The Colorado Buffaloes are at home for the holidays, watching football on TV and wondering what exactly happened to a season that ended before it was supposed to.
Even after losing the services of Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter and star quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Head Coach Deion Sanders’ team was supposed to at least be a factor in the Big 12 conference title chase this past season. But without their two stalwarts while being plagued by an inconsistent offense…which eventually led to an exhausted and lifeless defense – the Buffs ended the season on a five-game losing skid and missed out on a bowl game in a year when there were plenty of opportunities.
Not one to sit around and just accept things and hope for change, Deion Sanders made an important and potentially impactful addition to his coaching staff. Sanders altered his course and didn’t hire an old NFL friend or even an acquaintance. Instead he hired a young man he’d not known previously, but who idolized him growing up. Colorado’s new Offensive Coordinator Brennan Marion isn’t just some kid with an old autograph book. He’s a real rags to (hopefully) riches story, the creator of an offensive system that blends old ideas – like employing the Triple Option – with new, like the up-tempo no-huddle attack that had been the rage in recent seasons, if not so much lately. Marion calls his system the “Go-Go” offense, named after the music genre that included a steady drum beat and no breaks between songs.
The “Go-Go offense” is coming to Boulder this spring, hoping to take advantage of confused defenses and the high altitude to wear out opponents. It goes fast, and it never stops. At least that’s the plan.
Go-Go Offense Remains a Big Unknown for Colorado Players
But is the thought of changing offensive philosophy scaring away some important current Buffaloes who perhaps don’t understand what their role might be in it?
As the start of the College Football Playoff arrived, the announced departures from the current Colorado roster has steadily grown. The latest to declare his intentions to leave Boulder include versatile back Dre’Lon Miller, an elusive speedster who played receiver, running back and even “Wildcat quarterback” for CU this past season. Miller and defensive tackle Tawfig Thomas bring the current number to 13 Buffs heading for the portal when it opens on January 2nd.
It was thought that a newer, more wide open offensive attack would be appealing to skill position players set to return for the 2026 season. Instead, top wideout Omarion Miller and now Dre’Lon Miller have both opted out already. The program is bracing for even more defections.
What’s yet to be determined is how “new” the Go Go Offense will actually be.
Of course nothing in football is actually new…it’s just repackaged. Marion’s MO has been to use more running backs than receivers, like a service academy team. Play quicker, tire out a defense, and then hit them with a big pass play when they aren’t expecting it. If (when) it works, it lights up the scoreboard…like when Marion was the OC at UNLV and the Rebels went 19-8 and averaged more than 36 points per game during his two seasons there.
Downside of Playing Fast is Wearing Out Your Own Defense
When it doesn’t work, it wears out your own defense, who may find themselves on the field for twice as many snaps as they’re accustomed to playing. That’s the downside of playing fast, and it’s why the normal two-minute “tempo” offense isn’t used for entire games.
If you’re Deion, you’ve got nothing to lose…except a few more players hitting the portal. Former OC Pat Shurmur (whose dismissal was never actually announced) was very standard in the way he ran things, and CU’s offense grew stale. For Colorado to compete with teams like Texas Tech, BYU and Utah who have more resources to secure better rosters, the Go Go Offensive approach appears to make perfect sense.
Provided the Sanders and his staff can keep enough of their top players on hand to run it.
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