PLAYERS TO WATCH
–WR K.D. Nixon helped the Buffs cope with the absence of Laviska Shenault Jr. by posting a career afternoon against Oregon State. The sophomore earned 198 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 13 catches, eight of which resulted in first downs. Nixon has established himself as the team’s No. 2 receiver with 560 yards and three scoring grabs. The day turned soured, however, for Nixon, who dropped what would have been a potential game-tying touchdown on third down in overtime against the Beavers.
–RB Travon McMillian returned to the century club after a two-week absence with his fifth 100-yard performance on the year, courtesy of 132 yards and a touchdown versus Oregon State. The Virginia Tech transfer now has 778 yards for the Buffs, good enough for fifth in the Pac-12 at 97.3 yards per game.
–DE Terrance Lang made a name for himself in Boulder after his PAT block with 29 seconds remaining sent the Buffs to overtime against Oregon State. The redshirt freshman added a sack and broke up a pass on the afternoon, all of which were career firsts.
–ILB Nate Landman has 31 tackles (23 solo) in his last three games, including four of them for a loss (two sacks) against Oregon State. The redshirt sophomore’s effort earned him votes for this week’s Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week Award, an honor that, instead, went to California’s Evan Weaver Jr. Landman leads Colorado with 76 tackles, 33 more than the closest teammate and fellow inside linebacker Rick Gamboa.
SERIES HISTORY: If history is any indication, the game Saturday could be a high-scoring one. Arizona has dominated the series since Colorado joined the Pac-12 in 2011, winning five of the seven contests. Those matchups have averaged 73.6 combined points with the winning team in each game posting at least 38 on the scoreboard. Otherwise, the Buffs have owned the rivalry that dates to the 1931 season and the days of the Rocky Mountain Conference with a 14-6 margin.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “This year we’ve been looking to give paybacks to those teams we lost to last year. Arizona is definitely one of them. They are a great team. Coming off of this loss (Oregon State), it is a little sore for us. It is always in the back of our mind. We are going to move on and focus on Arizona. It is going to make playing that much sweeter. That adds extra motivation to the fact that we are going down to Arizona and we want this win. It is going to fuel the fire for us.” — Colorado linebacker Nate Landman
