Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Ryan Staub impressed in a planned outing against the Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens on Saturday, a 31-7 win at Folsom Field, tossing two touchdowns on 7/10 passing for 159 yards. 71 of those yards came via one Sincere Brown touchdown reception.
All of them accounted for CU’s best performance under center all season.
Staub wanted it. Pat Shurmur noticed that, when Staub approached him after learning Deion Sanders was giving him a shot, he provided the Buffs' offensive coordinator with his input on the playbook for Delaware.
“He found out just a day ago that he was going to get in the game. So, he came in to me and told me, ‘I like this, this, this, this and this, and call this here.’ He thinks like a quarterback,” Shurmur said, per Denver Sports.
Thinking like a quarterback almost reads like a shot at the run-first Liberty Flames transfer Kaidon Salter.
Staub talked about the trust he felt in Shurmur postgame after his spectacular breakout game amid a two-man quarterback competition between Salter and Julian Lewis that’s taken a most unexpected turn.
“As soon as I’m out there and I get the call, I know that he sees something and this is what we’re going to run and I trust it and off we go. The relationship with Coach Pat’s been great, I’ve been here for almost three years with him now. We’ve built a great relationship, I think a lot of trust. He knows exactly what I’m good at and what I like and we were able to roll,” Staub said after the win.
Between Shurmur and Staub’s touting of familiarity and Coach Prime’s not-so-subtle endorsement of the QB’s performance on Saturday, the messaging reads like Staub is getting more opportunities on Friday in Houston against the Cougars.
“Martin Luther Staub” had a dream, and he may see it through with what’d be his second conference start, this time against a Big 12 foe. The Utah Utes were a Pac-12 foe when the two programs faced off in 2023.