Colorado secured a 27-24 victory over ASU in a Pac-12 college football game on Saturday, thanks to Alejandro Mata’s 43-yard field goal with just 12 seconds remaining at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe.
ASU had mounted a comeback to even the score after an impressive 13-play, 94-yard touchdown drive with just 50 seconds remaining. However, Colorado swiftly covered 50 yards in just five plays within 38 seconds, ultimately connecting on the field goal to hand Deion Sanders his inaugural Pac-12 victory.
With this victory, Colorado’s overall record now stands at 4-2. And they have a conference record of 1-2 in Pac-12 play. On the other hand, ASU’s overall record has dropped to 1-5, and they are winless in conference play with a record of 0-3.
The Buffaloes displayed a strong second-half performance, outscoring Arizona State 13-7, even though ASU had held a 17-14 lead at halftime.
Shedeur Sanders had a notable performance, completing 26 of his 42 passing attempts for 239 yards for Colorado. This was slightly below his average of 356.2 yards passing per game leading up to this matchup. Sanders managed to record one touchdown pass and also contributed with a rushing touchdown.
Indeed, despite the slightly below-average performance, Colorado managed to secure the victory over ASU.
Trenton Bourguet had a commendable game for ASU, completing 32 of his 49 passes for 335 yards. Including one touchdown pass and a rushing score.
ASU outpaced Colorado in total yards, amassing 392 yards compared to Colorado’s 295.
In terms of time of possession, the Sun Devils had the ball for a significant portion of the game. Holding it for 34 minutes and 48 seconds, while the Buffaloes had possession for 25 minutes and 12 seconds.
Elijhah Badger had an impressive performance for ASU, recording 12 receptions for 134 yards, showcasing his receiving skills. On the Colorado side, Javon Antonio emerged as a key contributor with five catches for 81 yards and a crucial touchdown. His 45-yard gain late in the game played a pivotal role in setting up Colorado’s winning score.
Both teams had minimal success on the ground, with Colorado rushing for just 56 yards. And ASU gaining slightly more with 57 rushing yards.
Looking ahead to their upcoming matchups, Colorado is set to host Stanford next Friday. While ASU will have a week off before facing Washington on October 21st.
On the very first play of Colorado’s subsequent drive, Shedeur Sanders connected with Javon Antonio for a remarkable 45-yard gain. Antonio managed to get behind Ro Torrence on the play, finding himself wide open for the significant yardage gain.
Despite this initial setback, ASU quickly regrouped and managed to halt Colorado’s advance. Forcing them into a situation where they had to attempt a 43-yard field goal. Alejandro Mata, with nerves of steel, successfully drilled the field goal, propelling Colorado to a 27-24 lead with just 12 seconds remaining in the game.