Tag: Pat Shurmur

Pat Shurmur reaping benefits of Colorado’s improved run game

Pat Shurmur has Colorado’s run game steadily improving

The secret ingredient to the Colorado Buffaloes’ 6-2 record hasn’t been quarterback Shedeur Sanders, two-way superstar Travis Hunter or even the progression seen on defense. Rather, it has been the vastly improved run game.

The Buffs controlled the Cincinnati Bearcats from start to finish at the line of scrimmage on Saturday, led by running back Isaiah Augustave’s 91 rushing yards and one touchdown. Overseeing this uptick has been offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, who appears focused on proving this success isn’t a fluke.

“I thought we had a good plan going into it,” Shurmur said Wednesday of the run game’s success against the Bearcats. “I like to run the ball. I love to pass the ball don’t get me wrong, but when you run the ball and are gaining yards that helps the play-caller.”

CU has run the ball more than it has passed in each of the last two weeks, with impressive wins coming in both contests.

The Buffaloes get a well-deserved bye week before resuming action on Nov. 9 at Texas Tech.

Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions.

True freshman Drelon Miller earning opportunities within Colorado’s offense

Drelon Miller is developing into a versatile playmaker within Colorado’s offense

Five games into his college career, true freshman Drelon Miller has earned himself opportunities within Colorado football’s revamped offense.

The former four-star prospect is technically a wide receiver, but the Buffs have so far trusted Miller with three rushes, including one during Colorado’s first offensive series of the season. Miller, a native of Silsbee, Texas, also owns eight catches for 33 yards.

His most impressive moment came on a screen play against Baylor. After catching a pass from quarterback Shedeur Sanders about two yards behind the line of scrimmage, Miller juked out a Baylor defender en route to a 10-yard gain.

On Tuesday, CU offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur spoke on Miller’s early impact:

“Drelon is a young player, and we’re fond of saying he’s really good at football,” Shurmur said. “We’ve used him as a wideout, we’ve used him as a running back, and I think it makes sense for him to get a couple touches a game. As the flow of the game dictates, sometimes more than that.”

Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions.

Pat Shurmur discusses approach to boosting Colorado’s ground game

Pat Shurmur talked about his plan to improve Colorado’s rushing attack

Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur has received plenty of criticism so far this season regarding Colorado football’s continued neglect of the run game. Through two games, primary running backs Dallan Hayden, Charlie Offerdahl and Isaiah Augustave have combined for only 77 yards on 25 carries.

Although Colorado will be without Hayden, who owns a team-high 52 rushing yards, this weekend against Colorado State, Shurmur is facing pressure to get the Buffs’ rushing attack in rhythm.

On Thursday, Shurmur appeared on the Colorado Football Coaches Show and was asked by Mark Johnson about his plan to address the struggling rushing attack. Here’s how Shurmur responded:

“When we call runs against fair fight looks — five-on-five or six-on-six — we certainly got to do a better job there,” Shurmur said. “There are times when you just got to run it up in there. There’ll be an extra guy or two and you got to get four or five yards a crack. I think we can do that. We’re gonna put a couple of new runners in there… We’ve been kind of moving around the offensive line and trying to find the right pieces up front so that then we can build that consistency as we’re running the pass that we choose to run and the schemes that we choose to run. There’s some consistency that needs to get built there. You’d like to have it all tuned up by game one, but we feel better about what we’re going to put out there this week.”

Colorado will kick off against Colorado State on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. MT (CBS).

Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions.

Deion Sanders shares support for offensive coordinator: ‘Pat has done a wonderful job’

Deion Sanders remains in full support of his offensive coordinator

Largely due to continued neglect of the run game and questionable play-calling, Colorado football offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur received a fair amount of criticism following the Buffs’ weekend loss to rival Nebraska.

Colorado running backs Dallan Hayden, Charlie Offerdahl and Isaiah Augustave received only 11 carries on the night, including a mere four designed runs in the first half. Meanwhile, quarterback Shedeur Sanders suffered hit after hit throughout a rough four quarters from the offensive line.

Following Saturday’s 28-10 defeat, head coach Deion Sanders was asked about his team’s offensive imbalance. Coach Prime pointed to the “flow of the game” for Colorado’s lack of run plays before sharing his support for Shurmur.

“Pat (Shurmur) has done a wonderful job,” Coach Prime said (h/t The Coloradoan). “I’m not going to go there whatsoever. Pat has done a wonderful job of putting of us in situations. But we have to want that. We have to want to run the ball, you know? We have to have those guys salivating like, ‘Coach, let’s run. Let’s run, let’s go get it.’ So we’re going to get to that point.”

Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions.

Pat Shurmur speaks on the challenges North Dakota State’s defense presents

Pat Shurmur spoke on what he sees from North Dakota State’s defense

We are officially in Week 1 of the college football season, and the Colorado Buffaloes will kick off on Thursday against the North Dakota State Bison. Pat Shurmur, the Buffs’ new offensive coordinator, met with the media on Monday to discuss what the Bison’s defense brings to the table.

Shurmur was with CU last season as a special assistant but was elevated to co-offensive coordinator during the season. The former NFL play-caller is now working a full-time role with the Buffs entering his second season in Boulder.

Shurmur spoke on what he sees from NDSU’s film and what challenges the Bison D will pose for his offense:

“They’re a team that’s built on toughness,” Shurmur said. “They’ve got a rich winning tradition. They’re very fundamental in their approach, but they have enough wrinkles to keep you on your toes, whether it be pressures, simulated pressures. They will play some man. It’s just a cultural thing with them. They’ve got a lot of really talented players, All-Americans. But it’s also the sum of the parts. They play really, really good team defense.”

Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions.

Pat Shurmur praises ‘tough’ Colorado center Hank Zilinskas

Hank Zilinskas’ loyalty hasn’t gone unnoticed

Hank Zilinskas’ loyalty to the Colorado Buffaloes football program hasn’t gone unnoticed.

A local product from Cherry Creek High School who committed to CU during the Karl Dorrell era, Zilinskas has hung tough and was even rewarded with considerable playing time as a true freshman last season. The 6-foot-3, 285-pound offensive lineman started at center in wins over Colorado State and Arizona State last fall when Van Wells hit the injured list.

Speaking with the media on Thursday, new full-time CU offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur acknowledged that Zilinskas’ willingness to stay put and compete isn’t seen often in college football anymore.

“It’s easy now for guys to just pull the ripcord and take off,” Shurmur said. “Hank was here a year ago and got some reps. Then, he watched this winter as we brought in like six guys around him. He didn’t say anything. He kept working, he was resilient and he was tough. He kept learning, kept developing and got bigger. He did all the things you want from a young man that we’ve developed, so credit to him. If we had to play a game tomorrow, he’d probably be the guy in there.”

As Shurmur mentioned, expect Zilinskas to run with the No. 1 offense during Saturday’s spring game.

Colorado’s annual Black and Gold spring football game will begin at 1 p.m. MT on the Pac-12 Network.

Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions.

Shedeur Sanders affirms ‘great relationship’ with offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur

Shedeur Sanders spoke on his relationship with offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur

Shedeur Sanders met with the media for the first time this spring on Wednesday and many things were said that caught the ears of Colorado football fans.

One of the most attention-grabbing quotes came when the senior quarterback was asked about newly promoted offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur. Shurmur, known for his NFL experience, joined Colorado’s staff last year as an offensive analyst before overtaking offensive play-calling duties from now-San Diego State head coach Sean Lewis late in the season.

While the change didn’t result in too much of a difference, Sanders and Colorado head coach Deion Sanders stayed by Shurmur’s side. Months later, it’s obvious that the feelings haven’t changed.

“He understands me as a person, I feel like that’s the main thing with anybody,” Shedeur said. “You got to have somebody that understands you, somebody that you don’t have to change or you don’t have to act any type of way… Coach Pat, we have a great relationship. He understands me, he accepts me for who I am. I feel like that’s the most important thing.”

Shedeur’s strong connection with Shurmur offers optimism that Colorado’s offense will be a more consistent unit throughout the Buffs’ first season back in the Big 12 Conference.

Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions.

Colorado football assistant coaches to make record amount in 2024

Colorado’s assistant coaches will be making a record amount this year

Deion Sanders’ coaching staff will look a little different entering his second season leading the Colorado Buffaloes.

Both of last year’s coordinators and multiple position coaches have moved on, and defensive coordinator Robert Livingston, O-line coach Phil Loadholt and wide receivers coach Jason Phillips are all new to Boulder. Pat Shurmur has been promoted to full-time offensive coordinator and defensive analyst Vincent Dancy will be coaching Colorado’s outside linebackers.

With that, Coach Prime’s 2024 staff will be the highest-paid in program history. According to BuffZone, Colorado’s 10 full-time assistant coaches will be paid a “combined $4.65 million in base and supplemental salary,” up from last year’s previous record amount of $4.59 million.

Here’s how much each of Colorado football’s new/promoted assistant coaches will be making in 2024:

What Colorado’s offense could look like under Pat Shurmur

Colorado’s offense will be led by coordinator Pat Shurmur next season

Colorado football head coach Deion Sanders announced numerous changes to his coaching staff on Friday and Pat Shurmur officially being named offensive coordinator was no surprise.

Shurmur has moved around quite a bit in his coaching career, spending time with several NFL teams, including the Denver Broncos. So, what can this NFL mind bring to Boulder? Midseason coaching changes are always hard to grade because wholesale changes can’t be made. After Shurmur took over play-calling duties late last season, Colorado still ran Sean Lewis’ system.

Passing-wise, Colorado will still likely lean on the short game while taking the occasional shot downfield. As quarterback Shedeur Sanders said on the DNVR Buffs Podcast, we’ll see fewer option routes, meaning CU’s wide receivers won’t have as much freedom to change their routes based on the opposing defense.

Another substantial change comes in the play-action game. Expect max protection/three-man routes off of play action that should get receivers downfield.

In the run game, Shurmur has traditionally attacked the edges using an outside zone running attack. In this attack, running backs must read their blocks to the outside or cut the ball inside if a lane presents itself. Colorado will almost certainly run the ball more next season, especially on first down, as this is a stable of Shurmur’s attack.

Contact/Follow us @BuffaloesWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Colorado news, notes and opinions.

Ex-Broncos OC Pat Shurmur expected to get OC job with Colorado Buffaloes

After losing Sean Lewis to San Diego State, the Colorado Buffaloes are expected to make Pat Shurmur their new offensive coordinator.

After losing offensive coordinator Sean Lewis to San Diego State for a head coach job, the Colorado Buffaloes are turning to a new offensive coordinator that Denver Broncos fans will recognize.

In an interview with USA TODAY‘s Brent Schrotenboer, Colorado head coach Deion Sanders said Pat Shurmur will “most likely” serve as CU’s offensive coordinator in 2024. Shurmur joined the Buffaloes’ staff last summer, initially as an analyst. He took over play-calling duties for Colorado’s final eight games of the 2023 season and he now appears poised to get the full-time gig next year.

Shurmur, 58, had head coach stints in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns (2011-2012) and New York Giants (2018-2019), posting an 18-46 win-loss record. (Shurmur also served as an interim coach with the Philadelphia Eagles for one game in 2015 and went 1-0.)

Before joining Colorado’s staff, Shurmur was the Broncos’ offensive coordinator from 2020-2021. Denver averaged 20.2 points per game in 2020 (fifth-worst) and 19.7 points per game in 2021 (10th-worst) before Shurmur was fired along with former head coach Vic Fangio.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=482983128]