Arizona State and Colorado enter Saturday’s game in Tempe, Ariz., encouraged by last week’s performances.
Arizona State (4-4, 2-3 Big 12) was competitive in a 27-20 defeat to then-No. 8 BYU in Provo, Utah, a positive sign for coach Kenny Dillingham after the Sun Devils suffered lopsided road losses to Texas A&M (48-20) and Texas Tech (53-25) earlier this season.
Colorado (3-5, 1-4) comes into the matchup off a dramatic 27-24 overtime victory over Kansas State in Boulder.
Arizona State will look to build on the positives from the BYU game, in particular the emergence of freshman quarterback Jake Fette.
Fette completed 22 of 42 passes for 166 yards and two touchdowns without an interception in his first college start. He did lose one fumble.
Dillingham confirmed Monday that Fette will remain the starter after Kentucky transfer Cutter Boley was replaced and backup Mikey Keene (knee) was injured.
“Right now, you’ve got to say it’s Jake Fette, and I think he’s earned it,” Dillingham said. “To really take command, make the checks he made and the way he played in the second half was of a veteran, in my opinion, and so that gave me a lot of hope.”
Saturday’s game could come down to which team’s running game is most productive.
Arizona State boasts another talented true freshman in the backfield in running back Cardae Mack. He has rushed for 523 yards and six touchdowns on 78 carries in eight games. He also has caught 11 passes for 106 yards and a TD.
Mack ran for 123 yards on 23 carries against BYU. Overall, the Sun Devils outgained the Cougars 113-47 on the ground.
Colorado rushed for 222 yards against Kansas State, with Richard Young gaining 120 yards and scoring two touchdowns on 24 carries.
The victory snapped Colorado’s five-game losing streak.
Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders was asked on Tuesday what stood out to him about his team’s win.
“Effort, sense of urgency, physicality, and they did it when they needed to do it,” Sanders said. “I wish it would have been easier, but they did it.”
After going 3-1 in Big 12 road games in 2024, Colorado has lost seven consecutive conference contests away from home over the last two seasons.