Sport at a Look
Matchup: Colorado Buffaloes at Utah Utes
Kickoff: 8:15 p.m. MT
The place: Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake Metropolis
Capability: 51,444 (FieldTurf)
TV: ESPN
Radio: KOA (850 AM/94.1 FM)
Odds: Utah by 13.5
Collection: Utah leads 35-33-3
Strain was on the Colorado Buffaloes going into an Oct. 11 matchup towards then-No. 22 Iowa State at Folsom Subject.
Head coach Deion Sanders and his gamers knew the trajectory of their season might hinge on that consequence.
“It was form of important (to get the win),” Sanders mentioned after his group’s 24-17 victory that day. “I imply, your season might go this fashion or that means.”
At 3-4 (1-3 Large 12), there’s nonetheless strain on the Buffs. They’ve acquired to go 3-2 within the final 5 video games to achieve bowl eligibility. There was a way, nevertheless, that the win towards Iowa State turned the tide on the season. It snapped a two-game shedding streak and doubtlessly created some momentum.
Now, the Buffs have an opportunity to seek out out if that recreation two weeks in the past was a season-changing consequence as they go to Utah on Saturday in Salt Lake Metropolis.
“Large,” Sanders mentioned this week of the impression a win towards Iowa State might have. “Since you gotta perceive, you imagine. You imagine. The factor about it, we performed this group (Utah) a yr in the past and we have been profitable. So let’s begin proper there.”
For the reason that Buffs and Utes joined the Pac-12 collectively in 2011, Utah has dominated the collection. CU and Utah performed 57 occasions from 1903-1962, however then didn’t sq. off for 49 years till 2011. CU received that recreation 14 years in the past in Salt Lake Metropolis, however the Utes have gone 11-2 towards the Buffs since.
Beneath Sanders, nevertheless, the Buffs have fared effectively. They misplaced an in depth recreation, 23-17, to the Utes in 2023 in Salt Lake Metropolis and rolled previous them 49-24 final yr in Boulder.
Whereas that is arguably a greater Utah group than up to now two years, these outcomes give Sanders and his gamers confidence.
“We imagine,” Sanders mentioned. “It’s not like we’re going into that recreation not believing that we are able to win, as a result of we’ve executed it. So we’re gonna attempt our greatest to do it once more with a higher margin. That’s the sport plan. That’s how we go about it.
“(The Utes) are an excellent group, well-coached group, and I like the whole lot about ’em, however we’re moving into there with one factor in thoughts and that’s to return out dominant.”
On paper, the Utes are the higher group. They’ve been ranked as excessive as No. 16 within the Related Press High 25 and sat at No. 23 earlier than a three-point loss to rival BYU final week.
Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham isn’t overlooking the Buffs, although. CU has 4 losses, however these 4 groups are a mixed 25-3. CU had an opportunity within the fourth quarter to win three of these video games.
“They’re a a lot better soccer group than their document signifies, I can inform you that for sure,” Whittingham mentioned of the Buffs. “We’ve acquired to be at our greatest and be prepared.”
So do the Buffs. They lastly beat a top quality opponent after they knocked off Iowa State, however must be even higher to get a win in one of many Large 12’s hardest highway environments.
“You must win and be constant in what you probably did to win these explicit video games,” Sanders mentioned. “And what we did to lose these video games, establish it and attempt to invoke change.”
The Buffs imagine the change started taking place earlier than the Iowa State recreation. Now they’ve an opportunity to show that wasn’t an aberration.
“We’ve most positively been getting higher, and there’s nonetheless room for enchancment on that,” quarterback Kaidon Salter mentioned. “However total, as a group, I simply know that this group proper right here, we by no means stop. All these video games that we’ve misplaced, we all the time carry the combat, and each recreation that we did lose was all the time an in depth recreation that simply exhibits how destined we’re to go on the market and attempt to win these video games.
“Now we have a group stuffed with dawgs that simply don’t stop. We don’t surrender, and that’s one thing that we simply acquired to proceed to maintain working at and being higher at on and off the sphere, simply not quitting and going on the market taking part in our greatest each single play, one play at a time.”
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