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November 4th – at Arizona State Arizona State 41, Colorado 30
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Arizona State scored 24 fourth quarter points, erasing a ten-point deficit to defeat Colorado, 41-30. The Sun Devils went for 583 yards of offense, including 381 yards on the ground. ASU quarterback passed for 202 yards, rushing for 95 more, while running back Demario Richard had 25 carries for 189 yards and a touchdown.
The Buffs had leads of 10-0, 17-7 and 27-17, but squandered multiple opportunities to put away the Sun Devils. Steven Montez completed 23-of-40 passes for 345 yards, while Phillip Lindsay had 140 yards of total offense (80 yards rushing; 60 yards passing). It made little difference, though, as the Arizona State had seven second half possessions, scoring on five of them.
The loss left Colorado with a 5-5 overall record, 2-5 … and in last place in the Pac-12 South.
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For a team which had been out-scored by an average of 46-16 in its first four trips to Sun Devil Stadium to face Arizona State, the Buffs opened their #Pac12AfterDark game in fine fashion, forcing a three-and-out from the ASU offense.
On their first possession, the Buff offense moved smartly down the field. A five-yard run by Phillip Lindsay on third-and-one got the drive going, with a 13-yard run by quarterback Steven Montez pushing the ball near midfield. Third down completions to Devin Ross (for nine yards) and Bryce Bobo (for 19) put the Buffs in the red zone. There, Montez missed a wide open Lindsay at the five yard line, which would have given CU a touchdown. Instead, the Buffs had to settle for a 34-yard field goal by James Stefanou to take a 3-0 lead with 9:33 to play in the first quarter.
After the teams traded punts, the Sun Devils put together a ten-play drive. The effort was wasted, however, when kicker Brandon Ruiz missed a 45-yard field goal, keeping it a 3-0 game.
The Buffs then put together a 13-play, 74-yard drive to post the first touchdown of the game. Three straight runs by Phillip Lindsay netted 17 yards to open the drive, with a 12-yard run by Montez setting the Buffs up in ASU territory to open the second quarter. After Montez hit Shay Fields for a 16-yard gain on third down to keep the chains moving, Phillip Lindsay took over. Runs of six, four, four, three, and a touchdown run for seven yards made it Colorado 10, Arizona State 0, early in the second quarter.
The Sun Devils rolled the dice on their next drive, going for it on four-and-one at their own 49-yard line. The Demario Richard effort, though, was stuffed by freshman linebacker Jacob Callier, giving the Buffs the ball at midfield.
After a Montez-to-K.D. Nixon pass went for 12 yards, the Buffs were poised to take control of the game. On third-and-seven at the ASU 34-yard line, Montez hit Devin Ross for six yards. The Buffs lined up quickly to go for it on fourth-and-one at Sun Devil 28-yard line, but couldn’t get set up, and had to take a time out. Given a chance to set up for the fourth down play, the Buffs were stuffed on their fourth down effort, with Phillip Lindsay being stopped for no gain.
Bolstered by the defensive stop, the Arizona State offense came to life. It took the Sun Devils only six plays to cover 72 yards, with a pass interference penalty and a 21-yard run by quarterback Manny Wilkins moving the ball into CU territory. Three plays later, Wilkins threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver N’Keal Harry. With 5:38 left in the half, it was now a 10-7 game.
The teams then traded punts, but the Buffs picked up yardage in the exchange, taking over at their 49-yard line with 2:20 to play before the break. A 20-yard completion was followed by an eight-yarder to Shay Fields and a 15-yarder to Bryce Bobo, which set the Buffs up at the ASU one-yard line with 1:35 still to play. Using poor clock management, the Buffs did score, on a one-yard Phillip Lindsay run, but left the Sun Devils with 1:07 of clock and two time outs.
The Sun Devils took advantage.
Two completions from Manny Wilkins to Kyle Williams and John Humphrey, each going for 16 yards, gave the Sun Devils an opportunity to score. With seven seconds remaining, Wilkins hit Williams for a 25-yard touchdown.
The game could even have been tied at the break, with ASU successfully converting on an onsides kick attempt. A 55-yard field goal attempt by Brandon Ruiz, though, was unsuccessful, allowing the Buffs to escape with a lead at the break.
Still, what could have been a Buff blowout was now very much a game.
Halftime score: Colorado 17, Arizona State 14
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The teams traded three-and-outs to start the second half, but the Buffs got the better of it because CU had a better punter. After the CU offense failed to gain a first down to open the quarter, Alex Kinney booted a 67-yarder, downed at the ASU one-yard line.
The Buff defense held the Sun Devils without a first down, but ASU punter Michael Sleep-Dalton could only answer with a 33-yard effort, giving the Buffs the ball at the 39-yard line.
The CU offense, though, could not fully take advantage. Three plays netted only three yards. Faced with a fourth-and-seven at the ASU 36, Mike MacIntyre opted for a field goal attempt. James Stefanou made the decision work out, hitting a season-best 53-yarder to make it a 20-14 game four minutes into the third quarter.
While the Buffs were able to post three points after gaining three yards in three plays, the Sun Devils worked much harder to post their next points. Arizona State went 59 yards in 15 plays, methodically working its way down the field. The Sun Devils stalled, however, at the CU 16-yard line. A 34-yard field goal by Brandon Ruiz got ASU to within three, at 20-17, at the six minute mark of the third quarter.
Less than a minute later, it was 27-17.
After two runs netted 15 yards, Steven Montez hit Shay Fields for a 54-yard touchdown, giving the Buffs a ten-point cushion for the second time in the game.
The Buff defense then gave their teammates on offense a chance to put the game out of reach, forcing a three-and-out from the Sun Devil offense. The offense, though, could not take advantage, with a drop by Devin Ross on first down leading to a quick three-and-out.
Arizona State made it a one score game ten plays later. The Sun Devils covered 76 yards, but once again stalled in the CU red zone. A 37-yard field goal by Brandon Ruiz left the score at Colorado 27, Arizona State 20, with 13:37 left to play.
Given yet another chance to take control of the contest, the Buff offense again failed. Steven Montez was sacked twice in the span of five plays, forcing a punt attempt. Alex Kinney’s offering, however, was partially blocked, with Arizona State taking over at the Colorado 40-yard line.
With the Buff defense reeling, the Sun Devils marched quickly downfield. It took the Arizona State offense only seven plays to cover the 40 yards, with Demario Richard tying the score at 27-27 with a five-yard scoring run with 8:38 to play.
Momentum was clearly on the side of the Sun Devils when Steven Montez dropped back to pass on the next play from scrimmage. On a broken play, Montez found a wide open Phillip Lindsay, who took the ball 60 yards down to the ASU 15-yard line. The Buffs were not able to take advantage, however, gaining four yards on the next three plays, settling for a James Stefanou 28-yard field goal.
The Buffs were back in front, but the lead was tenuous, at 30-27, with 7:09 still to play.
It took the Sun Devils only five plays to answer.
A 40-yard by Demario Richard gave the ASU offense the ball at the CU 26-yard line. Two plays later, Eno Benjamin bulled his way in from 19 yards out, giving the Sun Devils their first lead of the game, at 34-30, with 5:33 left in the game.
The Colorado offense had plenty of time to regain the lead, and needed only three plays to get to midfield, with Montez hitting Chris Bounds for 11 yards and Bryce Bobo for another eight. There, however, the drive stalled, with Steven Montez being sacked for a fifth time to kill the drive.
Rather than go for it on fourth-and-14, Mike MacIntyre opted to punt, hoping that the CU defense would be able to get the ball back to the CU offense.
Instead, Demario Richard ran right up the middle for 63 yards, not being tracked down until he reached the Buff 17 yard line. A few plays later, Manny Wilkens added insult to injury, scoring from a yard out with 46 seconds to play.
The Buffs made it to ASU’s side of the field, but Steven Montez threw an interception in the end zone on the final play, ending a school record streak of passes without an interception.
Final score: Arizona State 41, Colorado 30
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Coming Sunday morning … locker room quotes and Game Notes …
Stuart
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November 4th – at Arizona State Arizona State 41, Colorado 30
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Arizona State scored 24 fourth quarter points, erasing a ten-point deficit to defeat Colorado, 41-30. The Sun Devils went for 583 yards of offense, including 381 yards on the ground. ASU quarterback passed for 202 yards, rushing for 95 more, while running back Demario Richard had 25 carries for 189 yards and a touchdown.
The Buffs had leads of 10-0, 17-7 and 27-17, but squandered multiple opportunities to put away the Sun Devils. Steven Montez completed 23-of-40 passes for 345 yards, while Phillip Lindsay had 140 yards of total offense (80 yards rushing; 60 yards passing). It made little difference, though, as the Arizona State had seven second half possessions, scoring on five of them.
The loss left Colorado with a 5-5 overall record, 2-5 … and in last place in the Pac-12 South.
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For a team which had been out-scored by an average of 46-16 in its first four trips to Sun Devil Stadium to face Arizona State, the Buffs opened their #Pac12AfterDark game in fine fashion, forcing a three-and-out from the ASU offense.
On their first possession, the Buff offense moved smartly down the field. A five-yard run by Phillip Lindsay on third-and-one got the drive going, with a 13-yard run by quarterback Steven Montez pushing the ball near midfield. Third down completions to Devin Ross (for nine yards) and Bryce Bobo (for 19) put the Buffs in the red zone. There, Montez missed a wide open Lindsay at the five yard line, which would have given CU a touchdown. Instead, the Buffs had to settle for a 34-yard field goal by James Stefanou to take a 3-0 lead with 9:33 to play in the first quarter.
After the teams traded punts, the Sun Devils put together a ten-play drive. The effort was wasted, however, when kicker Brandon Ruiz missed a 45-yard field goal, keeping it a 3-0 game.
The Buffs then put together a 13-play, 74-yard drive to post the first touchdown of the game. Three straight runs by Phillip Lindsay netted 17 yards to open the drive, with a 12-yard run by Montez setting the Buffs up in ASU territory to open the second quarter. After Montez hit Shay Fields for a 16-yard gain on third down to keep the chains moving, Phillip Lindsay took over. Runs of six, four, four, three, and a touchdown run for seven yards made it Colorado 10, Arizona State 0, early in the second quarter.
The Sun Devils rolled the dice on their next drive, going for it on four-and-one at their own 49-yard line. The Demario Richard effort, though, was stuffed by freshman linebacker Jacob Callier, giving the Buffs the ball at midfield.
After a Montez-to-K.D. Nixon pass went for 12 yards, the Buffs were poised to take control of the game. On third-and-seven at the ASU 34-yard line, Montez hit Devin Ross for six yards. The Buffs lined up quickly to go for it on fourth-and-one at Sun Devil 28-yard line, but couldn’t get set up, and had to take a time out. Given a chance to set up for the fourth down play, the Buffs were stuffed on their fourth down effort, with Phillip Lindsay being stopped for no gain.
Bolstered by the defensive stop, the Arizona State offense came to life. It took the Sun Devils only six plays to cover 72 yards, with a pass interference penalty and a 21-yard run by quarterback Manny Wilkins moving the ball into CU territory. Three plays later, Wilkins threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver N’Keal Harry. With 5:38 left in the half, it was now a 10-7 game.
The teams then traded punts, but the Buffs picked up yardage in the exchange, taking over at their 49-yard line with 2:20 to play before the break. A 20-yard completion was followed by an eight-yarder to Shay Fields and a 15-yarder to Bryce Bobo, which set the Buffs up at the ASU one-yard line with 1:35 still to play. Using poor clock management, the Buffs did score, on a one-yard Phillip Lindsay run, but left the Sun Devils with 1:07 of clock and two time outs.
The Sun Devils took advantage.
Two completions from Manny Wilkins to Kyle Williams and John Humphrey, each going for 16 yards, gave the Sun Devils an opportunity to score. With seven seconds remaining, Wilkins hit Williams for a 25-yard touchdown.
The game could even have been tied at the break, with ASU successfully converting on an onsides kick attempt. A 55-yard field goal attempt by Brandon Ruiz, though, was unsuccessful, allowing the Buffs to escape with a lead at the break.
Still, what could have been a Buff blowout was now very much a game.
Halftime score: Colorado 17, Arizona State 14
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The teams traded three-and-outs to start the second half, but the Buffs got the better of it because CU had a better punter. After the CU offense failed to gain a first down to open the quarter, Alex Kinney booted a 67-yarder, downed at the ASU one-yard line.
The Buff defense held the Sun Devils without a first down, but ASU punter Michael Sleep-Dalton could only answer with a 33-yard effort, giving the Buffs the ball at the 39-yard line.
The CU offense, though, could not fully take advantage. Three plays netted only three yards. Faced with a fourth-and-seven at the ASU 36, Mike MacIntyre opted for a field goal attempt. James Stefanou made the decision work out, hitting a season-best 53-yarder to make it a 20-14 game four minutes into the third quarter.
While the Buffs were able to post three points after gaining three yards in three plays, the Sun Devils worked much harder to post their next points. Arizona State went 59 yards in 15 plays, methodically working its way down the field. The Sun Devils stalled, however, at the CU 16-yard line. A 34-yard field goal by Brandon Ruiz got ASU to within three, at 20-17, at the six minute mark of the third quarter.
Less than a minute later, it was 27-17.
After two runs netted 15 yards, Steven Montez hit Shay Fields for a 54-yard touchdown, giving the Buffs a ten-point cushion for the second time in the game.
The Buff defense then gave their teammates on offense a chance to put the game out of reach, forcing a three-and-out from the Sun Devil offense. The offense, though, could not take advantage, with a drop by Devin Ross on first down leading to a quick three-and-out.
Arizona State made it a one score game ten plays later. The Sun Devils covered 76 yards, but once again stalled in the CU red zone. A 37-yard field goal by Brandon Ruiz left the score at Colorado 27, Arizona State 20, with 13:37 left to play.
Given yet another chance to take control of the contest, the Buff offense again failed. Steven Montez was sacked twice in the span of five plays, forcing a punt attempt. Alex Kinney’s offering, however, was partially blocked, with Arizona State taking over at the Colorado 40-yard line.
With the Buff defense reeling, the Sun Devils marched quickly downfield. It took the Arizona State offense only seven plays to cover the 40 yards, with Demario Richard tying the score at 27-27 with a five-yard scoring run with 8:38 to play.
Momentum was clearly on the side of the Sun Devils when Steven Montez dropped back to pass on the next play from scrimmage. On a broken play, Montez found a wide open Phillip Lindsay, who took the ball 60 yards down to the ASU 15-yard line. The Buffs were not able to take advantage, however, gaining four yards on the next three plays, settling for a James Stefanou 28-yard field goal.
The Buffs were back in front, but the lead was tenuous, at 30-27, with 7:09 still to play.
It took the Sun Devils only five plays to answer.
A 40-yard by Demario Richard gave the ASU offense the ball at the CU 26-yard line. Two plays later, Eno Benjamin bulled his way in from 19 yards out, giving the Sun Devils their first lead of the game, at 34-30, with 5:33 left in the game.
The Colorado offense had plenty of time to regain the lead, and needed only three plays to get to midfield, with Montez hitting Chris Bounds for 11 yards and Bryce Bobo for another eight. There, however, the drive stalled, with Steven Montez being sacked for a fifth time to kill the drive.
Rather than go for it on fourth-and-14, Mike MacIntyre opted to punt, hoping that the CU defense would be able to get the ball back to the CU offense.
Instead, Demario Richard ran right up the middle for 63 yards, not being tracked down until he reached the Buff 17 yard line. A few plays later, Manny Wilkens added insult to injury, scoring from a yard out with 46 seconds to play.
The Buffs made it to ASU’s side of the field, but Steven Montez threw an interception in the end zone on the final play, ending a school record streak of passes without an interception.
Final score: Arizona State 41, Colorado 30
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Coming Sunday morning … locker room quotes and Game Notes …
Stuart
Continue reading...