TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Jake Fette became the first Arizona State quarterback in 30 years to throw and catch a touchdown pass in the same game and the Sun Devils held on to beat Colorado 20-10 on Saturday night.
Coming off a 27-20 loss at No. 7 BYU, the Sun Devils (5-4, 3-3 Big 12) raced out to a 17-0 halftime lead against the flailing Buffaloes (3-6, 1-5).
Making his first home start, Fette threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Reed Harris and caught 1-yard
TD pass, becoming the first Arizona State quarterback since Jake Plummer in 1996 to have both in the same game — on the same night the 1996 team was honored.
The Buffaloes came to life after a lackluster first half, shutting down Arizona State while finding a rhythm on offense.
Colorado cut Arizona State’s lead to 20-10 on a field goal and Isaac Wilson’s 7-yard TD pass to Joseph Williams — after ASU was called for running into the kicker on a field-goal attempt. The Buffaloes' hopes ended with a failed fourth-and-15 near midfield with 2:43 left.
Colorado coach Deion Sanders lauded the Buffaloes on Tuesday for having their best practice of the season.
The good vibes didn't seem to travel with them to the desert.
Colorado did little right in a stuck-in-the sand first half, managing 103 total yards — 62 in the final 45 seconds.
Colorado didn’t have a first down until the seven-minute mark of the second quarter and that drive ended when Wilson took a 24-yard sack on fourth-and-6 from Arizona State’s 34-yard line.
The Buffaloes' one big play, a 74-yard touchdown pass from Wilson to Ernest Campbell, was wiped out by an illegal man downfield penalty.
Arizona State opened with Carson Smith's 31-yard field goal and scored on a fourth-and-goal from the 1 when running back Cardae Mack took a direct snap, faked a run and lobbed the ball to Fette in the end zone.
Fette's perfectly-thrown TD pass to Harris put the Sun Devils up 17-0 at halftime.
Colorado: All the progress the Buffaloes seemed to make in the win over Kansas State went up in smoke with an ugly first half in the desert.
Arizona State: The Sun Devils labored through the second half, but did enough in the first to pull out a win.
Colorado: Hosts No. 17 Houston next Saturday.
Arizona State: Plays at UCF next Saturday.
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