Isaiah Augustave’s demeanor was all business when the topic of conversation focused on football.

When asked about his “why,” however, Augustave’s eyes and smile lit up.

“Well, I got a little girl at home,” he said of his 5-month-old daughter. “I just want to be able to provide for her. I just want her to grow up and be able to see me play. If I don’t do good out there (on the field), I feel like she doesn’t eat. So I ought to give it 110% every day out there so she could be able to eat at night.”

Colorado’s sophomore running back has been giving max effort lately and it’s paying off, as he is slated to get his second straight start when the Buffs (5-2, 3-1 Big 12) host Cincinnati (5-2, 3-1) on Saturday at Folsom Field (8:15 p.m., ESPN).

Part of a rotation of backs on a pass-first offense, Augustave’s opportunities have been limited so far, but he’s making the most of them.

A transfer from Arkansas, Augustave leads the Buffs in rushing with 180 yards and two touchdowns on 41 carries, averaging 4.4 yards per attempt. In a 34-7 win at Arizona on Saturday, he had his best game as a Buff, rushing 14 times for 53 yards a touchdown.

Four of his runs at Arizona produced either a touchdown or first down, and he had three first-down runs of 7-plus yards in helping to keep the Buffs out of long-yardage situations.

“We’re gonna go back with the big fella again this week,” head coach Deion Sanders said on Tuesday. “He hits it. He’s physical. He runs downhill. He’s not second-guessing, trying to bounce to the outside, and at times we need that.”

At 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, Augustave is CU’s biggest running back, but that group has been rotating all year. Augustave, Dallan Hayden, Charlie Offerdahl and Micah Welch have all started games for the Buffs this season, in large part because no one has grabbed hold of the job.

“You want to find one guy that can do it all, an all-purpose guy that can run the football, catch out the backfield, and protect,” CU running backs coach Gary Harrell said. “We just don’t have the luxury of that right now, as a guy that can do all three. So we do base it on play-calling. Whatever (offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur) calls, I want to make sure the right guy is in to give us the opportunity to have success.

“It’s kind of hard not knowing when your time is going to be but right now, Isaiah, he has the keys to the vehicle. Right now he’s in control, so he has to continue to go out and do what he do, and continue to gain our confidence in the run game, pass game and protection.”

Augustave is also the healthiest among the top three backs.

Hayden has been dealing with a sore ankle the past few weeks but did bust loose for a season-best 27-yard run at Arizona.

Welch injured a hamstring during CU’s 48-21 win at Central Florida on Sept. 28. He didn’t play against Kansas State on Oct. 12 and then carried the ball just once at Arizona, limping off the field after an 8-yard run.

Offerdahl is healthy and Coach Prime calls him “old faithful,” as reliable depth in the backfield. He had a season-best 53 yards at Arizona, including a 39-yard run that is the longest run of the year for CU.

CU hopes to have Hayden and Welch on Saturday against Cincinnati, but even if they don’t, the Buffs feel good about Augustave against a Bearcats defense that ranks 14th in the Big 12 against the run.

“This team (Cincinnati), we’re going to need that (aggressive approach by Augustave), because they’re a three-man front,” Coach Prime said. “They may drop eight on us to stop the pass game. We’re gonna need to gash them, and the big fella, he does not hesitate. He’s downhill, and he’s going and he wants it. I mean, he wants it.”

Augustave got an opportunity late last year at Arkansas, rushing for 181 yards on 29 carries in the Razorbacks’ last two games. He’s showing signs of taking advantage of this one, too.

“Really it’s just everything I’ve been preparing for; staying down, just being consistent, everything I work for, really,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s football, a game I’ve been playing since I was a little kid. No pressure at all.

“It definitely puts a little chip on my shoulder. Makes me want to go harder and secure the spot.”