What Arizona State Coach Kenny Dillingham Said About Colorado Buffaloes

The best thing Kenny Dillingham said about the Colorado Buffaloes Saturday night came tucked inside an answer about his own quarterback.

The Arizona State coach was explaining why freshman Jake Fette's offense kept stalling in a 20-10 win in Tempe, and the culprit he landed on wore black and gold.

Colorado Buffaloes Head Coach Deion Sanders Arizona State Sun Devils Tempe Mountain America Stadium Big 12 Football Sideline — Nov 7, 2026; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders and Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Kenny Dillingham share laugh after the second half at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"And that was the story of the offense tonight, is the times that we got out of sync, there was some sort of play that was a negative that put us way out of sorts, whether it was their defensive line was really good," Dillingham said in his postgame press conference. "I thought that was one of the best, if not the best defensive lines we've played."

Coming from a coach whose team has faced Texas A&M, Texas Tech and BYU this season, that is a loud compliment. It is also cold comfort for a Colorado team that dropped to 3-6 and lost its ninth straight conference road game across the last two seasons.

Colorado's Defensive line won its fight with Kenny Dillingham's offense

Colorado held Arizona State to 108 rushing yards on 42 carries, piled up eight tackles for loss and forced four three-and-outs. He described what those negative plays did to his offense in plain terms.

"And whether it was just an instant TFL, which we had a few of those, and that knocks us to third and nine, or second and 14, it's like, man, that sucks," Dillingham said.

Arizona State managed three points after halftime, and Dillingham admitted some of that was on him.

Colorado Buffaloes Linebacker Gideon Lampron Arizona State Sun Devils Cardae Mack Tackle Defense Mountain America Stadium — Colorado linebacker Gideon Lampron (44) tackles Arizona State running back Cardae Mack (25) during a game at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe, on Nov. 7, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

"We were running the ball and being efficient so early that we kinda, then you get a 17 point lead, and yeah, my human nature kicks in," he said.

GET READY TO COMPETE

Pick your champion (you can change it later). We’ll email you when brackets open.

No purchase necessary. 50 U.S./D.C. 18+. Entry opens 3PM ET Dec 6, 2026 and closes 8PM ET Dec 18, 2026. Void where prohibited.See for complete details. The College Football Playoff (CFP) is not a sponsor or administrator of this contest.

Put another way, Colorado's defense did enough to win this game, and the offense dug a hole too deep to climb out of.

Kenny Dillingham's defense won the game before halftime

Colorado went 0-for-6 on third down and 0-for-2 on fourth down in the first half, and it didn't pick up a first down until the seven-minute mark of the second quarter. By the end of the night, the Buffaloes had outgained Arizona State 312 yards to 304 and still lost by 10.

Dillingham pointed to the red zone, where his defense limited the damage until Colorado's late touchdown.

"Even though we gave up a ton of yards, they still held in the red zone," he said.

Colorado's lone touchdown came with help from the other sideline. Elliott Arnold missed a 33-yard field goal, but a true freshman ran into him, and Arnold left hurt on the play. The penalty extended the drive, and Isaac Wilson finished it with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Joseph Williams.

Colorado Buffaloes Quarterback Isaac Wilson Arizona State Sun Devils Blazen Lono Wong Pressure Mountain America Stadium — Arizona State Julian Hugo (98) rushes Colorado quarterback Isaac Wilson (16) during a game at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe, on Nov. 7, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Dillingham called it a freshman mistake and a lesson for his staff.

"And it didn't cost us a game, which makes it a good mistake," he said.

Colorado's last chance died on a fourth-and-15 near midfield with 2:43 left, and the Buffaloes now have to beat Houston, Cincinnati and UCF to reach six wins.

Dillingham, meanwhile, got to enjoy one last card trick. Asked whether his fourth-and-short look with just over five minutes left was ever real, he didn't hesitate.

"Bluff all the way," Dillingham said.

Add us as a preferred source on Google