For future's sake, Montez must play on Saturday

BOULDER — Last Friday’s dismantling of rival Colorado State has optimism flooding into the Colorado Buffaloes’ football program. Head coach Mike MacIntyre has seemingly gone from the hot seat to a rising name in the coaching ranks, in just one week.

With Idaho State coming into Folsom Field this week, another blowout is likely in the cards for MacIntyre’s Buffs. Starting 2-0 would certainly put this program in a decent position to reach their first bowl game since 2007, an idea that more and more critics are starting to get on board with. However, what happens if that bowl game is indeed reached, or even won? What’s next for MacIntyre should he return to the sidelines a year from now with the task of not just resurrecting Colorado football, but sustaining his first taste of success in the Pac-12?

The answer to that question is far from being revealed, but the world’s first glimpse at what it might be should come on Saturday afternoon in the form of redshirt-freshman Steven Montez, the team’s backup quarterback.

Despite holding a 37-7 lead over the Rams, MacIntyre elected to keep running out his senior starter, Sefo Liufau, to man the Buffs’ offense in the fourth quarter. It wasn’t until the final drive that Montez even entered the game, CU owning a 44-7 lead. Certainly, Montez was never going to be given chances to make calls at the line of scrimmage, read defenses, and deliver timely throws in such a situation—Colorado looking to end the game in a classy manner, that is. That must change on Saturday.

Liufau will leave Colorado as its most accomplished individual to play quarterback, owning records in nearly every category of the position. Those records did not translate to wins during his first three seasons, but they do speak to his role as a leader and key contributor during the most difficult time most Colorado fans have had to endure during their fandom. For all of that, though, there has been a sense that for Colorado to take the next step forward from simply competing for bowl bids, a more dynamic talent will be needed behind center. That, or, the level of recruiting around the position will need to exponentially increase.

None of this is to condemn Liufau, as he’s constantly proving his toughness, leadership, and ability to make some timely plays that less mentally strong signal callers simply couldn’t make. But in a conference where quarterback play is often at a more superior level than the rest of the country, keeping up with the Jones’ can make or break your program. As of now, MacIntyre and his staff have yet to recruit a quarterback to Boulder that can take the field with the starting offense unless Liufau has suffered an injury. Does Liufau deserve some credit for that, for competing well enough in camp to keep his job? Absolutely. But a coach’s job is to out recruit himself from one year to another, or at least out recruit his predecessor. Brian Lindgren and MacIntyre haven’t found a QB option that is better than who they inherited, at least not that we know of.

That’s why getting a clear look at Montez against Idaho State is so crucial for fans, media, and even the coaches on the sidelines. There won’t be many more opportunities for Montez to see the field this season in “meaningful” moments, as Pac-12 play is just around the corner. With an offense that’s set to lose its four-year starter at QB and a defense that is losing nearly every major contributor to graduation, next year is as unknown as any in the MacIntyre-era. Formulating an idea of what Montez looks like while fans are in the stands and an opposing defense is truly worried about stopping him couldn’t be more important this weekend.

There’s no doubt that things in Boulder have improved from the day before MacIntyre was running the show. The team has improved in all aspects, both on and off of the field. Everyone deserves credit for that. But while we’re all sitting here debating just how well the 2016 season could go, there’s a looming question once the final whistle is blown. What is next?

Making sure that Montez sees plenty of action on Saturday might not answer the question, but it never hurts to get an early idea of what the answer might actually be.