What Colorado Buffaloes Players Are Saying About Arizona State, Jordyn Tyson

BOULDER — Coach Deion Sanders and his Colorado Buffaloes players are well aware of the immense challenge facing them this weekend with the defending Big 12 Conference champion Arizona State Sun Devils set to visit Boulder.

Arizona State hasn't quite matched last year's unexpected run to the College Football Playoff, but coach Kenny Dillingham's 7-3 Sun Devils remain alive in the Big 12 title race and should give Colorado all it can handle. Backup quarterback Jeff Sims has performed well in place of the injured Sam Leavitt, and standout wide receiver Jordyn Tyson is expected to return from a hamstring injury to face his former team on Saturday.

As for Colorado, coach Deion Sanders' Buffs are 3-7 entering their final home game of the season. Energy surrounds the Buffs, however, as true freshman quarterback Julian "JuJu" Lewis is slated to receive his second career start and his first at Folsom Field.

Ahead of Saturday's matchup, a few notable CU players shared their thoughts on Arizona State and Tyson:

Safety Ben Finneseth

What Colorado Buffaloes Players Saying Arizona State Jordyn Tyson Sun Devils Jeremiah Brown Ben Finneseth Zarian McGill CU — Sep 28, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; UCF Knights wide receiver Xavier Townsend (3) runs the ball against Colorado Buffaloes safety Ben Finneseth (28) during the second quarter at FBC Mortgage Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

"JT (Tyson) is a talented kid, and I'm happy for him," Finneseth said. "Obviously, a guy you know, to see him transfer and do well like that, it's cool to see. And there's obviously a couple of other guys that played here too, like Kyndrich Breedlove and Chamon Metayer. I've stayed in somewhat contact with Breedlove, too, so I'm excited to see him, and it's cool to see him balling, too. I hope JT is healthy and ready to play, and it's gonna be a fun battle. It'll be homecoming for him."

Cornerback Ivan Yates

"He's a tremendous player, as everybody knows," Yates said of Tyson. "There's no secret about that. But the biggest thing is just taking care of what we can take care of. Coach has done a great job implementing the right things, the right schemes. It's just a matter of going out there and performing when the time comes on Saturday night under the lights."

Offensive Lineman Zarian McGill

"They got a really good defensive line, so we're just trying to have the right game plan and go out and try to execute and play to the best to our ability and get the job done. dominate," McGill said.

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Linebacker Jeremiah Brown

"They've kind of shifted these past couple of games, especially starting that Utah game when Jeff Sims came in at quarterback," Brown said. "He's very talented. We played him at Nebraska in 2023 when he had that 70-yard run on us, so you've got to close space on him and get him frustrated, penetration and stop that run."

Kickoff between Colorado and Arizona State is set for 6 p.m. MT on ESPN2.