Slowing North Dakota State’s QB run game must be priority for Colorado

North Dakota State dual-threat quarterbacks Cam Miller and Cole Payton will each challenge Colorado football’s revamped defense during their meeting on Thursday evening.

Miller (6-foot-1, 212 pounds) and Payton (6-foot-3, 234 pounds) can both sling the rock but are also dangerous options to run the ball. Last season, Miller ran for 629 yards while Payton recorded 615 rushing yards, good for the second and third-most rushing yards on the team. They each found the end zone 13 times on the ground, which tied them for the team lead in rushing TDs. Slowing those two on the ground will be vital for Colorado defensive coordinator Robert Livingston’s unit .

Here’s what Livingston had to say about North Dakota State’s QB rushing game:

“They make you play 11-on-11,” Livingston said on Monday. “I can’t say enough about the quarterbacks. Obviously, go to their system last year. Wyoming was very similar. No. 7 (Miller) runs better than you anticipate, and No. 9 (Payton) is a phenomenal athlete. We got our hands full again when they go make it 11-on-11. We gotta tackle, we got to get off blocks and got to play fast.”

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