Colorado Preview

Much like ASU, Colorado has struggled quite a bit this year and is trying to avoid its third losing season in the last four years. And the Buffs have shown that they may be better than their record shows. Here’s our deep dive into the Sun Devils’ Saturday opponent.

Colorado Preview

2026 So Far: 3-5 (1-4)

Colorado’s season began with promise, as the Buffaloes claimed back-to-back wins over Georgia Tech (14-13) and Weber State (52-21).

From there, however, Colorado suffered five straight losses to Northwestern (41-7), Baylor (23-13), Texas Tech (29-7), Utah (27-24) and Oklahoma State (57-24).

The Buffaloes got back in the win column a week ago, with a 27-24 overtime win against Kansas State, still playing without typical starting quarterback Avery Johnson.

After this weekend’s matchup with ASU, Colorado concludes its regular season with a Friday home matchup with Houston, the final road game of the year at Cincinnati, and then the regular season finale at home against UCF.

Series History: ASU leads, 10-4

A series that began just 20 years ago with non-conference games in 2006 and 2007, the Buffaloes essentially became an annual opponent for Arizona State once Colorado joined the Pac-12 in 2011.

ASU won the first seven meetings with Colorado, from 2006 to 2015, before Colorado shifted momentum and won three of four from 2016 to 2019. The Sun Devils, however, have won three of the last four, with victories in 2021, 2022, and most recently, a 42-17 win over Colorado in Boulder last November.

Head Coach: Deion Sanders (Fourth season at Colorado, 19-25 record)

One of the most well-known figures in football history, the Hall of Fame cornerback and former dual-sport professional is in the midst of his seventh season as a college head coach, as he spent 2020-22 at Jackson State before being hired to run the Colorado football program prior to the 2023 season.

Sanders’ tenure at Colorado has become largely known for the flash, pizzazz, glitz and glamour of the program with mixed results – at best – when it comes to the actual on-field product.  

After last weekend’s win, Sanders now has 19 total victories at Colorado, though nearly half that total came in one season, as the Buffaloes finished 9-4 in 2024, but had a 4-8 record in 2023, a 3-9 record last season, and a losing record through eight games this season.  

Colorado Offense Preview

Last year, experienced veteran Kaidon Salter lost his spot to true freshman mega recruit Julian Lewis, and in less than half a season into Lewis’ second year in college, the former blue-chip prospect was sent back to the sidelines.

Lewis, a five-star prospect in the 2025 class ranked the No. 10 overall recruit in the country and third-best quarterback, started against ASU last year, and in four games this season he averaged 183.3 passing yards per game with six touchdowns and two interceptions, along with one rushing touchdown.

However, after four games, a change was made, and former Utah quarterback Isaac Wilson, younger brother of former BYU star Zach Wilson, was inserted into the starting lineup.

As a starter for Colorado this season, Wilson has a 1-3 record, averages 253 passing yards per game, and completes about 63 percent of his passes, with six touchdowns and seven interceptions, while suffering six sacks and adding 44 carries for 95 net rushing yards with one touchdown.

Oddly, his mildest offensive performance as a starter for Colorado came in his only win as the Buffs’ QB1, as he had 181 combined passing and rushing yards last week against Kansas State. The determining factor there, however, is that Wilson threw at least two interceptions in each of his first three starts (all losses) but did not throw a pick in last week’s win.

In generally similar fashion to ASU, Colorado has used multiple running backs to try to get the ground game going and seems to have found its answer at a late stage in the season.

Jaquail Smith (72 carries for 361 yards with one touchdown) and Micah Welch (45 carries for 220 yards with two touchdowns) are the team’s top two leading rushers on the season, but former Alabama transfer Richard Young had a breakout game last week and looks to build upon that momentum as CU’s starter.

After recording just 12 carries for 44 yards across the first seven games of the season, last week against Kansas State, Young rushed 24 times for 120 yards with two scores. That effort marks the first career 100-yard rushing game at the college level for Young, as his previous collegiate career high was 63 yards against Missouri while with Alabama in 2024.

For the season, Young now has 40 carries for 169 yards with two touchdowns in five games.

The Buffaloes have a strong group of starting receivers in Joseph Williams, DeAndre Moore and Quanell Farrakhan, Jr.

Williams, a former Tulsa transfer prior to last season, leads the way with 51 catches for 731 yards with five touchdowns.

On the season, Williams has three games with at least 120 receiving yards and three additional games with at least 80 receiving yards. He has also caught at least five passes in each of the past six games. Williams is tied for 16^th in the nation in receptions per game (6.38) and also ranks 17^th nationally in receiving yards per game (91.5)

Moore, a heralded transfer from Texas this past offseason, is second on the team with 31 receptions for 478 yards and three touchdowns. After nearly 1,000 receiving yards with the Longhorns across the 2024-25 seasons, Moore has two 100-yard receiving outings this year and three additional games with 50-70 receiving yards.

Farrakhan has caught 20 passes for 249 yards with no touchdowns, but most of his production came in two big games: seven catches for 117 yards against Baylor and four catches for 70 yards against Oklahoma State.

At tight end, Charlie Williams is listed as the starter, and he has caught six passes for 81 yards with two touchdowns in seven games. Williams began his career at UNLV in 2023 before transferring to Colorado.

Colorado’s starting offensive line is slated to consist of left tackle Xavier Payne, left guard Chauncey Gooden, center Sean Kinney, right guard Leon Bell and right tackle Larry Johnson III.

Of the group, Kinney has the most starting experience, bringing 31 career starts into Saturday’s game. Kinney appeared on the initial availability report released Wednesday but was labeled probable at the time.

Beyond Kinney, Bell has 17 career collegiate starts, while Johnson has 10. Gooden (eight career starts) and Payne (two) have limited career starting experience entering this week.

Kinney transferred to Colorado this past offseason from Lafayette, while Johnson previously played for Tennessee. Bell began at the JUCO level, then to Mississippi State, then California last year before transferring to Colorado. Coincidentally, Bell’s first career collegiate start came for Mississippi State against ASU in Tempe.

Colorado Offense Summary

Though the run game showed new life in last week’s win over Kansas State, Colorado will likely feature its pass game while still keeping Young involved in the rushing attack.

A key area also to keep in mind for Saturday is that only one FBS team has more giveaways than the 17 turnovers lost by Colorado, a number amplified by seven interceptions in a three-game span by Wilson.

Overall, however, Colorado has struggled to put points on the board as other than a 52-point performance against FCS-level opponent Weber State, the Buffs haven’t scored more than 27 points in a single game and have scored 14 or fewer points in four of their eight games.

Colorado Defense Preview

Operating primarily out of a 4-2-5 defensive alignment, the starting Buffalo line figures to consist of tackles Santana Hopper and Dylan Manuel along with ends Toby Anene and Manny Ezeogu.

Hopper, who brings the most career college starts (37) of any Buffalo heading into Saturday’s game, has totaled 24 tackles, including an outstanding 11.5 for loss, with 2.0 sacks along with 12 quarterback hurries. Hopper is tied for 11^th nationally and ranks second in the Big 12 so far in tackles for loss.

Anene is a seasoned veteran as well, with 30 career college starts entering this weekend. This season, he has collected 25 tackles, including 6.5 for loss, with 3.5 sacks, 10 quarterback hurries, one pass breakup, and one forced fumble in eight games.

Manuel has chipped in 19 tackles including 2.0 for loss with half a sack, along with an interception and a quarterback hurry, while Ezeogu has tallied 18 tackles including 3.5 for loss with a sack and two quarterback hurries.  However, Manuel was listed as doubtful on the Wednesday availability report.

Hopper began his college career at Appalachian State in 2022-24 and then Tulane in 2025, while Manuel played for Charleston Southern in 2024 and Appalachian State in 2025. Anene spent 2022-25 at North Dakota State before transferring to Colorado, while Ezeogu spent 2024-25 playing for James Madison.

At linebacker, Liona Lefau is joined by Gideon ESPN Lampron in the starting lineup.

A surely unforgettable name – or rather, middle name – no, that’s not a nickname or pseudonym for Lampron, but his legal, government middle name is the acronym for the proverbial “worldwide leader”.

With a middle name like that, the pressure is on to provide highlight reel performances and to his credit, Lampron has done so on numerous occasions for Colorado this season.

Lampron spent 2022-24 at Dayton and 2025 at Bowling Green before relocating to Colorado and he currently ties for fifth nationally and leads the Big 12 with 81 total tackles, while also leading the Big 12 and tying for sixth nationally with 12.5 tackles for loss. Lampron also has 3.0 sacks, three pass breakups and six quarterback hurries.

The reigning co-winner of the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week award for his efforts against Kansas State, Lampron had 15 tackles and two sacks against the Wildcats. On the season, Lampron has four straight games with at least 11 tackles and has had only one occasion – Colorado’s 31-point win over FCS Weber State – where he recorded fewer than seven tackles in a game.

Lampron is tied for the second most career college starts on the Buffalo roster, as Saturday would be his 33^rd career start at the college level.

Lefau, a transfer this past offseason from Texas, where he started 22 games across the 2024-25 seasons, has totaled 56 tackles, including 4.5 for loss, with 2.0 sacks, two pass breakups, and a quarterback hurry.

In the secondary, Phoenix Brophy Prep product Cree Thomas and RJ Johnson are listed as the starting duo of cornerbacks, with Randon Fontenette and Naeten Mitchell at safety and Boo Carter at nickel defensive back.

Thomas spent last season at Notre Dame, and this year, he has 21 tackles, including one for loss, with four pass breakups. Johnson, who transferred in from Arkansas after the 2023 season, has 16 tackles with six pass breakups.

Thomas’ name appeared on the initial availability report as “probable.”

Fontenette, one of five Buffaloes with at least 30 career starts (32), ranks second on the team with 68 tackles and also has 2.5 for loss, 1.0 sack, six pass breakups, five quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and an interception. He spent 2023 at TCU before playing for Vanderbilt for the 2024-25 seasons.

Mitchell, who played for New Mexico State from 2023-25, is third on the team with 60 tackles, including 2.0 for loss, with an interception, a pass breakup, and a fumble recovery. However, like Manuel, Mitchell was labeled as doubtful on the initial availability report that was released on Wednesday.

Carter, a Tennessee transfer, has posted 30 tackles, including 5.0 for loss with a fumble recovery and a quarterback hurry, along with eight pass breakups – a total that leads the team and ties for 16^th nationally.

Colorado Defense Summary

As a team, Colorado has improved dramatically in terms of attacking the backfield, as the Buffaloes rank seventh in the nation in team tackles for loss and are tied for 25^th nationally in team sacks.

Colorado is a mid-tier run defense (65^th nationally), but it struggles notably in scoring defense (108^th nationally) and pass defense (117^th nationally).

The Buffaloes also rank 107^th in the nation with just seven generated turnovers and coupled with the team’s high total of lost turnovers, only one team in the nation has a poorer turnover margin than Colorado’s -10.

Ultimately, Colorado’s attack will test ASU’s offensive line, but if the Sun Devil front can keep the Buffalo rushers at bay, opportunities to exploit the CU defense should emerge.

Colorado Special Teams Preview

Placekicker Elliott Arnold hasn’t been called upon much, but he has connected on five of eight field-goal attempts this season, with a long of 52 yards. Arnold also handles kickoffs for Colorado.

Punter Damon Greaves is one of the nation’s better performers at his position, averaging 45.48 yards on 40 punts, a punting average that currently ranks 14^th nationally.

Running back DeKalon Tyler is the top option at punt and kick return. He averages 18.14 yards on seven kickoff returns and 5.83 yards on six punt returns.

Local Ties: WR Braedon Brenner (Mesa Desert Ridge HS) and DB Cree Thomas (Phoenix Brophy Prep) played high school football in Arizona. Colorado offensive coordinator Brennan Marion was a member of ASU’s staff in a quality control capacity in 2015, serving together with ASU head coach Kenny Dillingham. ASU WR Omarion Miller spent the 2023-25 seasons at Colorado.

Overall Summary

The bloom surely appears to be off the rose for Deion Sanders at Colorado, as the program that was once a viral sensation thanks to its flashy head man – and showed some results on the field in 2024 with the Heisman Trophy winner as well as the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year – has since fizzled out to become the same afterthought that they were prior to Sanders’ arrival.

Not only is Colorado no longer competing for Heisman Trophies and conference championships, but the Buffaloes are firmly relegated back to the status of a program that struggles mightily in the annual quest just to reach bowl eligibility.

That said, are we in the final month of Sanders’ coaching tenure at Colorado or is there more juice left out of Prime and company in Boulder?

Saturday’s game in Tempe will be a great opportunity to see whether the Buffaloes can keep their momentum after just their third win in their past 13 games, or if last week’s victory was an anomaly.

Final Score Prediction (via Speak of the Devils Podcast): Arizona State 31, Colorado 21