Tag: Alejandro Mata

Alejandro Mata staying loyal to Colorado with one year of eligibility remaining

Alejandro Mata revealed what he’d like to do with his final year of eligibility

Fan favorite kicker Alejandro Mata announced via X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday that he’ll be staying with the Colorado Buffaloes for his fourth and final college football season.

Mata followed head coach Deion Sanders from Jackson State to Boulder in 2022 and recently closed an impressive second season with the Buffs. The junior was perfect on extra-point attempts (53-for-53) and connected on 12 of his 14 field goals, including a season-long 47-yarder against Cincinnati.

Fresh off earning an All-Big 12 honorable mention nod, Mata confirmed he’ll remain in Boulder for another year:

“For people asking, I do have 1 year left and I’m staying here in Colorado,” Mata wrote on X. “Don’t get it twisted, still got unfinished business to attend to and championships to win.”

However, Colorado will have at least one new face in its kicking room next season. Earlier this week, class of 2025 placekicker Elliott Arnold announced his commitment to the Buffs.

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Buffs kicker Alejandro Mata confident in lengthened field goal range

Expect to see some longer field goals from Alejandro Mata this season

On Saturday, Colorado football kicker Alejandro Mata told the local media that he has improved his field goal range.

Mata was asked directly what he believes his range is entering the 2024 season, to which he replied:

“Right now, I feel comfortable from 53 (yards), 54 and under,” Mata said. “Thanks to coach Mo (head strength and conditioning coach Maurice Sims), I think this is the strongest I’ve ever been.”

Earlier in the press conference, Mata mentioned that television commentators often describe the former Jackson State transfer as a “line drive” or “low trajectory” field goal kicker. He said he worked to improve those areas this offseason, citing his focus in the weight room.

The fan-favorite will help Colorado tremendously if he’s truly comfortable from just beyond 50 yards. The Buffs saw early accuracy woes from original starting field goal kicker Jace Feely last season before relying fully on Mata. And while the then-sophomore stepped up by nailing 10 of his 12 field goal attempts, his only misses were from beyond 40 yards. His farthest make of the season was from 47 yards, but it seemed evident at times that Mata’s lack of range impacted CU’s aggressive decisions on fourth downs just beyond the red zone last season.

While he isn’t expected to be perfect, the Buffs faithful is looking forward to more Mata celebrations in 2024.

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Colorado kicker Alejandro Mata earns United States citizenship

Alejandro Mata achieved a “significant milestone” in his life

Alejandro Mata, the Colorado Buffaloes field goal kicker best known for not missing, took some time out of his offseason to announce on Instagram that he has become a United States citizen.

Mata has traveled a long road to Boulder, stopping in Honduras, Brazil, Mexico and Georgia before playing for head coach Deion Sanders at Jackson State. Following the 2022 college football season, he followed Coach Prime to Colorado and handled field goal duties for the Buffs last fall. Mata converted 10-of-12 field goal attempts and 26-of-27 extra points in 2023.

The Buffaloes kicker was featured heavily in the Amazon Prime documentary, “Coach Prime,” where he detailed his story of coming from Latin America and switching from soccer to American football.

His Latin roots are important to him, and he made that known during his citizenship announcement on Thursday:

“Today marks a significant milestone for me as I officially attained US citizenship, making it an exceptionally memorable day,” Mata wrote on Instagram. “I remain deeply connected to and proud of my Latin-American roots, and I’m committed to representing it with pride. I’m profoundly grateful to the United States for welcoming me and opening new doors in this exciting chapter of my life. Viva México, Vamos Panamá, and God bless America!”

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WATCH: Alejandro Mata shows off increased range with lengthy field goal

Alejandro Mata appears to be growing more comfortable from longer ranges

Although deadly accurate from shorter distances, Colorado kicker Alejandro Mata wasn’t as consistent from longer ranges last season, missing two of his six field goal attempts between 40 and 49 yards. The Honduras-born kicker remained a perfect 6-for-6 from distances shorter than 40 yards, though, and missed only one of his 27 extra-point tries.

Mata now figures to enter his second year in Boulder as the Buffs’ primary field goal kicker, but Jace Feely’s right leg may be utilized from 50-plus.

Ahead of his second spring season with the Buffs, Mata’s confidence from greater distances does appear to be growing. On Friday, the former Jackson State kicker posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) of himself making a 54-yard field goal inside Colorado’s indoor practice facility:

While Colorado’s offense last year was typically aggressive around midfield on fourth downs, Mata’s improved ability to connect from deep is more than welcome.

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Alejandro Mata grateful for close relationship with Coach Prime

Alejandro Mata shared his gratitude for having Coach Prime as a mentor on and off the field

Based on how Colorado football head coach Deion Sanders speaks about him, you’d think Alejandro Mata was another one of his sons.

While at Jackson State, the two developed a close relationship built on trust, mentorship and a good deal of laughs. When Sanders came to Boulder last winter, Mata wasn’t far behind.

“He’s probably one of the best coaches I’ve ever had, if not the best coach I’ve ever had,” Mata said of Sanders. “Knowing that I have his confidence to bring me here, I was like, ‘Holy crap, I must really be good.’ Coming here, following him is definitely good for the mind.”

Mata’s biggest moment in a Buffs uniform so far came on Saturday at Arizona State when the sophomore placekicker nailed a go-ahead 43-yard field goal with 38 seconds remaining. The clutch boot even helped Mata earn the Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week award.

“Why do you think I brought him here? Mata don’t miss,” Sanders said following the 27-24 win.

While Sanders has confidence in his kicker’s on-field abilities, Mata shared he trusts Coach Prime as a mentor in his life outside of football.

“He’s always giving me life lessons and stuff,” Mata said. “If anytime I need some sort of help with life or with some decision that I have to make that’s tough, I’m always going to him just to make sure I’m making the right decision about it. It’s always great having him as a mentor.”

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Top performers from Colorado’s 27-24 win at Arizona State

These five #cubuffs stepped up on Saturday evening at Arizona State

Coach Prime and the Colorado Buffaloes got back in the win column on Saturday night with a 27-24 victory over the Arizona State Sun Devils in Tempe. The Buffs were on a two-game losing streak and were in desperate need of a win if they wanted to keep moving toward bowl eligibility.

The dramatic win might be just what the doctor ordered for Coach Prime and the Buffs as they have another winnable game next week against Stanford before heading into their bye after that.

With the Buffs now at 4-2 on the season, let’s look at some of the top performers from Colorado’s exciting win over the Sun Devils:

Recap: Colorado, Alejandro Mata deliver in the clutch to down Arizona State

A fourth quarter full of clutch moments helped Colorado beat Arizona State

It wasn’t exactly the smoothest of games, but that fourth quarter was well worth the wait for Buffaloes fans.

Tied at 24 with Arizona State, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, with the help of wide receiver Javon Antonio, needed less than one minute to bring the Buffs from their own 25-yard line into field goal range, setting up an Alejandro Mata 43-yard game-winner.

The Buffs are now 4-2 (1-2 Pac-12) following their 27-24 victory at Mountain America Stadium. More importantly, they’re now two wins away from becoming bowl-eligible in head coach Deion Sanders’ first season.

Below is a deeper look at Colorado’s Saturday evening defeat of the Sun Devils: