Sanders, Mata lead Colorado to 27-24 win over ASU in Tempe

Buffs kicker nails 43-yard field goal with 12 second left for first Pac-12 win

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Colorado’s offense needed a spark late and got one from an outstanding leader. Shedeur Sanders did what he does best with another big time performance. Colorado stood tall in the fourth quarter with Alejandro Mata nailing a 43-yard field goal to beat Arizona State 27-24.

The Buffs defense held the Sun Devils to seven points in the second half after falling behind at halftime, allowing Sanders to conduct three scoring drives in the final period. He finished with 239 yards and two total touchdowns.

Colorado (4-2, 1-2 Pac-12) wasn't perfect in the early going and needed to regroup a bit after being shaken up. The Buffs are a step closer to being bowl eligible for the first time in eight years.

Sanders distributed the ball effectively with seven receivers hauling in a catch, including Javon Antonio with his first touchdown of the year for the Buffs. The dynamic playmaker finished with five catches for 81 yards.

Arizona State (1-5, 0-3 Pac-12) got on the board first with a 2-yard touchdown run from quarterback Trenton Bourguet. Colorado needed a bit of time but did respond. Xavier Weaver showed off another side of his skills with a 1-yard touchdown run to tie the game with 2:03 left in the first quarter.

Cam Skattebo did it all for ASU. He put them up 14-7 on a touchdown run from a yard out with 6:38 to go until halftime. ASU's swiss army knife offensive star finished with 60 total yards along with the score. Elijhah Badger led the Sun Devils with 12 receptions for 134 yards.

Sanders had no fear after taking some serious hits. The Buffs "Grown" star QB danced up the middle for a 16-yard touchdown run with under a minute left in the half. It was Shedeur's third rushing score of the season. But they left too much time for Bourguet to work with and gave up a 33-yard field goal by Dario Longhetto as time expired at the break. ASU took a 17-14 lead going into the locker room.

A scoreless third quarter with both teams looking for some type of edge. Colorado opened the final frame with poise and the score from Sanders to Antonio with 14:32 remaining. A series of defensive stops by the Buffs with back-to-back sacks from LaVonta Bentley gave Sanders extra possessions to work. They tacked on a 42-yard field goal by Alejandro Mata for a 24-17 lead with 10:13 left.

Arizona State wasn't done and far from out. A 13-play, 94-yard drive was capped off by a 15-yard touchdown pass from Bourguet to Troy Omeire. ASU tied the game at 24 all with 50 second left.

Sanders stepped back onto the field and went "Brady Mode" again, finding Antonio on back-to-back passes for a total of 50 yards. It set up Mata for a 43-yard go-ahead score with 12 second remaining. The eventual game-winner was the longest of the season the Jackson State transfer. 

BOWL IMPLICATIONS

Colorado needs two more wins this season for postseason play. They'll likely double the win projection set by oddsmakers at 3.5 before the season.

UP NEXT

Colorado returns home to play Stanford before a bye week. Arizona State looks to stop the five-game skid against back-to-back ranked opponents (No. 7 Washington, No. 13 WSU).