George W. Bush was President, the Pittsburgh Steelers were the defending Super Bowl Champions and the first iPhone had just been released the last time the Colorado Buffaloes won a football game away from Folsom Field.
The Buffaloes (1-7, 0-4 Pac-12) will look to break a 21-game-road losing streak that dates back to 2007 when they visit the No. 21 ASU Sun Devils (5-2, 3-1) on Saturday.
“It’s at the top of the list,” Colorado coach Jon Embree said about the importance of winning a road game. “You can’t talk about other stuff until you do that.”
Although the Sun Devils are just 2-2 when coming off a bye week during coach Dennis Erickson’s tenure, Embree knows this Saturday will be anything but a cakewalk.
“When you look at them, you got to start with (Brock) Osweiler,” Embree said. “He’s impressive. He does a good job. He has some real good receivers. Defensively, they’re very physical up front, real active. Another good task for the Colorado Buffaloes.”
If the Buffaloes want to see success, they will need to slow down an ASU offense that averages 34 points and 427 yards per game. This is easier said than done for a struggling defense as Colorado has given up at least 500 yards and 45 points in each of their last three games.
Not only will the Buffaloes attempt to win their first road game in four years, but they will also be trying to record their first ever Pac-12 victory. Colorado has not had success within the conference this season, but Embree insists it is due to rebuilding rather than a culture shock from the new conference.
“It didn’t surprise me at all,” Embree said of the Pac-12. “This league has been everything I thought it was. We’re starting a program new, trying to build and create some different things.”
The Buffaloes have played 15 true freshmen this season. The majority of those freshmen have started games and Embree believes the significant playing time will allow the young players to improve and the team to progress as a whole.
“It gives us a leg up for next year,” Embree said. “It gives us a great chance to evaluate. We’ll be playing a decent amount of freshman next year also and that’s OK. To me, it’s nothing but positive.”
Freshman running back Tony Jones, who became the starter after senior Rodney Stewart suffered a knee injury, will gain even more experience when he takes the field against the Sun Devils.
“Tony is done very well,” Embree said. “He’s continued to progress. Tony is learning a lot of football. He was just a runner in the past and now he’s learning how to run. There’s a big difference. Now he understands what the defenses are doing, understands who his pre-snap reads are.
“There are a lot of things that go into being a running back and not just running around trying to make things happen. He’s progressed well and I am excited about his future.”
The Buffaloes will be heavy underdogs on Saturday, and are 0-2 all-time versus ASU, but an upset victory over the Sun Devils would be a monumental step in Colorado’s rebuilding process.
Reach the reporter at william.boor@asu.edu
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