The University of Colorado Buffaloes are beating the Arizona State Sun Devils by a score of 23-10, thanks in large part to a strong comeback by senior quarterback Sefo Liufau.
Liufau started the game for the first time since he faced off against Michigan. To say he has impressive so far would be an understatement. He heads into the half having gone 11-0f-14 on passing for 172 yards total. Liufau also has 25 yards on the ground, along with a touchdown.
The offense has clicked as a whole a lot better than it did last week. Colorado tried to control the tempo of the game early on. Though the team has utilized a hurry-up, no-huddle style of play all season, the offense has never gone this fast.
Liufau’s early success through the air has opened up the running game, too. Junior running back Phillip Lindsay is averaging 7.6 yards per carry. He also scored on an impressive jaunt, where he muscled against defenders for the final 5 yards.
No one has benefited from Liufau’s return more than junior wide receiver Bryce Bobo. While Bobo has put up a highlight reel of catches all season, his first half performance may just be his magnum opus. He already has 105 yards on just five catches. This is the first 100-yard receiving game of his career. Note that there is still an entire half left to play.
On the other side of the ball, the Buffs have been equally impressive. The secondary has lived up to the hype, keeping Sun Devils quarterback Manny Wilkins to just 69 yards. He has only completed seven of his 13 pass attempts.
But the defensive front seven have finally had a game where they have clicked as well. Senior linebacker Jimmie Gilbert jumped offsides on one of the first snaps of the game, but has recovered in monster fashion. He has two sacks, one of which was a strip sack that was recovered by ASU. Wilkins also bobbled a snap and Gilbert was the one to bring him down for a loss.
The CU Independent will have full game updates once time has expired.
Contact CU Independent Copy Editor Jake Mauff at jacob.mauff@colorado.edu, and on Twitter @jake_mauff.
