Donnel Pumphrey was just waiting for his chance.
The junior running back, arguably the best in the Mountain West this season, had been unable to break loose Saturday against Colorado State’s rush defense. At halftime, he had just 44 yards on 14 carries, 23 of which came on one play. He had a touchdown, but hadn’t found enough open space to show off his speed.
That changed on one play in the third quarter.