BOULDER — Since he stepped on Colorado’s campus, Dre’Lon Miller has envisioned himself making plays in a variety of ways.

Whether it’s running routes downfield, carrying the ball out of the backfield, or catching screens at any spot on the field, Miller feels he’s best able to help the Buffaloes offense with the ball in his hands.

On Saturday night against No. 25 BYU, Miller’s belief was proven correct.

“I came here to make plays,” Miller said after scoring two of the Buffs’ three touchdowns Saturday night. “I feel like with the ball in my hands, I can make people miss in space, and that’s just my job. One person can’t tackle me, so I feel like I showed that.”

The worst-kept secret in Boulder this week was that Miller was going to feature out of the backfield with CU’s top two running backs, DeKalon Taylor and Simeon Price, both out for at least this past game and potentially longer.

It wasn’t necessarily new for Miller, who actually lined up at running back, alongside Shedeur Sanders, on the Buffs’ first offensive play of the 2024 season. But that was more of a gimmick for someone CU used almost exclusively out as a wide receiver last fall.

Saturday night, though, was something different. Miller carried the ball eight times for 52 yards — good for a team-best 6.5 yards per attempt — and a touchdown. On the Buffs’ second drive of the game, Miller took three straight direct snaps out of the ‘wildcat’ formation and got the final 30 yards the team needed to get into the end zone.

He also finished with two catches for 27 yards and was on the receiving end of quarterback Kaidon Salter’s only passing touchdown in the game — a go-ahead score in the third quarter.

“Honestly, it’s football at the end of day,” Miller said. “It’s what I love to do. Put me anywhere on the field and I’ll do what helps the team, what makes us better, and I’m down for it. So it doesn’t matter where I am on the field. I just want to make plays for my team, make us better.” 

Miller has often compared himself to Commanders wide receiver Deebo Samuel, a versatile player who shined for years in a hybrid role for the 49ers, and it seems like the Buffs are about to unleash him in a similar fashion.

“That is what he’s gonna do for us from here on out,” Deion Sanders said. “That’s who he is. We’ve identified who he is. (Running backs coach) Marshall (Faulk) is happy to have him in his room and we’re gonna use him as much as we can — and even more.”

Miller’s performance against BYU came after a rough start to the season. After playing in all 13 games as a true freshman, CU and Miller both hoped he was in for a breakout season that saw him become one of the top weapons on an offense that saw four wide receivers graduate and move on to the NFL.

But in the first four games, he failed to register more than three catches and more than 25 receiving yards in a single game. He struggled with drops and didn’t appear to be one of the team’s top three options out wide.

“It was a lot at the beginning of the season,” Miller said. “I didn’t expect that. I’m pretty sure the fans didn’t expect it. That’s what football is for. You have to learn and forget. My teammates, my receiver corps, they picked me up. My coaches, they let me know it’s not over.”

In fact, it might just be the beginning for Miller’s season.

“(Against BYU), I feel like I was just free to play myself and just be Dre’lon,” he said.