How each Colorado senior performed on senior night against ASU
- Liam Howard
- 11 minutes ago
- 7 min read
The Colorado Buffaloes honored their seniors on Saturday against the Arizona State Sun Devils, and plenty of them made a contributing effort in the game. Despite the loss, the Buffs still created several special moments for their seniors in their final game at Folsom Field. Here’s a look at how each senior who saw the field performed in their final home game.
WR Sincere Brown
Sincere Brown was one of the few bright spots in a largely dormant receiving group for the Buffs. He recorded 50 yards receiving on just three catches, good for an average of 16.7 yards per reception. This total included a 33-yard reception on a screen pass that saw him create something out of nothing and maneuver past would-be tacklers to convert on a Buffs 3rd and 23. While this play was ultimately nullified by a fumble on the following sequence, it was still a major moment for Brown in his final home game.
Big plays have been the name of the game for Brown in 2025 as he averages 17.6 yards per catch. This was on display in his season debut against the Delaware Blue Hens in Week 2 of the season. He recorded 120 yards on just four receptions in that game to put himself on the map for Buffs fans.
QB Colton Allen
Colton Allen was given the opportunity to attempt his first career pass on senior night in the final play of the game. He completed a short screen pass to wideout Joseph Williams for his first completion at the college level. Additionally, albeit in the lowest sample size possible, this allowed him to finish his career with a 100 percent completion rate.
Ensuring Allen saw the field was of great importance to Colorado head coach Deion Sanders, which he confirmed postgame.
“Some of these men, they’ll never play here again,” Sanders said. “...That’s why I called timeout at the end of the durn game and got Colton in…you’ve got to consider that stuff.”
Offensive Line
Four of Colorado’s starting offensive linemen were members of its senior class. That list consisted of tackle Kareem Harden, center Zarian McGill, guard Xavier Hill and guard Zy Crisler.
The group surrendered four sacks to the Arizona State defense, something freshman quarterback Julian Lewis was quick to blame on himself rather than his offensive line.
“The o-line did their thing today,” Lewis said postgame. “I took some unnecessary sacks, [threw] some bad balls, I’ve got to make up for them.”
McGill had a unique celebration during the senior ceremony, as his parents were unable to attend the game. In their place, Coach Prime walked with McGill ahead of his final game in Boulder.
“It means a lot to me,” Sanders said. “I love him like a son, I love a lot of those young men…that’s a touching moment.”
CB Ivan Yates
Ivan Yates was another one of the most heavily contributing seniors against Arizona State, as he played a large role in shutting down a returning Jordyn Tyson.
The star wideout finished the game with just two catches, and despite them both being big gains, preventing him from being involved more frequently was no small feat. Yates had one pass breakup against Tyson while only allowing one reception from any receiver he covered during the game.
While Arizona State’s offense still had its way with the Buffs’ defense, Yates forced the Sun Devils to move the game plan away from their star wideout.
DE Arden Walker
Colorado’s front-seven struggled mightily to stop the run against Arizona State, and unfortunately for Arden Walker, he was no exception.
Walker recorded just three total tackles with a quarterback hurry in his final home game. He, along with many of his teammates, failed to fill gaps created by Arizona State’s offensive line,
and the staggering 355 yards ASU recorded on the ground were indicative of this.
This performance was certainly not how the Denver native hoped to close out his time in Boulder, but he and the rest of his team still have redemption on the table against Kansas State in Week 14.
DE Keaten Wade
Keaten Wade was in a similar boat to Walker, but his contributions in the backfield were slightly more notable. Wade finished with six total tackles, three solo tackles and one tackle for loss.
His lone tackle for loss came on a well-diagnosed screen pass that saw him blow past blockers to drop running back Demarius Robinson for a nine-yard loss in the first quarter.
Wade found his way past the Sun Devils’ offensive line slightly easier than Walker, but neither defensive end held the answers to containing the running game.
LB Shaun Myers
Shaun Myers certainly pulled his weight for Colorado’s defense, as he contributed in numerous facets of the game.
He was a tackling machine, as he recorded seven total tackles, which was the second-highest in the contest for CU. Six of those tackles were recorded without assistance, and he also got after ASU quarterback Jeff Sims for Colorado’s only sack of the game.
Later in the contest, Arizona State was backed up inside its own 20-yard line when Myers brought heavy pressure after Sims. In a moment of panic, Sims lazily shoveled the ball forward to his receiver, but Myers jumped in front of the errant pass for what was ruled as a fumble recovery.
A nine-yard return set CU up at the 10-yard line, and although the Buffs’ offense was unable to convert a touchdown off the chance, credit still must go to Myers for setting that unit up for success.
LB Reginald Hughes
Reginald Hughes had a game he certainly would’ve liked to improve on as he made no major contribution to the Buffs’ run-stopping attempts. He registered just four total tackles at the Mike linebacker position, and, like Walker, struggled to fill gaps and diagnose the Sun Devils’ run game.
“We’ve just got to be better,” Hughes said. “...No matter if we’re getting on the field consecutively, or we’re getting turnovers, then having to come right back. We’ve just got to be better and execute, it doesn’t matter what the situation is.”
As the Buffs approach a contest against a Kansas State team with dangerous rushing capabilities behind quarterback Avery Johnson and running back Joe Jackson, they will look for a major rebound from Hughes as they desperately search for an anchor at the center of their defense.
CB Preston Hodge
Preston Hodge was a do-it-all man for the Buffaloes in his final home game. The corner recorded a team-high eight total tackles and seven solo tackles.
Following an injury to star safety Tawfiq Byard, CU’s defense needed a new ballhawk to make crucial chase-down tackles. Hodge rose to the occasion, all while being rotated through several different positions in the process.
Hodge displayed improvement on senior night as a willing tackler and a player who stood out amid the Buffs’ defensive struggles
DT Taurean Carter II
Carter made his fourth-ever appearance for the Buffs on Saturday, as he has struggled to see
the field in his two seasons in Boulder.
He recorded just one tackle in 2024 and entered this game late in the fourth quarter, well after it had gotten out of hand.
However, in his limited snaps, Carter still managed to record a pair of tackles, both of which were unassisted.
DT Anquin Barnes Jr.
It was more of the same for Anquin Barnes Jr. in the run game as he suffered along with the rest of the front seven. He finished with just four total tackles and only two solo tackles.
Barnes was playing a rotational role, so he didn’t have quite the same opportunities to contribute as some of his teammates. However, when he was on the field, he looked similarly answerless to them as the Sun Devils had their way in the run game.
K Alejandro Mata
Alejandro Mata was up to business as usual in the face of the heightened emotions on Saturday, as he rose to all occasions.
He nailed both of his extra point attempts, and on his lone field goal, he nailed his first attempt before a penalty forced him to re-kick. That didn’t phase “Matamatic,” though, as his second kick was just as accurate as the first.
In his career, Mata has only missed seven field goals (42-for-49), good for a 90% clip. He’s never had the strongest leg, but within his range, he’s been one of the Buffs’ most reliable players for the last three years.
K Buck Buchanan
Buck Buchanan has served as the Buffaloes’ kickoff specialist in 2025, and he’s been hard to return kickoffs on, to say the least. That was the case in his final home game as well, as he didn’t allow a single return on any of his four kickoffs.
Buchanan has been the inverse of Mata in his lone season at Colorado. He possesses incredible leg strength, but lacks consistent accuracy. For this reason, he was relegated to the kickoff specialist role, but he was brought on to attempt a 57-yard field goal against the Iowa State Cyclones, which he missed.
This displayed the coaches’ understanding of his and Mata’s inverse skillsets, though, as they were willing to take a gamble on accuracy to have a chance at a field goal outside of Mata’s range.
A high level of turnover will be expected once again for this Colorado team during the offseason. Whether it's through graduation or the transfer portal, this will be a starkly different group in 2026. That said, this group of seniors left it all on the field in their final home game, despite the loss. They now gear up to attempt to play spoiler against a Kansas State team that needs a win for Bowl eligibility.
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