The Colorado Buffaloes are trying to bounce back from a 35-0 drubbing against Minnesota this past weekend. On tap next is a matchup against Arizona State, and a tough one at that.
The Sun Devils just lost a close game to BYU and proceeded to drop out of the Top 25. Make no mistake, this is a good Arizona State team.
Moreover, the Buffaloes need to respond as Pac-12 Conference play begins. The Buffs hung tight with Texas A&M in impressive fashion but couldn’t muster up a similar outing against the Gophers.
Brendon Lewis and the rest of the Buffs offense stalled big time against the Gophers and will be itching for some sort of bounce back. Lewis went 8-16 for 55 yards, and the Buffs rushing attack was also nonexistent. Jarek Broussard had just eight yards, and Alex Fontenot had four yards in a game the Buffs will like to forget.
Sun Devils quarterback Jayden Daniels had a stellar 2019 campaign and is looking to revitalize some of that in 2021. Thus far, he has tossed for 572 yards with just a pair of scores and three interceptions. However, it seems to be only a matter of time before Daniels turns on the jets and is back to burning defenses, and the Buffs need to find a way to contain him.
One of the bright spots from the Minnesota drubbing was linebacker Quinn Perry, who registered 10 tackles and was the heart and soul of the Buffs defense. Perry will play a major role in handling Daniels and this tough Arizona State team.
Putting the Gophers’ game aside, here are five things to watch for as the Buffs travel to Tempe and take on Jayden Daniels and the Sun Devils.