One gutsy TD drive may have solidified Ryan Staub as Colorado's QB1

After some early struggles and Houston building a 13-0 lead, Colorado fans were ready for a QB change. Deion Sanders was catching plenty of heat for his "rash" decision to move on from Liberty transfer Kaidon Salter and true freshman Julian Lewis to hand the keys to third-stringer Ryan Staub on the heels of his strong performance against FBS newcomer Delaware a week ago.

Back-to-back touchdown drives to end the half to cut Houston's deficit at the half to 16-14 have alleviated those concerns, and perhaps solidified Stabu's standing as QB1 going forward.

Staub finished the first half 12-of-18 passing for 120 yards with 33 rushing yards on five carries. His impressive improvisation has been the most surprising thing - he's extended plays outside of the pocket to get the Colorado offense on track.

Down 13-0, Staub led a 10-play, 93-yard touchdown drive, capped off by a long touchdown run by Simeon Price. Then, in a two-minute drive before the end of the half. Staub led another touchdown drive, with two big plays by the redshirt sophomore QB leading the charge.

On a 3rd-and-2 at their own 20-yard line, Staub escaped the pocket and then flipped the ball forward to Omarion Miller, who turned it into a 36-yard catch-and-run to get the ball into Houston territory.

A few plays later, Staub showed his guts. He took off on a scramble toward the endzone, refused to slide, and dove toward the goal line. He was hit short, lost the ball, but it was recovered by a Buffs teammate for a TD. Had they taken the time to review it, it probably would have been a TD run for Staub. Since it was recovered in the endzone by Colorado anyway, it didn't matter. But that one play showed exactly why Coach Prime handed the keys of the offense to Staub.

Ryan Staub is leading a much more balanced Colorado offense this week

It's obvious watching this game why Deion Sanders believed in Ryan Staub. The redshirt sophomore is able to push the ball down the field, which is in turn opening up running lanes for the backs.

At the half, Colorado has 213 total yards - 120 passing and 93 rushing. The offense is much more balanced right now. Staub has hit some throws, made some plays with his legs, and the traditional ground game has found some room.

There's still 30 minutes to play, but that second quarter by the Buffs was extremely promising. Let's hope they can build on it.