Colorado

Coach Prime’s 2nd game at Colorado highlights Week 2 for the undefeated Pac-12

Published

1 year ago

September 7, 2023

Press Room

Coach Prime’s 2nd game at Colorado highlights Week 2 for the undefeated Pac-12

Here are some things to watch this week in the Pac-12 Conference:

GAME OF THE WEEK

Nebraska at Colorado, Saturday. After Coach Prime’s spectacular debut for the Buffaloes all eyes will be on whether there be a repeat this week. Coach Deion Sanders’ Colorado team hosts former Big 12 rival Nebraska and one of the other high-profile first-year coaches in Matt Rhule. The Buffs were the surprise team in Week 1, getting a school-record 510 yards passing from Shedeur Sanders with four receivers topping the 100-yard mark in a 48-45 win over last year’s title-game finalist TCU. The star of the game was two-way star Travis Hunter, who had 11 catches for 119 yards on offense and an interception near the goal line on defense while playing 129 snaps. Rhule’s debut didn’t go nearly as well as the Cornhuskers lost 13-10 to Minnesota and fell to 2-14 in one-score games since the start of the 2021 season.

MATCHUP OF THE WEEK

No. 13 Oregon at Texas Tech, Saturday. The Ducks weren’t exactly tested in the season opener when they beat FCS-level Portland State 81-7 in the season opener. Bo Nix threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns before heading for the bench early in the third quarter as the Ducks had their highest-scoring game in the modern era. The task gets much tougher this week with a trip to Big 12-foe Texas Tech. The Red Raiders should have a level of desperation after losing their opener 35-33 in double OT at Wyoming. QB Tyler Shough should challenge the Oregon defense. He threw for 338 yards and three TDs last week.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

The Pac-12 is the only undefeated conference with every team winning the opener and USC starting 2-0. This is the first time since 1932 that every team in the conference won the season opener, according to ESPN. … The Pac-12 has seven games this week against teams from the other power conferences, just the fifth time that has happened for a conference since 2013. … The Pac-12 leads all conferences in scoring (46.5 points per game), total yards (513.2 per game), and yards per play (7.55). … Seven Pac-12 QBs threw at least three TD passes last week. The last time that happened in the conference was Week 4 of the 2019 season.

PLAYER TO WATCH

Dante Moore, QB, UCLA. Chip Kelly’s first five-star recruit at UCLA got off to a fast start in his college career. Moore came off the bench to lead the Bruins to four scores on six drives last week against Coastal Carolina. He went 7 for 12 for 143 yards, two TDs and one interception in the game. That should earn him even more playing time — and a possible starting role — when the Bruins visit San Diego State on Saturday.

UPSET WATCH

Washington State vs. No. 19 Wisconsin. The Cougars shocked the Badgers 17-14 on the road last year and will look for a repeat in front of the home crowd on Saturday. Washington State, which is seeking a long-term conference home after 10 of the 12 Pac-12 schools committed to leave next season, got off to a good start this season under coach Jake Dickert with a 50-24 win over Colorado State. QB Cam Ward threw for 451 yards and three TDs and ran for another score. Wisconsin won its first game under coach Luke Fickell with a 38-17 win over Buffalo behind 141 yards rushing from Braelon Allen but should be in for a much tougher test this week. The Badgers are 6 1/2-point favorites according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll

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Law enforcement investigate possible

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7 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Press Room

Law enforcement investigate possible “crime tourism” in Colorado – CBS Colorado

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A recent attempted burglary of an Aspen jewelry store has now drawn the attention of the FBI, as it appears to be a case of “crime tourism” or “burglary tourism.”

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Colorado

Colorado star and Heisman Trophy favorite Travis Hunter says he will enter the NFL Draft

Published

18 hours ago

November 21, 2024

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Colorado star and Heisman Trophy favorite Travis Hunter says he will enter the NFL Draft

Colorado Buffaloes two-way star Travis Hunter said Thursday he plans to declare for the 2025 NFL Draft.

“That’s definitely for sure,” Hunter, 21, told reporters when asked if he intended to declare.

A favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, Hunter plays both cornerback and receiver for the Buffaloes. He is projected by many to be selected first overall next April.

When asked about playing both offense and defense as a professional, Hunter acknowledged the rarity of doing both, saying, “It’s never been done.”

He added: “I understand that it will be a high risk, [teams] don’t want their top pick to go down too early and I know they’re going to want me to be in a couple packages. But I believe I can do it. Nobody has stopped me from doing it thus far.”

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In 10 games for Colorado this season, Hunter has 74 receptions for 911 yards and nine touchdowns — all career bests. Defensively, Hunter has three interceptions, eight passes defended and 23 tackles.

Hunter was a highly recruited player coming out of high school. A consensus five-star prospect, he originally committed to Florida State before flipping his commitment to Jackson State — becoming the first five-star recruit to commit to an HBCU.

Hunter played for one season at Jackson State under head coach Deion Sanders, then transferred to Colorado before the 2023 season when Sanders took the head coaching job there.

Last season, Hunter averaged close to 115 plays per game, participating in offense, defense and special teams.

Sanders’s son Shedeur, who plays quarterback for Colorado, is projected to be among the first signal-callers selected in next year’s draft. Another player who could be a Heisman finalist, Sanders said Thursday that Hunter is the more deserving of the two to win the award.

“If it’s between me and him, I would want him to get it,” Shedeur Sanders said. “He does a lot of amazing things and things that haven’t been done before. I’m not a selfish guy. I know what he’s capable of, so I would rather him win.”

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Seeking Revenge Against the Capitals | Colorado Avalanche

Published

1 day ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

Seeking Revenge Against the Capitals | Colorado Avalanche

Colorado Avalanche (10-9-0) @ Washington Capitals (13-4-1)

5 p.m. MT | Capital One Arena | Watch: Altitude, 9News, My20, Altitude+ | Listen: Altitude Sports Radio (92.5 FM)

For the second time in six days the Colorado Avalanche will faceoff against the Washington Capitals. Colorado will battle to split the season series after a 5-2 loss at Ball Arena on November 15.

Soaring Past the Flyers

The Avalanche beat the Flyers 3-2 at Wells Fargo Center on Monday. Cale Makar posted his 10th-career multi-goal game and Casey Mittlestadt added a goal. Additionally, Mikko Rantanen recorded two assists and Justus Annunen made 24 saves. Following a scoreless first period, Makar opened the scoring with a wrist shot from the slot at 8:30 of the second period after receiving Nathan MacKinnon’s set-up feed. Makar thought he had his second of the game at 10:44 of the middle frame, but the goal was taken off the board due to a successful Flyers challenge for goaltender interference. However, Makar would eventually double Colorado’s lead on the power play with his eighth tally of the season at 15:08 of the middle frame with a shot from the point that deflected off a Flyers player on its way in. The Burgundy and Blue took a 3-0 lead at 8:34 of the third period when Mittelstadt dispatched the rebound created by Rantanen’s shot into the net for his seventh goal of the season. The Flyers answered with goals from Owen Tippett at 11:48 and Tyson Foerster at 13:32 to cut their deficit to one, but the Avs held on to secure their 10th victory of the season.

Leading the Way

MacKinnon leads the NHL in points (34) and assists (27).

Makar leads NHL blueliners in goals (8), assists (19), and points (27). He’s tied for seventh among NHL skaters in points and tied for fifth in assists.

Rantanen is tied for sixth in the league in goals (12) and tied for seventh in points (27).

History

The Avalanche are 18-20-4 in 42 previous regular-season games against the Capitals. Colorado is 4-1-0 in its last five matchups against Washington dating back to the 2022-23 season.

Winning Out West

The Capitals beat the Utah Hockey Club 6-2 at the Delta Center on Monday. Alex Ovechkin scored twice, and Charlie Lindgren made 24 saves. Utah opened the scoring with a goal by Jack McBain at 3:05 of the first period but the Capitals responded with tallies from Dylan Strome at 7:46, Nic Dowd at 7:56, and Ovechkin at 11:05. Ovechkin extended Washington’s lead to three with a goal at 5:38 of the second period before Nick Bjugstad scored for Utah at 11:44 to make it 4-2 in favor of Washington entering the third period. Ovechkin did leave the game midway through the third period with a lower-body injury and has been placed on injured reserve and ruled week-to-week. The Caps added two more goals in the third period from Brandon Duhaime at 7:30 and Aliaksei Protas at 9:56 to win 6-2.

Putting Up Numbers on the Potomac

MacKinnon has posted 28 points (11g/17a) in 20-career matchups against the Capitals including 11 points (5g/6a) in 10 road matchups against them.

In eight previous meetings with Washington, Makar has recorded six points (2g/4a).

Rantanen has registered 19 points (8g/11a) in 14 previous games against Washington including eight points (4g/4a) on the road.

Capitals’ Contributors

Strome leads the Capitals in points (28) and assists (22).

Connor McMichael is second on the team in goals (12) and third in points (19).

Aliaksei Protas is fourth on the team in points (18), third in goals (7), and tied for third in assists (11).

A Numbers Game

10

Makar became the first defenseman in franchise history to record 10 multi-goal games.

3

The Avalanche have three players (MacKinnon, Makar, and Rantanen) in the top 10 in points. No other team has more than one.

165

The Avs have registered 165 high-danger shots on goal, which ranks sixth in the NHL.

Quote That Left a Mark

“Juice is great. I think he’s been great all year. [He made] some big saves, especially at the beginning there…So [it was a] heck of a job from Juice for sure.”

— Casey Mittelstadt on Justus Annunen’s performance on Monday

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