Colorado
Grading The Week: Meet the Colorado QB who debuted with better stats than CU Buffs star Shedeur Sanders
Remember how insane Shedeur Sanders’ 2024 debut performance was against North Dakota State? Well, what if I told you that 445 passing yards and four scores was only the second-most impressive opening-week performance by a collegiate quarterback in the state of Colorado?
The statniks up in the Grading The Week cubicles didn’t believe it, either, frankly. But then somebody sent them details of Devin Larsen’s prime-time inaugural appearance for CSU-Pueblo up in Rapid City, S.D.
Larsen’s record-breaking debut — A
Making his ThunderWolves debut, the senior transfer from Western New Mexico (’21-’23) by way of Garden City Community College (’21) and Iowa State (’19-’20) piled up 508 passing yards while throwing for five touchdowns and zero interceptions to power CSU-Pueblo to a 35-6 victory.
The 6-foot-4 Arizona native completed 30 of 45 throws on the night. His 508 yards were a school record and the most by any collegiate QB at any NCAA level for the week.
While Sanders has showcased his talents as a singer, writer, rapper and performer, it turns out Larsen is something of a renaissance man himself. In April 2023, the future CSU Pueblo signal-caller won a creative writing contest held by the Western New Mexico humanities department for his poetry. Larsen’s winning entry was titled “To Find My Great Perhaps,” and was described by the university as a work that “celebrates the adventure of living in nature.”
If Larsen’s initial appearance for the ThunderWolves is any indication, CSU-Pueblo fans could be in for more than a few celebratory adventures this fall.
PS2’s reign as NFL’s highest-paid CB — B
Pat Surtain II will always have Wednesday. And Thursday. And … well, that’s pretty much it. Turns out PS2’s reign as the NFL’s highest-paid cornerback, while deserved, also became fairly brief. So brief, it lasted about two days.
This past Wednesday, the Broncos’ Pro Bowl defender inked a deal worth $24 million per year. On Friday, the Dolphins gave Jalen Ramsey a three-year deal worth a reported $24.1 million a season, just pipping Surtain over the finish line.
Dollander’s dominance — A
More than 13 strikeouts per game. A K-to-walk ratio of almost 4-to-1. A 2.38 ERA overall, and a 1.65 ERA over his last eight starts.
Sounds a lot like Paul Skenes, you say? Darn straight. Only those numbers belong not to the National League’s most exciting starter. They’re the latest stats for arguably the most exciting National League starter in the minors right now — and he’s a Rockie.
If you’re like the kids on the GTW staff, you’d sooner stare into the high desert sun than watch the pitching on 20th and Bleak. But would you believe help is on the way?
While Bo Nix, Sean Payton, Deion Sanders and Travis Hunter are stealing all the digital ink to start the fall, Rockies right-handed starter Chase Dollander, Colorado’s top pick in the ’23 MLB Draft, is quietly making a case to be considered one of the top pitching prospects chucking it right now.
This past Thursday, the 6-foot-2 Georgia native posted his sixth straight appearance for the Double-A Hartford Yard Goats of at least five innings pitched, at least six strikeouts and with two or fewer runs allowed.
Late last month, he became the first Hartford pitcher to record back-to-back games of double-digits Ks, fanning 10 Binghamton hitters after recording 10 strikeouts against New Hampshire. The righty’s racked up at least 10 Ks in six of his 22 appearances this season for Spokane and Hartford. Other than the baseball gods, who says Rockies fans can’t have nice things?
Originally Published:
Colorado
Gov. Jared Polis reveals proposed $46 billion Colorado budget
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Colorado
Ongoing debate surrounds Colorado's election security after password updates
Colorado Gov. Jarid Polis and Secretary of State Jena Griswold say the state has completed updating all the passwords on election machines. This comes after a set of passwords for the state’s voting system were leaked online on Wednesday.
To complete the effort, eight staff members from the Department of State along with 22 state cybersecurity personnel were directed to make efforts to protect the integrity of voting. Each member of the team was background-checked and underwent the proper training. Additionally, they worked in teams and were observed by county election officials.
Griswold announced the leak on Tuesday, saying a spreadsheet posted on her office’s website had a tab with partial passwords for Colorado voting machines.
Following the leak, the governor’s office says they responded quickly to safeguard the election. Secretary Griswold says she appreciates the action as protecting Colorado’s elections is a top priority.
“Colorado has countless layers of security to ensure our elections are free and fair, and every eligible voter should know their ballot will be counted as cast,” said Secretary of State Jena Griswold in a press release.
On Friday, the state’s Bipartisan Election Advisory Commission met at the Denver Elections Division, where the recent issue was a topic of conversation.
“One password leak is not going to compromise the whole enchilada. It’s just not right,” said Denver County Clerk Paul Lopez. “You literally have to be Jason Bourne. You’ve got to be Mission Impossible, coming down in here with badge access, physical access, to tamper with anything.”
Lopez attended the event where dozens of volunteers worked to verify signatures by eye. Between each step of the process, they weigh the ballot on a sensitive scale to make sure it all matches up. Despite an occasional irregularity with a ballot, they have not seen any major issues or problems related to the password leak.
“Rest assured that your vote is safe and will be counted and it is transparent,” said Lopez. “If you have any questions whatsoever, don’t go to Facebook. Don’t go to Twitter. Don’t believe the hype. That is a lot of misinformation. Hit up your county clerk’s office.”
Despite efforts to calm concerns, the incident has sparked controversy about voting in Colorado. Unsurprisingly, it has also led to political backlash, with various members of the Republican Party, including presidential candidate Donald Trump, questioning the integrity of the elections in the state. Trump’s campaign is now suggesting that voting should be paused.
“The Secretary of State must immediately identify the counties affected by the security breach, notify them, direct them to halt processing of mail ballots, and prepare to re-scan all ballots,” said a letter from the Trump campaign. This process is laid out under Colorado law and would not disrupt the voting process, as counties are not permitted to disclose results until 7:00 p.m. on Election Day.”
Colorado officials say there are multiple layers of security. For instance, the passwords shared were one of two passwords needed to make changes to the voting system. On top of that, these machines can only be accessed by someone in person. The machines are stored in a secure area that needs an ID badge to access and is under around-the-clock video camera recording.
Colorado
How to watch Colorado Rapids vs. Los Angeles Galaxy (11/1/24): Live stream, time, TV, channel for MLS playoffs
Colorado Rapids faces Los Angeles Galaxy in an MLS playoff game on Friday, Nov. 1 2024 (11/1/24) at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado.
HOW TO WATCH: Fans can watch on Apple TV+, via a subscription to the MLS Season Pass.
Here’s what you need to know:
What: MLS game
Who: Colorado Rapids vs. Los Angeles Galaxy
When: Friday, Nov. 1 2024
Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
Where: Dick’s Sporting Goods Park
TV: N/A
Live stream: Apple TV+
Here’s a recent AP MLS story:
LA Galaxy (19-8-7, first in the Western Conference during the regular season) vs. Colorado Rapids (15-14-5, seventh in the Conference during the regular season)
Commerce City, Colorado; Friday, 9:30 p.m. EDT
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Los Angeles +127, Colorado +164; over/under is 3.5 goals
BOTTOM LINE: The Colorado Rapids host the LA Galaxy in the Western Conference semifinals.
The Rapids are 12-14-3 against Western Conference opponents. Rafael Navarro leads the eighth-ranked scoring team in the league with 15 goals. The Rapids have scored 61.
The Galaxy are 18-7-5 against conference opponents. The Galaxy are ninth in the Western Conference drawing 169 corner kicks, averaging 5.0 per game.
The teams square off Friday for the fourth time this season. The Galaxy won the last meeting 5-0.
TOP PERFORMERS: Navarro has 15 goals and one assist for the Rapids. Jonathan Lewis has two goals and one assist over the past 10 games.
Dejan Joveljic has 16 goals and six assists for the Galaxy. Riqui Puig has eight goals and five assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Rapids: 4-6-0, averaging 1.4 goals, 4.2 shots on goal and 3.6 corner kicks per game while allowing 2.4 goals per game.
Galaxy: 7-3-0, averaging 2.7 goals, 6.9 shots on goal and 4.2 corner kicks per game while allowing 1.6 goals per game.
NOT EXPECTED TO PLAY: Rapids: Djordje Mihailovic (injured).
Galaxy: Marky Delgado (injured), Martin Caceres (injured).
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