As it stands right now, no one knows what to make of the Pac – 12 South. USC was supposed to run away with the division, but stumbled out of the gate. Arizona State had multiple years of stumbling and thus was written off. Suddenly they are tied atop the division with the Utah and their opponent this week in the Colorado Buffaloes. A win this week will certainly make it apparent who deserves top honors among the southern half of the west coast.
History On ASU’s Side
The Buffaloes have been an endangered species against ASU since they arrived in the conference. Seven times the two teams have met, seven times Arizona State has been the victor. The difference in score has never been close either for the most part. The average margin of victory for ASU has been 26 points a game and they certainly have made Colorado’s journey to contention in the conference all that more challenging. Even if the game is played closer than the prior meetings would show, the Sun Devils also have history on that side as well with a history making kicker. Zane Gonzalez had three field goals last week to take the top spot in the NCAA record books with 89 in his career. His ability to hit the big kicks from short and long distance has been a huge assist to the team over his time with the program and if the night game atmosphere gives Colorado any kind of advantage look to Gonzalez to nail a field goal and keep his team in it all the way to the end.
Return Of Wilkins
Last week the Sun Devils were without the play of quarterback Manny Wilkins and turned the ball over to the hands of Brady White against a solid UCLA team. White did his job and took home the hard fought victory. Meanwhile, Wilkins was busy working his rehab and coach Graham said he believes Wilkins will return as the starting quarterback against Colorado this week. This could not have come at a better time for ASU as White ended up suffering a season ending injury to his foot. Even though Wilkins is returning, the status of his leg is still a legitimate concern as his mobility will likely take a serious hit and he will be at the mercy of Colorado if the Buffaloes can get a sustainable pass rush. Should the injury start to flare up on him, Wilkins’ next replacement would likely be Dillon Sterling-Cole. The freshman came in last week but only threw one pass which landed incomplete.
Taming The Tasmanian Devil
The season for the Buffaloes has gone through junior tailback Phillip Lindsay. To say he has been a great surprise to the college football world this season would be a mild statement. He has carried the ball 81 times as the running back and almost has 400 yards in this early part of the season with six touchdowns already. Last week he showed just how much of a duel threat he actually is with a six catch and 105 yard receiving game in a loss to USC. Colorado has shown a dedication to getting Lindsay the ball in whatever capacity they can because he is a gamer and will institute dominance whenever he can. He seeks out contact and looks to break a defender rather than just break a tackle. The Sun Devil defense will need to work on their gang tackling and chase downs in order to negate Lindsay from gathering a head of steam early on in the game and force Colorado to throw the ball. If they can do that and pull out the same performance they had against Rosen and the Bruins pass attack, ASU may just have a chance to keep the lopsidedness of the past alive in this latest revival of the Colorado – ASU matchup.
The game will be played at Folsom Field in Boulder, CO this Saturday at 5:00 PM. Tune into the Pac – 12 Network to catch the game live.