TCU player Josh Hoover knows there is no margin for sloppiness as his team heads into its showdown. After Eric McAlister torched SMU for three touchdowns in the Iron Skillet win, the Horned Frogs quarterback admitted they will need their sharpest, most complete performance yet to handle a Sun Devils defense that can be physical and disruptive. His blunt assessment underscored how quickly TCU must turn a rivalry high into sustained, disciplined football against a Pac-12 opponent.
On the other side of the matchup, Arizona State is finally getting some help back. Pete Thamel reported on X that wide receiver Jordyn Tyson is expected to return from his hamstring injury and suit up against Colorado, with the plan for him to warm up and be cleared if there are no setbacks.
That would put Tyson on the field in Boulder against his former team, adding an emotional edge to an already important game.
Tyson has been sidelined since suffering the hamstring issue on Oct. 18 versus Texas Tech, and his absence has been felt in Arizona State’s passing game. Before going down, he was pacing the Sun Devils in essentially every major receiving category and functioning as their primary explosive threat. Getting him back, even on a managed snap count, changes how defenses have to align from the opening series.
Earlier in the month, reports out of Tempe had Tyson merely listed as questionable, with his status very much up in the air heading into the weekend. Kenny Dillingham used the bye as a true reset, giving players a full mental and physical break instead of grinding through practice. That approach helped the roster stay relatively healthy, but the offense still lacked its top wideout.
In Tyson’s absence, tight end Chamon Metayer emerged as a steady chain-mover, while running back Raleek Brown pushed toward a 1,000-yard season on the ground.
Even so, neither offers the same vertical stress Tyson puts on a secondary. His speed, route craft, and familiarity with Colorado’s personnel make him a particularly tricky assignment for the Buffs’ defensive backs.
Between Hoover’s urgency about facing Arizona State and Tyson’s expected return for ASU’s own trip to Colorado, both sides of this stretch are framed by how much cleaner and more dangerous the Sun Devils can look when their top playmaker is finally back in uniform. If he gets through warmups and is cleared, Colorado will be dealing not only with a motivated former teammate but with a receiver capable of tilting a game in a single drive.
