkier.

More from Devils in Detail

ASU was without Kalen Ballage against USC due to an illness, and Manny Wilkins once again struggled to find any rhythm in the offense. Both will have a lot to prove Saturday against CU, who dismantled the Sun Devils in Boulder 40-16 last year.

The Sun Devils are looking to get the taste of the USC game out of their mouth and pick up a home win before two road games followed by the season finale against Arizona.

Mike MacIntyre’s Buffaloes have shown good signs in the second part of Pac-12 play, a year after an incredible 2016 season which CU win the Pac-12 South.

Colorado would go on to lose to Washington in the Pac-12 Championship and then were soundly defeated by Oklahoma State in the Alamo Bowl.

Leading the offense for Colorado is the tandem of sophomore quarterback Steven Montez and senior running back Phillip Lindsay.

Both have performed very well this year, as Montez has completed 63 percent of his passes throwing for 15 touchdowns and six interceptions. Lindsay has done a tremendous job running the ball for Colorado rushing for 1,254 net yards and 10 touchdowns.

The problem for Colorado hasn’t been the offense; the defense was incredibly reliable for the Buffaloes in 2016. Part of that success, is seeing players move on to the next level and CU’s no exception.

Gone are dynamic talents Chidobe Awuzie, Tedric Thompson and Jordan Carrell. Good teams find a way to replace their stars in order to have continued success. Colorado is still in the process of developing their talent without the luxury of a constant flow of five-star talents committing to the program.

Next: ASU Football: 2017 Pac-12 Week 10 Power Rankings

Arizona State will look to get a win closer to bow eligibility Saturday with kickoff set for 6 p.m. PT with the game televised on Pac-12 Network.

Home/ASU Football