Through their first five games the Buffaloes looked like the offensive powerhouse of the Pac-12. Colorado ranked fourth in the conference in passing yards, and fifth in rushing. Led by star wide receiver Laviska Shenault and bell cow running back Travon McMillan, they were seemingly unstoppable in either dimension of their game.
But against USC, the offense struggled to get anything going, scoring a mere seven points before the Trojans entered their prevent defense in the fourth quarter. The primary reason Colorado struggled was the ineffectiveness of the plays that have allowed them to establish an identity on offense: jet sweeps, bubble screens, quick slants, hard nose between-the-tackles runs.