Raleek Brown’s 88-yard TD lifts Arizona State to 42-17 win over Colorado, keeps Big 12 title hopes alive

When Raleek Brown broke free for an 88-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, the crowd at Folsom Field went silent—not from applause, but disbelief. It was November 22, 2025, and the Arizona State Sun Devils had just turned a tight game into a rout, defeating the Colorado Buffaloes 42-17 in front of a frosty, fading home crowd. The win wasn’t just about momentum; it kept Arizona State’s slim, flickering chance at the Big 12 Conference championship gameArlington, Texas alive. With eight wins and a 6-2 conference record, the Sun Devils are still in the hunt. But here’s the thing: they need help. Badly.

Second-Half Surge Seals the Deal

Arizona State didn’t dominate early. They were sloppy—three fumbles, one interception, and a defense that looked gassed after Colorado’s opening drive. But something shifted at halftime. The Sun Devils came out with purpose. By the end of the third quarter, they’d turned a 17-13 deficit into a 28-17 lead. And then came the final 15 minutes: zero points for Colorado. Zero.

Raleek Brown was the engine. His 88-yard scamper wasn’t just a highlight reel gem—it was a statement. He finished with 192 yards on 18 carries and two touchdowns, the kind of performance that turns a player from a role player into a legend overnight. His first score came on a 12-yard plunge in the second quarter. The second? A breakaway that left three defenders grasping at air. "He’s got that kind of speed where you know, if he gets into the second level, it’s over," said Kenny Dillingham, Arizona State’s head coach, after the game. "He didn’t just run. He made them miss. That’s elite."

But it wasn’t just Brown. Kanye Udho added a 3-yard TD plunge late in the fourth, and J. Brown Jr. capped the scoring with a 1-yard dive. The Sun Devils racked up 580 total yards—355 of them on the ground. That’s more than Colorado’s entire offensive output for the season average.

The Unlikely Hero: A Punter Who Threw a Pass

Here’s where things got weird—and brilliant. With 7:12 left in the fourth, Arizona State faced fourth-and-7 at their own 41-yard line. Instead of punting, coach Dillingham called a trick play. Kanyon Floyd, the Sun Devils’ punter, took the snap, rolled right, and fired a 19-yard laser to Blazen Lono-Wong, a 310-pound defensive tackle. First down. The crowd gasped. The ESPN broadcast replayed it three times.

"That’s not in the playbook," joked Floyd postgame. "I just saw him open and thought, ‘Why not?’" The play extended the drive that led to Udho’s touchdown. It’s the kind of creative gamble that wins games when you’re playing with house money—and Arizona State, by all accounts, was.

Colorado’s Collapse and Coach Prime’s Shadow

For Colorado, it was a bitter end to a season that promised more. Head coach Deion Sanders, known as "Coach Prime," had turned the Buffaloes into a national story with his charisma and recruiting prowess. But Saturday night exposed cracks. The defense gave up 14 points in the final 12 minutes. The offense stalled repeatedly in the red zone. Analysts on Thee DNVR Postgame Show pointed to questionable clock management and an overreliance on deep passes that rarely connected.

"They had the talent. They just didn’t have the discipline," said former Colorado linebacker and current analyst Marcus Jackson on air. "When you’re down 17-13 at halftime, you don’t throw six passes in a row. You run. You control. You make them earn it. They didn’t.”

The Buffaloes’ home season ended 3-7 at Folsom Field. Their final game—a trip to face Kansas State Wildcats on November 29—will be a formality. For a team that returned to the Big 12 after a 13-year exile, it was a season of noise, not results.

Still Alive—But the Odds Are Stacked

Arizona State’s path to the Big 12 title game is a maze with no map. They need both Texas Tech Red Raiders and Brigham Young University Cougars to lose their final games. Texas Tech hosts Oklahoma State. BYU travels to Utah. Neither is a gimme, but both are winnable. If both teams slip, Arizona State—currently third in the conference—could sneak in as the #3 seed.

"There’s not many teams still in college football playing meaningful football," Dillingham said. And he’s right. With the College Football Playoff field locked and most bowl bids set, the Sun Devils are one of the last teams fighting for something real. That’s rare. That’s valuable.

What’s Next?

Arizona State’s final regular season game is Friday, November 28, 2025, against archrival University of Arizona Wildcats at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe. It’s the Territorial Cup—the oldest rivalry west of the Mississippi. Win, and they’ll likely head to a New Year’s Six bowl. Lose, and they’ll be fighting for a mid-tier bowl bid.

For now, the Sun Devils are living in the moment. Brown’s run will be replayed for years. Floyd’s pass will be studied. And the fact that they’re still alive? That’s the story.