College Sports

No. 5 Texas A&M, Colorado square off for 1st time since '09

Posted September 09, 2021 7:00 am

By The Associated Press

No. 5 Texas A&M (1-0) vs. Colorado (1-0) at Empower Field in Denver, Saturday at 3:30 p.m. EDT (FOX).

Line: Texas A&M by 16 ˆ½, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Series record: Colorado leads 6-3

WHAT'S AT STAKE?

Former Big 12 adversaries are meeting for the first time since 2009. The Aggies, who jumped a spot to No. 5 in the recent AP poll, are seeking their second win in the state of Colorado. They beat the Buffaloes 16-10 in Boulder on their way to the Big 12 South crown in 1997. Colorado has an all-time mark of 55-35-3 when playing in Denver.

KEY MATCHUP

The Aggies boast a triple threat on offense that includes tailbacks Devon Achane and Isaiah Spiller, along with receiver Ainias Smith. In a 41-10 win over Kent State to start the season, Achane and Spiller both eclipsed 100 yards rushing, while Smith had 100 yards receiving and two scores. Colorado held Northern Colorado to just 20 yards rushing in the opener.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Texas A&M: Tight end Jalen Wydermyer needs 11 yards receiving to become the fourth Aggies tight end to record 1,000 yards. His 12 career TD catches are already the most in program history for a tight end.

Colorado: The Buffaloes have two tailbacks nearing the 1,000-yard mark for their careers in Jarek Broussard (907 yards rushing) and Alex Fontenot (957).

FACTS & FIGURES

Texas A&M and Colorado were members of the Big 12 from 1996-2010. The Buffaloes joined what's now the Pac-12 in 2011 and the Aggies left for the SEC a year later. ... The last meeting between the two teams was 2009, when Colorado rallied for a 35-34 win. ... The '04 game featured 1,042 total yards. ... Texas A&M has 12 of its top-15 tacklers back from a top-10 defense last season. ... Ralphie VI made her debut last Friday. Born on May 27, 2020, she currently weighs around 500 pounds and could grow to about 1,300. ... Colorado has 47 wins over AP ranked teams dating to the 1989 season. ... The Buffaloes' last win over a top-five team was against No. 3 Oklahoma on Sept. 29, 2007. ... Six of the nine games in the series have been decided by one score.

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Colorado quarterback Brendon Lewis, left, hands off the ball to running back Jarek Broussard in the first half of an NCAA college football game against Northern Colorado, Friday, Sept. 3, 2021, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) The Associated Press

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