Every week presents a new defensive challenge for offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur to navigate, but both he and his unit have adapted well, forcing defenses to adjust to their evolution.

Shurmur deferred to 10-personnel frequently throughout the first four games, but a significant switch came during the UCF game as Shumur implemented more 11-personnel with a tight end on the field. Presenting additional 11-personnel looks yielded a then-season-high 128 rushing yards and the Buffs’ highest scoring game in under coach Deion Sanders.

Since the UCF game, Shurmur’s responsiveness to continue change personnel groupings has expanded the run game and warranted increased efficiency for the offense. Colorado went from averaging 26.8 points per game in the first four games to 36.0 points per game in the last four games.

Since the 48-21 win against UCF, Shurmur's play-calling and creativity resulted in a high-octane offense that is now up to 58th nationally in FBS in total offense averaging 404.5 yards per game.

“The other night, we used four wideouts,” Shurmur said on the Cincinnati game. ‘We used four wideouts with Drelon [Miller] as the running back, which to the defense appears like five wide outs, right? We used 11 personnel. We used 12 personnel (one RB and two TEs). We use two halfbacks and three wides, and so it's just more variables for the defense.”

Colorado’s passing attack is still the priority on game day as the Buffs rank 8th nationally, averaging 323.9 passing yards per game. However, the last two games, were the first time this season the Buffs recorded back-to-back 100-yard rushing games, which has revealed an offensive edge and a better winning formula.