Blocking down with the Buffs. (Closeup).

Colorado's Chris Brown is among the nation's leading rushers for three reasons: 1) He can break tackles because he is big and fast and runs hard; 2) The coaches do a great job with the running game in terms of scheming for opponents; and 3) The Buffaloes' offensive line does a great job blocking for him.

When Colorado lines up in the I-formation, it wants to run the ball between the tackles. Its favorite play in this scheme is the off-tackle power play. The play is run to the side of the tight end, who blocks down on a defensive lineman and walls off the middle linebacker. An offensive tackle blocks down on a defensive tackle, the onside guard, in most cases, blocks the outside ...