BOULDER – Nobody should doubt or discredit what Steven Montez has done for the Colorado Buffaloes in his seven halves as “QB1”; the redshirt freshman has been exceptional. In fact, he nabbed as many conference wins in two weeks as the man he replaced nabbed in almost four years. But it’s not Montez’ time, nor are the 2016 Buffaloes his team.
If Montez’s performance this season means anything, it’s that it validates Mike MacIntyre’s ability to recruit quarterbacks, as he found a real diamond in the rough in the man from El Paso, TX. Yet, it’s now Colorado should be focused on as they are knocking on a door for which they couldn’t reach the doorstep of in years. The person that can bring an answer to that door is Sefo Liufau.
The Buffs are Liufau’s team and perhaps nobody personifies the rise and the resurrection of this football program like Liufau. Knocked down, out-skilled, out-smarted and out-hearted over the years, Liufau and his comrades will not let any of those things cloud their potential return to the postseason. And it’s the leadership Liufau brings going through all of this for four years that carries a certain credence that Montez just can’t provide.
Montez has the skill and might even be more talented but Liufau is the better quarterback for this team.
“I think experience is the turning point,” Montez said of which quarterback will be named the starter. “We’re both competitive, we’re both hungry, we both want to win.”
“You gotta earn your stripes on this team, and I know Sefo has definitely earned them. If it’s his turn to be called up and to be played, then I’ll sit behind him and support him.”
Clearly, Liufau even has the support of the man he’s competing against in Montez. It shows there is no controversy within the locker room. It’s Liufau’s job and Montez, while valiant in his efforts, was just a spell for a hobbled quarterback one.
As ambiguous Liufau’s health status might be, MacIntyre has said he has been practicing during his time on the shelf. At this point, a close-to-fully healthy Liufau is a better option for CU than the young Montez.
Looking back at Liufau’s last action, his game at Michigan may have been the most impressive from a quarterback wearing the Black & Gold since Joel Klatt left Boulder.
“I don’t fear anyone,” Liufau said in Ann Arbor. “This team doesn’t fear anyone but we respect them all and that’s how we felt coming into this game. We had a great game plan going in and felt like we could beat these guys. We just came up a little bit short today because we weren’t consistent throughout the whole game.”
The consistent effort the Buffs had for two-and-a-half quarters fell apart when Liufau was injured. Let us not dwell on the past.
His attitude postgame was telling for the future. And it’s that attitude for which the rest of the Buffs carry as well. The only disconnect has been their leader which inspires this belief and he has not been at the helm.
This is not to blame Montez, who, once again, has been very good. Rather, it is to say Liufau skippering the Buffaloes goes together as any cliche of one’s choosing. He is the man who will bring a bowl to Boulder, he his the final chapter in the dark book that has been the last decade of Colorado football, he knows what it means to be a Buff, maybe more so than any other young man in that locker room. It’s CU’s time to return to the promise land, a road loss to USC won’t derail that train, but a team without its leader might.
The Colorado Buffaloes need Sefo Liufau, it’s how this script can come full circle.
