The Colorado Buffaloes did what they do best in 2025, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory in a blowout, 42-17 loss to Arizona State.
Despite keeping the game close in the first half and even taking a lead early in the third quarter, the Buffs floundered down the stretch, letting the game get away from them yet again. With Deion Sanders' squad now sitting at 3-8 on the season, let's take a look and see how each position group did on senior night.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementQuarterback
Nov 22, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Julian Lewis (10) following his third quarter touchdown against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn ImagesGrade: C
After a spectacular performance two weeks ago, it was expected that true freshman quarterback Julian Lewis could take a step back against Arizona State, but last night got ugly. While there were some bright spots, especially seeing him use his legs to create space, he struggled to hit open receivers and didn't have the touch he showed against West Virginia.
Not helping was his patchwork offensive line, which didn't give him a chance on most plays. Arizona State's pass rush dominated upfront and sacked Lewis four times. Still, there were throws that he was making a week ago that he missed, and it felt like a slight setback for the talented freshman.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementRunning backs
Nov 22, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Ronald Coleman (45) fumbles the football in the fourth quarter against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn ImagesGrade: B-
Colorado's running game had one of its best games, racking up 135 yards on 30 carries, but it wasn't all roses. A majority of those yards came on two plays, a 42-yarder from Dallan Hayden and a 39-yarder from Micah Welch. Outside of that, the Buffs' run game never found consistency and didn't do much to keep the load off of Lewis' shoulders.
Not to mention the costly fumble from former walk-on Ronald Coleman on his lone carry, which caused the game to completely unravel for Colorado. Similar to most position groups, the running backs had some good moments, only for them to be undone quickly by mistakes.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementReceivers and Tight Ends
Nov 22, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Sincere Brown (9) runs down the sidelines in the fourth quarter against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn ImagesGrade: C+
This group has been the most impressive for the Buffs in 2025, but this game was a disappointing performance. Multiple drops by star Omarion Miller proved costly, and there weren't many opportunities downfield for Lewis to take advantage of, which is atypical for this speedy wide receiver room. The two bright spots were Sincere Brown and Joseph Williams, who brought in 10 of Lewis' 19 completions. That is encouraging for the team's future, but it wasn't enough to beat the Sun Devils on Saturday.
Defense
Nov 22, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes defensive back Tawfiq Byard (7) reacts in the first quarter against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn ImagesGrade: B
This game was one of polar opposites for the defense. The positive side of me wants to give them an A grade for forcing four turnovers and keeping the game close for 60% of the contest. The offense only scored three points off those four turnovers. It can be argued that the defense shouldn't even have needed to be in those positions.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementYet they were, and when you give up 42 points, that's hardly anything to celebrate, especially the way it happened. After holding firm most of the game, the Buffaloes folded late, allowing multiple long runs and miscommunications to let Arizona State score with ease. Another team waited out Colorado and dominated them on the ground, racking up 355 rushing yards and averaging eight yards per carry.
Special teams
Nov 8, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Colorado Buffaloes kicker Alejandro Mata (16) kicks a field goal during the second quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn ImagesGrade: A
I want to take this time to shout out Alejandro Mata, who had another stellar day on his senior night. The kicker has followed Colorado head coach Deion Sanders from the beginning and never kicked below 80% on the season on field goals. Adding to that is his performance on point-after attempts, where he has two misses in his Buffs career and three all-time. Mata has anchored the Buffaloes' special teams in his time, when college kickers can hardly be relied on.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementCoaching
Nov 22, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders before the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn ImagesGrade: F
Another game off a bye week, another blowout loss. From the decision to put Coleman in the game to not taking a timeout before Arizona State's 68-yard touchdown pass, this was another disastrous week from Sanders and his staff. Once again, the offensive line looked unprepared for the Sun Devils' blitz packages, and the team folded in the fourth quarter for what feels like the 100th time this season.
I've long been an advocate for Sanders, but as these losses continue to mount, I'm asking the wrong questions. However, as long as Lewis doesn't see the field next week to preserve his redshirt, this group will get an A+ from me.
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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Colorado football grades after blowout loss to Arizona State
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