ARIZONA AT COLORADO
TIME: 12:30 p.m. TV: ESPN
RADIO: 1290-AM, 107.5-FM
Preview and predictions by Michael Lev
All about Arizona
All about Colorado
Matchups to watch
HEAD TO HEAD
1 Stanley Berryhill III vs. 6 Mekhi Blackmon
Berryhill is trending toward a spot on the All-Pac-12 team. He ranks second in the conference behind only USC superstar Drake London in catches (8.0) and receiving yards (79.4) per game. Look for Jedd Fisch to move Berryhill around and find creative ways to get him the ball.
Blackmon is Coloradoβs best cover corner and second-highest-graded defender, per Pro Football Focus. A preseason All-Pac-12 pick, Blackmon has the Buffaloesβ lone interception and is tied for the team lead with three PBUs. He and Berryhill are both fifth-year juniors who bring plenty of savvy into their matchup.
24 Treshaun Hayward vs. 23 Jarek Broussard
The Western Michigan transfer arrived on campus just before training camp but quickly established himself as the LB corpsβ premier run defender. That will be his primary task against Colorado, which rushed for 407 yards against Arizona last season. Hayward isnβt as effective in pass coverage.
Broussard had 301 of those yards. He has 256 yards through five games, but that has more to do with CUβs struggling offensive line. Broussard is averaging 3.12 yards after contact per rushing attempt, according to PFF. Hayward will need support from his teammates to keep Broussard in check.
UAβs Gunner Cruz threw for 336 yards in his Wildcat debut, but may have left many more yards on the field. βEach opportunity he has, hopefully heβll be smarter with the ball, weβll get the ball out faster and weβll know what to call better,β said coach Jedd Fisch.
When Arizona has the ball β¦
With Jordan McCloud out for the season, Gunner Cruz gets a second chance to run the UA offense. One thing has changed since his first stint: Arizona has run the ball more and better the past two games (162.0 ypg) than the first three (79.0). The key for Cruz is getting the ball out, so look Fisch to dial up some quick-hitting passes. Colorado hasnβt been the same defensively since limiting Texas A&M to 10 points (34.0 ppg since).
When Colorado has the ball β¦
If you think Arizonaβs offense has been bad, Coloradoβs has been worse. The Buffaloes are next to last nationally in scoring at 13.8 points per game. If you include only FBS matchups, that number drops to 8.5. Injuries and transfers thrust second-year freshman Brendon Lewis into the starting-QB role, and he has struggled, completing just 53.3% of his passes and averaging less than 100 yards per game. Arizonaβs objective: Stop the run and force Lewis into must-pass scenarios.
Colorado quarterback Brendon Lewis (12) during an NCAA football game against Arizona State on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Prediction: Arizona 20, Colorado 19
Just because the Wildcatsβ last victory came in Boulder, where theyβve won four straight, doesnβt mean itβll happen again. But no Pac-12 rival is more vulnerable than the Buffs, whose rΓ©sumΓ© includes a 30-0 home loss to Minnesota in which they were outgained 442-63. Colorado just had a bye, and that might help. Itβs hard to fix all your problems in one week, though. Arizona has been close in the fourth quarter. Itβs time to get over the hump.
