The good, the bad, and the ugly from Arizona State's win at Colorado

The final score was what was expected from the Sun Devils in their final road trip to Boulder, but the path to get there was far from an enjoyable one for the majority of the game.

A yeoman's effort by Raleek Brown helped Arizona State steam to a 42-17 victory over Colorado, but it was certainly the definition of an ugly win heading in to the regular season finale this weekend.

The Good

Raleek Brown

What more can be said about this performance? Three weeks after Jeff Sims gashed the Iowa State defense to the tune of 228 yards to rank 7th all time in single-game rushing yards in Arizona State history, Raleek went and one-upped him in Boulder. Rather, 27-upped him. Brown was a wrecking ball on offense, finishing with 255 yards rushing (second all-time behind Eno Benjamin's 312 yards in 2018). He also added one catch for 33 yards, finding the end zone both on the ground and through the air. This game was the breakout rushing performance that Sun Devil fans have longed to see all season long.

Defensive Pressure

Colorado quarterback Julian Lewis was never truly afforded the chance to get settled, despite having the Buffaloes trailing by just 4 points entering the 4th quarter. The Sun Devil defense kept him on the move with 4 hurries (led by Elijah O'Neal with 2), leading to 4 sacks, 2 each by Keyshaun Elliott and Justin Wodtly. Overall, the defense held Colorado to 300 total yards, keeping the Buffaloes stuck in first gear for the majority of the game.

Sparky Helmet

Never before has the running Sparky logo been seen on anything but a gold shell, and Saturday's uniform combination was nothing short of beautiful. The white-white-maroon layout was absolute perfection, and I for one hope that the white shell stays in the regular rotation moving forward.

The Bad

Turnovers

It's not often that a team loses the turnover battle 4-1 and holds on to win the game, but the Sun Devils found a way to be the exception on Saturday. Three fumbles on the day (Sims, R. Brown, and Demarius "Man Man" Robinson) plus an interception by Sims gave the Colorado offense ample opportunity to pull away at any point of the game. Huge credit to the Sun Devil defense for standing up and allowing just 3 points off those 4 turnovers. That stat is one that cannot be replicated in Friday's Territorial Cup matchup.

Passing Inefficiency

This may come across as a little nitpicky considering the performance by the ground game, however a completion percentage below 50% for the game isn't an ideal game by your starting quarterback. Luckily the passing game wasn't the centerpiece of the offense this week, but a 46% completion rate from Sims leaves a lot to be desired coming in to the regular season finale.

The Ugly

Big 12 Standings

Now entering the final week of the regular season, the clinching picture is clear. You can still cue the Charlie Day gif to break down each scenario, but the path is known. Granted it's a rocky path that requires a lot of external help, but the key point remains for this week. Take care of business and keep the Cup in Tempe.

Arizona State will face off against their in-state rivals from Mountain America Stadium on Friday night at 7pm on FOX.