Colorado
3-3 , 0-2
Arizona State
4-2 , 2-1
Woelk: Buffs Fall To Opportunistic Sun Devils
October 11, 2015 | Football, Neill Woelk
TEMPE, Ariz. — Two plays symbolized the Colorado Buffaloes' latest trip to the desert, one that ended with the Buffs on the short end of of a long night against Arizona State.
The first came early in the first quarter. On Demario Richard's second carry of the game, CU's Leo Jackson III forced a Richard fumble — and the ball bounced directly into the hands of ASU tight end Kody Kohl, who ran 28 yards untouched into the end zone, giving ASU a 7-0 lead less than four minutes into the game.
The second came early in the third quarter. ASU quarterback Mike Bercovici floated a pass down the left sideline that CU cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon tipped into the air — only to see the ball land squarely in the hands of Sun Devil wide receiver Tim White. White then avoided another would-be Buff tackler and tiptoed down the sidelines for a touchdown and 31-10 ASU lead less than four minutes into the second half.
That's the way it went for most of the evening, one that ended with the Sun Devils holding a 48-23 victory. The loss dropped CU to 3-3 on the season and represented the Buffs' 13th consecutive Pac-12 loss.
There was, of course plenty sandwiched in between those plays, and more after. Buff quarterback Sefo Liufau was under pressure all night and was sacked eight times. The defense yielded five touchdown passes to ASU quarterback Mike Bercovici.
In the end, it was a harsh but familiar tune for the Buffs: even when they caught a break, they couldn't catch a break. Still a team that has virtually no margin for error, the Buffs made far too many mistakes to make a game of it against the Sun Devils.
ASU's second touchdown came courtesy of a short field after Liufau threw his third interception of the season. Soon thereafter, CU failed to take advantage of a Witherspoon interception and was forced to punt — and the punt was blocked, leading to an ASU field goal and a 17-7 lead.
CU piled up yards but not points. The Sun Devils, meanwhile, kept their errors to a minimum and took advantage of every available opportunity. Arizona State led 17-7 after one quarter, 24-10 at the half and 38-17 after three quarters.
For the third time this season -- all losses -- the Buffs lost the turnover battle, losing two and forcing just one.
"If we don't turn the ball over, we'll win football games," MacIntyre said. "Bottom line."
With seven games left, the Buffs still have plenty of opportunities remaining.
"We've got to keep working," MacIntyre said. "We've got to lift them up, and they have to lift themselves up. They've got to believe in themselves."
The Buffs did complete a handful of big plays — including their longest play of the season, a 68-yard Liufau touchdown pass to Devin Ross — but the offense once again struggled to establish any kind of consistency. Working behind a patchwork offensive line, Liufau spent most of the night running for his life and the Buffs' running game was held to a season-low 49 yards.
The Buffs started the game with regular right tackle Stephane Nembot on the left side, playing for injured Sam Kronshage. That put redhsirt freshman John Lisella II at left tackle for his first career start, but when Lisella struggled, the Buffs inserted Shane Callahan into his spot.
Along with Bercovici's night, the CU defense yielded 231 yards rushing as the Sun Devils finished with 491 yards offense.
Colorado briefly threw a scare at the Sun Devils by driving 75 yards in four plays for a touchdown in the first quarter. Liufau connected with tight end Sean Irwin over the middle for a 42-yard gain before Phillip Lindsay scooted into the end zone from 16 yards out and with 7:12 remaining in the first quarter, CU closed the gap to 14-7.
But just when Witherspoon's interception threatened to shift momentum to Colorado's sideline, the Buffs couldn't take advantage. Three CU plays and a penalty set the Buffs back to the ASU 14 and the ensuing punt was blocked, setting up an ASU field goal and 17-7 lead.
Colorado never cut the deficit to single digits again. Arizona State needed just two plays to score on its next possession, getting a 38-yard strike from Bercovici to Tim White for the touchdown and 24-7 lead.
The Buffs finally added to their tally late in the first half when they drove from their own 18 to the ASU 8 before finally settling for a field goal to go into the locker room at the half trailing 24-10.
Colorado did get the long scoring pass to Ross in the third quarter, and added another touchdown in the fourth period, set up by a long pass to Shay Fields. Liufau finished with 389 yards passing, with one touchdown and one interception. Lindsay had 48 yards on 10 rushes, with 33 of those coming on his first three carries of the night.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
Team Stats
COLO 0, ASU 7
ASU - Kohl, Kody 28 yd run (Gonzalez, Zane kick), 4 plays, 91 yards, TOP 1:30
COLO 0, ASU 14
ASU - Kohl, Kody 4 yd pass from Bercovici, Mike (Gonzalez, Zane kick) 5 plays, 15 yards, TOP 2:08
COLO 7, ASU 14
COLO - Lindsay,Phillip 16 yd run (Gonzalez, Diego kick), 4 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:21
COLO 7, ASU 17
ASU - Gonzalez, Zane 22 yd field goal 4 plays, 8 yards, TOP 1:31
COLO 7, ASU 24
ASU - White, Tim 38 yd pass from Bercovici, Mike (Gonzalez, Zane kick) 2 plays, 47 yards, TOP 0:38
COLO 10, ASU 24
COLO - Gonzalez, Diego 27 yd field goal 11 plays, 72 yards, TOP 2:35
COLO 10, ASU 31
ASU - White, Tim 45 yd pass from Bercovici, Mike (Gonzalez, Zane kick) 8 plays, 75 yards, TOP 3:21
COLO 10, ASU 38
ASU - Lucien, Devin 10 yd pass from Bercovici, Mike (Gonzalez, Zane kick) 5 plays, 35 yards, TOP 2:09
COLO 17, ASU 38
COLO - Ross, Devin 68 yd pass from Liufau, Sefo (Gonzalez, Diego kick) 3 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:23
COLO 17, ASU 41
ASU - Gonzalez, Zane 26 yd field goal 12 plays, 57 yards, TOP 6:06
COLO 23, ASU 41
COLO - Lindsay,Phillip 2 yd run (Spruce, Nelson passfailed), 4 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:39
COLO 23, ASU 48
ASU - Foster, D.J. 12 yd pass from Bercovici, Mike (Gonzalez, Zane kick) 5 plays, 84 yards, TOP 2:47
