BOULDER — Just hoping Colorado can keep the score respectable Saturday night in the Pac-12 opener against No. 16 Arizona State has no place in the Buffaloes’ mind-set, CU coach Mike MacIntyre and players said Tuesday.
“Arizona State is a really good team, but we’re going out to win,” Colorado sophomore quarterback Sefo Liufau said. “It can be a measuring stick. But we’re not going in there to measure how close we can lose by.
“No one should ever go in with that mind-set. We’re going in there to win. We’re going in to win every Pac-12 game.”
For a young CU team (1-1) trying to establish an identity, Arizona State (2-0) is a tough draw for the Buffs’ first home game. The Sun Devils, winners of the Pac-12 ‘s South Division in 2013, feature dual-threat quarterback Taylor Kelly and the league’s top rusher, junior D.J. Foster (363 yards and four touchdowns).
In romps over Weber State and New Mexico, the Sun Devils averaged 51.5 points and 595.5 yards. CU, meanwhile, lost to in-state rival Colorado State and needed a second-half comeback to beat a Massachusetts team that has not been competitive in the Mid-American Conference.
Since joining the Pac-12, CU has been pummeled in three meetings with ASU by an average score of 51-15.
Footnotes. The game has an 8 p.m. kickoff to accommodate a telecast by ESPNU . … CU is relatively healthy, and every player who got into the game against UMass should be available, MacIntyre said. Freshman defensive end Christian Shaver (ankle sprain) was the only CU player taken to the locker room with an injury last weekend.
Tom Kensler: tkensler@denverpost.com or
