Recap: Buffs fall apart against No. 25 ASU

Tonight the Buffs played their last home game of the 2025 season, and Buffs fans didn’t get the outcome they were hoping for on senior night. The Buffs struggled in specific areas all over the field, but managed a good first half.

Here is what went down, and what we saw tonight from the Buffs.

First Half

The Buffs won the toss to start, but would defer so Arizona State would get us started with the ball. The Buffs defense got the team off to a hot start, forcing an early three and out. Unfortunately, the Buffs offense also proved to be slow out of the gate, going three and out and giving the ball back to ASU.

The Sun Devils were the first team to get some points on the board, on an eight-play, 59-yard drive that took them down the field and earned them three points. The Buffs’ defense held up for the most part on this drive, but did get burned on a big play from former Buffs Jordyn Tyson which set up the field position for the field goal.

The Buffs followed that up by going three out and their next two drives. Just as things would start to look bleak for CU, things for even worse following their third straight drive with a three and out.

Right when the Buffs needed it, the defense established themselves with a number of stops and made a statement. To finish the first quarter, CU came up with three straight defensive stops, forcing two punts on three and outs and securing a fumble recovery on a Tawfiq Byard knockout.

On their next drive, the Colorado offense capitalized off of the momentum captured by Byard and the defense. Running back Micah Welch broke open a 39-yard run to set up Dallan Hayden for a seven yard touchdown run, which pushed the Buffs out in front by a score of 7-3 to end the first quarter.

The Sun Devils started the second quarter with the ball, and they had no problem sustaining a drive, but ultimately had trouble turning it into points. The Buffs stalled ASU by forcing a turnover on downs, keeping their lead and getting the ball back for the offense.

Offensively, the Buffs struggled in the second quarter. While they only had three third quarter possessions, the Buffs got held under 50 yards in the quarter, punting twice and turning the ball over on downs once. CU’s offense didn’t look as bad as they did on paper, as receiver Omarion Miller found himself open a number of times, but just couldn’t get the connection with quarterback Julian “JuJu” Lewis going.

Defensively, the Buffs also struggled in the second quarter, allowing big plays through both the run and the pass. The Sun Devils focused on controlling the ball and keeping Colorado’s offense off of the field, and this strategy proved to earn them two scoring drives in the quarter. One of which came on a fake quarterback sneak that would hit for a 39 yard touchdown pass, and the other on a field goal.

ASU ultimately controlled the clock and the game, with over 18 minutes of possession, compared to the Buffs’ 11 minutes. The Sun Devils also gained 257 yards of offense, opposed to CU’s 108. Colorado needed to start stringing together first downs or hitting big throws if they would want to have a chance to come back.

Colorado 7

Arizona State 13

Second Half

The second half started with nothing short of fireworks from both offenses, as each team found deep touchdown passes in the first five minutes of the period. The Buffs got it done on a 22-yard touchdown pass from Lewis to Omarion Miller, being Miller’s eighth receiving touchdown on the year. This is only the Buffs 17th passing touchdown of the year, proving how critical Miller has been to this team this season.

Folsom Field got silenced quickly, as the Sun Devils immediately answered with a long touchdown of their own via a 75-yard touchdown pass on a quick slant. ASU followed that up by converting the two point game to move the lead out to seven.

The Buffs offense continued to struggle for the remainder of the game. Much of those struggles came from a general inefficiency, as they struggled to move the chains, but also a costly fumble in plus territory by Ronald Coleman. The decision to put Coleman in the game at such a pivotal point in the game proved controversial, especially considering how well both Micah Welch and Dallan Hayden played against ASU.

This costly fumble shifted the momentum back to the Sun Devils, and Arizona State would break open an 88-yard touchdown on the very next play to move the lead out to two scores, which noticeably sucked the life out of Folsom Field. Fans would begin heading towards the exit and things would only get uglier in Boulder.

In what was effectively garbage time, the struggles continued, as the Buffs would punt two more time and give up two more touchdowns in a nearly empty Folsom field. CU once again gave up 300+ yards on the ground, in what was the Buffs third blowout loss in just four weeks.

Colorado 17

Arizona State 45

Players of the Game

• John Slaughter: While Slaughter hasn’t gotten tons of playing time this year, he made the most of his minutes tonight, finishing with both an interception and a forced fumble. The Sophomore transfer from Tennessee could be a name to watch out for as a replacement as the Buffs have multiple cornerbacks slated to leave the Buffs.

• Isaiah Hardge: With the injuries on the back-end, Hardge stepped up and looked like the two-way player the Buffs have been wanting him to be. Hardge excelled tonight in special teams, defensively, and may have played more offensive if CU had more gas in the tank.

Outlook

The Buffs have officially played their last game in Boulder of the season and have one last game to look forward to next week in Kansas State. The Wildcats will come into that game sitting at 5-6 and just one game away from bowl eligibility. They will be doing anything they can to win, and the outlook for the Buffs in that game is only cloudier after their performance tonight.

One story line to watch out for in that game is once again who will be starting at quarterback. Lewis has done enough to earn the starting job, but if he starts, he’ll lose his redshirt status. There are tough decisions ahead for both Lewis and the Buffs, as the last game of the season looms. Be sure to tune next week as the Buffs travel to Kansas to take on the Wildcats, and Sko Buffs!