BOULDER – Steven Montez is a guy that Colorado Buffaloes fans have heard about for several years. Last Saturday, they saw him for the first time. Due to the demolishing of the Idaho State Bengals, the Buffs had the opportunity to take out starting quarterback Sefo Liufau in the second quarter. This presented them with the chance to see into the future.
Montez, the backup quarterback, for now, was playing before halftime against the inferior Bengals. After redshirting last year, Montez, made his debut against the Colorado State Rams but handed the ball off all four plays. On Saturday, he made his throwing debut and impressed a lot of people, including his coach, because of his arm strength and his ability to run the ball.
“I thought he did well,” Head Coach Mike MacIntyre said. “You saw his strong arm on the curl route that Kabion Ento made those guys miss. I saw him make a couple of good runs, and we saw him improvise one time and he was able to dump it over the defender. He has those intangibles and it was good to see him out there doing that.”
Montez finished the game with 117 yards on 6-of-10 passing, also racking up two touchdowns. 69 of his 100+ yards came on his first throw, the touchdown pass to Kabion Ento at the tail end of the second quarter. He also was very impressive using his legs, rushing four times for 34 yards.
“I dropped back, saw that KB [Kabion Ento] was open but I got hit as I threw,” Montez described his first TD pass. “After that, that was completely KB. He went off on that play and got loose.”
Montez flew under the radar in high school for a Texas quarterback as CU was the only power five school to offer him a scholarship. That doesn’t mean he didn’t put up great numbers. His senior season at Del Valle High School in El Paso, Texas, saw him throw for 2,967 yards and run for another 1,074 yards, earning him a second-team All-State nod. There were some reports suggesting that had Montez grown up in a larger recruiting market in Texas, such as Dallas or Houston, he would’ve been a much more sought after recruit.
The dual-threat quarterback lettered in three sports in high school, football, basketball and track. He averaged 16.7 points, six rebounds, and 2.8 assists in his senior year on the hardwood. His performance on the court had hoops coach Tad Boyle asking if Montez was a “Two-sport guy.”
With his athleticism, the coach’s trust in him, and his showing against Idaho State, it looks like the Buffs found themselves a real gem in Steven Montez. It’ll be interesting to see if this quarterback continues to grow to become the starting quarterback for the Colorado Buffaloes.
As for now, it’s unlikely he’ll play again this season unless Liufau gets hurt. Yet, Montez admitted he’s ready to go at any time, telling of his first real action, “Me getting snaps again in live action, it makes it feel like you’re back in high school. It’s faster but it’s something familiar and it’s nice to feel that again.”
Buffs fans certainly hope those good vibes continue into the future.
