The Blitz
Kickoff: 8:06 p.m., Folsom Field (50,548 est.)
Television: ESPNU with Anish Shroff (play-by-play), Kelly Stouffer (analyst) and Cara Capuano (sidelines).
Online: Follow along with our live blog at BuffZone.com, which will curate content from reporters throughout the game or follow our beat writers on Twitter: @KyleRingo and @BrianHowell for all the latest from Folsom Field.
Radio: KKZN (760 AM) with Mark Johnson (play-by-play), Larry Zimmer (color commentary) and Jeb Putzier (sidelines). Game will be joined in progress on KOA (850 AM) at conclusion of Colorado Rockies game. The pregame show begins at 6:05 p.m.
Odds: ASU by 15 ½
The coaches: Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre is 5-9 in his second season in Boulder and is 21-30 in his fifth year as a head coach. Todd Graham is 20-9 in his third season at ASU and 69-38 in his eighth season as a head coach.
Rankings: The Buffs are not ranked. The Sun Devils are ranked No. 16 in the Associated Press poll and No. 14 in the coaches’ poll.
The series: ASU leads 5-0. The first game in the series was played in Boulder in 2006 and continues to be the closest with ASU winning 21-3.
Numbers game: The Sun Devils’ offense moves at a fast pace and more often than not takes less than 3 minutes to score regardless of where it starts a drive. ASU has scored in 3 minutes or less on 128 of 171 scoring drives since Graham was hired as coach, including all 18 of ASU’s scoring drives this season.
Key matchup: ASU offensive line vs. Colorado defensive front. The Buffs are going to have to play at a much higher level than they have to this point in the season to slow down this veteran offense. The Sun Devils are averaging 345 yards a game on the ground. The Buffs need to cut that in half at least.
Difference maker: ASU fifth-year senior quarterback Taylor Kelly is the fourth leading passer in the school’s history with 60 touchdown passes to his credit. But when Kelly makes mistakes, it can signal a bad day for the Sun Devils. He 6-8 when throwing an interception as a starter and 14-1 when he doesn’t throw an interception.
The youngest player in a starting role on the Arizona State offense is sophomore wide receiver Cameron Smith. Every other starter is at least in his third year and many are in their fourth or fifth college seasons.
All that poise and knowhow has sparked the Sun Devils’ video game numbers in a pair of blowout victories to start the 2014 season and they will bring it to Folsom Field for a meeting with the Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday night, ready to ruin CU’s home opener, its annual blackout game and the Pac-12 Conference opener for both teams.
Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre is in his second season trying to rebuild the once-dominant CU program and he believes continuity and limiting player attrition is a key component. He envisions a day still a few seasons down the road when he will be able to send a similarly experienced team on the field against some of these Pac-12 powerhouses.
But the Buffs (1-1) aren’t there yet and that complicates the challenge of stopping teams like No. 16 Arizona State (2-0).
The CU defense charged with slowing that potent ASU offense averaging 52 points and 345 rushing yards a game features six players in their first or second college season. The Buffs already have had their struggles in their first two games allowing 266 rushing yards to Colorado State and 38 points to a Massachusetts team with no previous track record of such productivity against power five conference competition.
“They have big, big athletic receivers,” MacIntyre said this week of ASU. “Their running backs are good. Their offensive line is excellent and intact and can do a lot of things. I think they’re an excellent, excellent offensive football team.”
Arizona State has won each of the five previous meetings in the series — all played in the past eight years — and only two of those games (2006 and 2007) were particularly competitive.
But that doesn’t mean the Buffs will trot on to Folsom Field waving the white flag of surrender. The Buffs have practiced behind closed doors this week hoping to spring some surprises on the Sun Devils. CU comes into the game hoping to execute a formula for an upset that goes something like this: slow the ASU run game, force turnovers, get off the field on third downs, shore up the kick coverage and score as much as possible.
“I think it’s just about improving on what we did last year,” CU wide receiver Nelson Spruce said. “I think we’re a more competitive team overall. This is a team that kind of dominated us last year, honestly. We didn’t play as well as we could have last week but I think we learned how to fight for four quarters. I think if we handle our business on offense and defense, we’ll still be in it. We’ll be in it for four quarters. If we can finish like we did last week, then it’s anyone’s game.”
Spruce, CU quarterback Sefo Liufau and middle linebacker Addison Gillam have probably been the Buffs’ most consistent players in the first two games and all three must play at a high level again this week to give the Buffs a chance.
Spruce comes into the game leading the Pac-12 Conference with 125 receiving yards a game. He has proven to be a big-play threat with scoring plays of 54 and 70 yards in the first two weeks, but now comes his next challenge. He must prove he’s capable of making those plays against Pac-12 defenders and an ASU defense allowing just 143 passing yards per game.
The Arizona State run defense actually appears to be a favorable matchup for the CU offense. It isn’t nearly as experienced as the Sun Devils’ offense and has given up 180 rushing yards a game in its first two outings against Weber State and New Mexico.
Led by junior running back Christian Powell, CU had some success on the ground at UMass last week. But this is a big step up from the Minutemen.
“We can’t really be worried about who is lining up across the ball because every team in the Pac-12 is a really good team,” Liufau said. “You can’t take anyone lightly. Anyone can beat anyone on any given day and that’s how we’re looking at it right now.”
Contact BuffZone.com Writer Kyle Ringo at ringok@dailycamera.com or on Twitter: @kyleringo.