Michelle Gardner, Arizona RepublicSun, November 23, 2025 at 5:31 AM UTC·4 min readBOULDER, Colorado — Arizona State entered the football game against Colorado having played six games decided by seven points or fewer. This one looked like it would follow suit, before the Sun Devils used a strong fourth quarter in pulling away for a 42-17 win over Colorado on Nov. 22 at Folsom Field. ASU only led 21-17 going into the final quarter.
ASU tallied 580 yards, while Colorado managed 300. The time of possession also favored ASU heavily, 33:08 to 26:52.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe great equalizer was turnovers, as the Sun Devils had four, while Colorado had one. Despite that, ASU had more points off turnovers, scoring seven while Colorado had just three.
Wide receiver Jordyn Tyson returned to the lineup after missing the last three games. Tyson, who started his college career at Colorado in 2022, had two catches for 61 yards.
What went right
Fourth-down magic: ASU converted two fourth downs in the first half. Most notable was the last try. ASU had a fourth-and-2 at the Colorado 33, with Colorado up 7-3. Rather than go for the field goal, ASU went for the first down. Sims rolled out and found Raleek Brown in the middle of the field and delivered a perfect strike, with Brown cruising in for a go-ahead score. Earlier, also with the Buffs leading 7-3, ASU had a fourth-and-7 at its own 45. Kanyon Floyd was in punt formation, and he took the snap, then lofted a perfect ball downfield to defensive lineman Blazen Lono-Wong for a 19-yard gain.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMeanwhile, ASU had two fourth-down stops on Colorado.
Answered back quickly: Colorado went ahead 14-13, scoring on its opening possession of the third quarter. ASU wasted no time with the counterpunch. On the third play from scrimmage, Sims connected with Derek Eusebio on a 68-yard bomb that gave ASU the lead again. The Sun Devils went for two and were successful, with Sims throwing to tight end Khamari Anderson to make it 21-14.
Raleek Brown got loose: The diminutive dynamo ran for a career-high 255 yards on 22 carries and had a 33-yard touchdown catch. His 88-yard scoring burst with 13:31 left in the game gave the visitors a 27-17 lead. The 88-yard scoring play ties the longest scoring play of the season. Sims had an 88-yard touchdown run in the win at Iowa State.
What went wrong
It was another slow start: The Sun Devils were trailing 7-3 after the first quarter, managing just 56 yards. It may not have cost them in this game, but against the better teams, it will.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementLost takeaway battle, by a lot: ASU usually wins this department. Not this time. The Sun Devils had four, two of those coming in the first half, one a Demarius Robinson fumble, the other a Jeff Sims interception. Colorado blew both opportunities and had no points to show for either. After the Robinson fumble set Colorado up at the ASU 22, the Buffaloes failed on a fourth-and-1 at the 13. After the Sims interception, Colorado ended up punting after three offensive plays.
Perhaps the worst turnover came in the third when Sims fumbled, setting the Buffs up at the ASU 9. They were lucky to give up just a field goal, which cut the ASU lead to 21-17.
The fourth came courtesy of Raleek Brown, who ran for 20 yards, then tried to hurdle a defender, only to lose the ball at the ASU 46.
Didn't have Sims run: Sims' best attribute is his athletic ability, and that is reflected in his yardage total. In the wins over West Virginia and Iowa State, Sims had 309 yards rushing and two touchdowns. The designed quarterback run was not integral in the game plan in Boulder, even though the Sun Devils were facing a defense that came in giving up an average of 210.9 yards per game on the ground. There were no designed quarterback runs in the first half, only a couple of scrambles from pressure.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementPersonnel notes
Players out due to injury included QB Sam Leavitt, RB Kyson Brown, OL Ben Coleman, LB Zyrus Fiaseu, S Xavion Alford and S Rodney Bimage. All have missed multiple games... Jordyn Tyson started after missing the last three games with a pulled hamstring. His first catch went for 42 yards and led to a 39-yard field goal by Jesus Gomez, which started the scoring.
Up next
The Sun Devils will square off against Arizona at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 28. The game will air on FOX.
Arizona defeated Baylor 41-17, earning its eighth win on the season, double its total from 2024.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Raleek Brown's career night boosts ASU football past Colorado
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