Colorado finally got their first Big 12 win of the season in overtime against Kansas State. Now they are looking to build on that momentum and take down Arizona State to keep their bowl-game chances alive. But to beat the Sun Devils, they will need to contain wide receiver Reed Harris.
Harris is in his first season with Arizona State after spending the previous three seasons with Boston College. He quickly emerged as the Sun Devils' top receiver and currently leads the Big 12 in receiving yards with 804 yards. Harris is also top-10 in the country in receiving touchdowns with eight so far this season.
How Reed Harris can change this game
Through the first eight games of the season, Harris is averaging over 100 yards per game and has four 100-yard games. His touchdowns also tend to come
in chunks, with three games in which he has two touchdowns this season. Therefore, Harris takes over games with his impressive frame, elite catch radius and deep-threat ability.
Colorado has a problem with top receivers so far this season. They allowed Justin Bowick to put up 138 yards in their loss to Oklahoma State and also let Gavin Freeman with Baylor put up some chunk plays and score a touchdown. So, this is an opportunity for the Buffaloes' secondary to step up and help them win.
How Colorado slows Harris down
Two weeks ago, the Sun Devils faced Kansas State and Harris had six receptions for 147 yards. Every other receiver on Arizona State combined for 65 receiving yards. This tells Colorado that the pass game runs through Harris. Without him, they struggle to get the pass game going and become a one-dimensional offense.
Therefore, Colorado needs to follow a similar strategy to what BYU did last week when they held Harris to just four receiving yards. The Buffaloes need two defenders on Harris at all times to prevent him from making any big plays downfield. Also, since Colorado will be playing against an inexperienced quarterback again this season, if the Buffaloes can pressure the backfield, quarterback Jake Fette will not have enough time for plays to develop. That will also help slow Harris down.
Prediction
This will be the second straight week Colorado faces an inexperienced quarterback, except this time they at least have some film to work with since Fette played last week. BYU also had the most success of any team so far this year in defending Harris.
The Buffaloes will need to use that film to develop a game plan for this offense. While I don't anticipate Harris being held to just one reception for four yards again, Colorado will keep him under 100 receiving yards and keep him out of the end zone. He hasn't scored in Arizona State's last two games.
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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Colorado football must contain Arizona State WR Reed Harris in Week 10
