It was still relatively early in Saturday's game when, during a stoppage of play, Colorado head coach Deion Sanders ran onto the field to celebrate with his offensive linemen.
Sanders bounced across the rain-soaked grass at FBC Mortgage Stadium and jumped into the chest of left tackle Jordan Seaton, a five-star freshman and the jewel of the Buffaloes' most recent recruiting class.
They celebrated together because an unsightly offensive line that has been the primary culprit in Colorado's undoing the last two seasons was finally mauling an opponent in the trenches.
And the Buffaloes could finally run the football because of it. A mixture of run-pass balance and trench toughness that has largely eluded Colorado since Sanders took over two years ago fueled the Buffaloes to an impressive 48-21 win over previously unbeaten UCF on a weather-delayed afternoon that will shake up the Big 12 hierarchy.