Buffs Leave Lasting Impression on Graham, Sun Devils
October 16, 2016 | Football
BOULDER — It took Colorado eight tries against Arizona State to get the job done, but the Buffs finally took care of business Saturday night.
On a night when tailback Phillip Lindsay amassed a whopping 219 yards on the ground against the Pac-12's top-ranked rush defense, Mike MacIntyre's Buffaloes ended their drought against Todd Graham's Sun Devils. Lindsay became the first rusher to eclipse the 200-yard mark against Arizona State in over a decade, something that was enough to turn Graham into a believer in the Buffs' fast-paced offense.
From the opening kickoff, an up-tempo Colorado offense had the Sun Devil defense on their heels.
"The tempo was overwhelming to us, our guys struggled to get lined up," said Graham. CU rushed for 89 yards in the first quarter, and got stronger as the game progressed.
Graham said playing in the thin Boulder air complicated the Sun Devils' task.
"We've been here before, with the altitude," Graham said, "Some guys had some issues there."
Not only did Colorado's early commitment and success in the run game exhaust the Sun Devils, it also opened up the passing game. With 9:11 remaining in the first half QB Sefo Liufau found a wide-open Bryce Bobo for a gain of 66 yards. Liufau then scored on a quarterback keeper later in the drive, giving the Buffs a 17-10 lead they would never relinquish.
Colorado picked up 27 first downs, and the Buffs frequently found themselves in second and manageable situations. In Graham's eyes this was key to making the up-tempo offense run, saying, "You've got to stop them on first and 10. Once you get rolling, that's when tempo really works."
The Buffs were indeed rolling, taking a 23-10 lead into the halftime locker room.
Early in the second half it became clear just how much chasing the fast-paced Buffs for 40 plays had worn on the Arizona State defense. Lindsay took the half's opening carry a career-high 75 yards for a touchdown as Colorado's lead grew to 30-10.
Arizona State drew to within 33-16 after Zane Gonzalez hit an impressive 59-yard field goal, but it was too little too late. Colorado's dominant defense had taken control, surrendering a mere 39 yards from scrimmage in the fourth quarter. Lindsay put the exclamation point on a career day with a 4-yard carry late in the fourth for the game's final score.
Sun Devil linebacker Marcus Ball lamented ASU's inability at slowing Lindsay and the CU run game.
"You have to stop the run to win ball games," Ball said. "They ran the ball on us and took home the W."
