Brandon Doman knows what it’s like to put a defense on its heels and run them into the ground. His 2001 Cougars, which started 12-0, featured a three-pronged attack that left teams feeling outmanned and overwhelmed.

“Sanders is a leader. He is a battler. He has a ton of grit. Those kinds of guys lead football teams to win and he’s that kind of guy,”

—  Brandon Doman on Shedeur Sanders

At quarterback, Doman threw for 3,542 yards and 35 touchdowns. He also ran for 456 yards and eight touchdowns. Luke Staley, the Doak Walker Award winner, rushed for 1,582 yards and 24 touchdowns. Reno Mahe caught 91 passes for 1,211 yards and nine touchdowns. When healthy, they were unbeatable.

No. 17 Colorado rolls into the Dec. 28 Alamo Bowl against No. 17 BYU (5:30 p.m., ABC) boasting a dynamic duo with familiar potency. Receiver/defensive back Travis Hunter just won the Heisman Trophy and quarterback Shedeur Sanders is the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.

Hunter caught 92 passes for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns during the regular season, while Sanders threw for 3,926 yards and 35 touchdowns with just eight interceptions. When they are rolling, they have been unstoppable.

“Sanders is a leader. He is a battler. He has a ton of grit. Those kinds of guys lead football teams to win and he’s that kind of guy,” Doman told the “Y’s Guys” podcast. “Aside from being athletic, he can throw the ball. You are talking about a guy that is going to be one of the first two or three picks in the draft.”

According to Doman, the key to containing Sanders’ top target (Hunter) is by getting to him first.

“You just can’t allow that quarterback to sit back there and dance around. Jay Hill (BYU’s defensive coordinator) has done such a good job of determining when he’s going to bring the pressures and where he is going to bring the pressures from,” Doman said. “He mixes it up beautifully.”

Even as Sanders dazzled against a variety of defenses, he remained susceptible to the sack — going down a conference high 37 times.

“Hopefully (BYU) can get some help over the top when they need to and apply the pressures at the right time,” Doman said. “Travis Hunter is going to get some, and you just deal with it. He gets what he gets. Just don’t let the rest of the team beat you.”

The Cougars showcase the top defense in the Big 12 and lead the nation with 20 interceptions.

“When it comes to Sanders, it’s not like he’s blazing fast. I think our linebackers are going to be able to run him down and run with him,” said Doman. “The fact that our corners can match up on the outside enables the defense to blitz and apply pressures and some of those pressures and blitzes have enabled turnovers. BYU’s defense is so much better this year because of their ability to cover down on the outside and get pressures.”

Colorado (9-3) is a slight favorite in the first meeting against BYU (10-2) since the 1988 Freedom Bowl. Both teams have a common loss to Kansas. The Jayhawks upset the Cougars in Provo 17-13 on Nov. 16. A week later, Kansas pounded the Buffs in Kansas City 37-21.

“The teams that have had success (against Colorado) create turnovers and limit their time of possession,” said Doman. “Kansas was able to do that. They got after them in the run game. They got after them in time of possession, they limited Colorado’s possessions, and they got some turnovers.”

A rash of injuries slowed BYU’s ability to run the ball in November. While the Cougars will be healthier at quarterback and running back against Colorado, they will still be without offensive tackles Brayden Keim and Isaiah Jatta.

Doman’s dominance in 2001 began with his legs by establishing the run and 23 years later, the recipe for success remains the same. An elusive Jake Retzlaff running around at the Alamodome can change everything.

“I think BYU needs to rush for 150 yards in this game. If they rush for anything less, I think you are going to have a hard time winning this game,” Doman said. “Establishing the run should establish down-the-field plays.”

Doman believes Colorado will test BYU thoroughly, but the Buffaloes are beatable.

“You add up (all that they have) and wonder how is Colorado 9-3? But they are not an overall complete team, or they would be 12-0,” he said. “They have some holes.”

Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com.