Colorado University Athletics
Buffs Begin Prep For USC As QB Question Still Looms
October 03, 2016 | Football, Neill Woelk
CU doesn't yet know if Liufau or Montez will start
BOULDER — Ready for another week of "Sefo or Steven?"
If you're a Colorado football fan, it's a question that's foremost on your mind as the No. 21 Buffaloes (No. 23 coaches poll) prepare for Saturday's game at Southern California (2 p.m., Pac-12 Networks).
But just as the case has been for the previous two weeks, most folks won't know until game day whether CU's starting quarterback will be Sefo Liufau or Steven Montez.
For those not familiar with what has become a fascinating subplot in a standout season for the Buffs so far, the storyline goes like this:
Liufau, the incumbent senior starter, battled back from a Lisfranc foot injury to be ready to go by the beginning of fall camp. Liufau was terrific from the beginning, leading the Buffs to victories over Colorado State and Idaho State and an early third-quarter lead at Michigan before an ankle injury forced him to the sidelines.
That brought Montez into the game in relief, and the redshirt freshman struggled. When it became apparent the following week that Liufau's status for Oregon was doubtful, fans were concerned, especially in the wake of Montez's 0-for-7 effort against the Wolverines.
But given a week to prepare, Montez was spectacular in his starting debut, delivering a record-setting performance in a 41-38 upset win over the Ducks. He followed that up with another outstanding effort in CU's 47-6 win over Oregon State on Saturday.
In short, their performances as starters have been strikingly similar, right down to their statistics.
In basically 2½ games, Liufau is 54-for-76 for 768 yards, six touchdowns, no interceptions and a 182.0 efficiency rating.
In roughly the same amount of playing time, Montez is is 48-for-76 for 743 yards, eight touchdowns, two interceptions and a 174.8 efficiency rating.
It is quite obviously an interesting scenario that has not only all of Buff Nation watching closely, but the rest of the Pac-12. Along with their No. 21 national ranking, the 4-1 Buffs also lead the Pac-12 South standings with a 2-0 record and suddenly, everything the Buffs do is of great interest to the rest of the conference.
The latest developments:
Liufau has had two full weeks to recover from the ankle injury, and he practiced Monday morning more than he has in the previous two weeks. Montez, meanwhile, was right alongside him in drills and teamwork.
So what's a coach to do?
CU head coach Mike MacIntyre isn't sweating it. In fact, MacIntyre wouldn't even call the situation a "problem" after Monday morning's practice.
Rather, MacIntyre said, "I don't call it a problem. I call it a great thing. You've got two quarterbacks you know you can win with. That's really good. There's a lot of schools that don't know that (feeling), or wish they did."
Another coach who will spend the week dissecting, analyzing and discussing the Buffs' options will be quarterbacks coach Brian Lindgren.
"It's an interesting situation," Lindgren said. "We've got to be able to determine as a staff who gives us the best chance, who's the best guy and who gives us the best chance to win each Saturday. We have to evaluate the health of Sefo and see if he's 100 percent, and if he is 100 percent, we've got to make that decision."
One thing Lindgren said probably won't happen is anything resembling a quarterback rotation. A former college standout at Idaho (he once set the NCAA FBS record for single-game total offense for a sophomore), Lindgren knows quarterbacks aren't fond of any such scenario.
"As a player, you never wanted to be out there and then give guys different drives," Lindgren said. "Pick one guy and roll with it, and I think those guys would tell you the same thing. You want to be the guy or you want to be the backup; you want to know those roles going into the game. I think we'll be pretty clear with what we decide."
Lindgren also said the CU staff would discuss all the possibilities throughout the week. They'll continue to watch Liufau and Montez in practice and closely monitor Liufau's health. MacIntyre has said repeatedly if the senior isn't 100 percent, they won't play him.
Meanwhile, both players involved are taking a complete "team first" approach.
After Saturday's game, Liufau simply said, "As long as we keep winning, that's all that really matters."
Montez, meanwhile, has repeatedly voiced a similar sentiment. "I know they have two good quarterbacks to pick from," he said Saturday, and Monday, his tone hadn't changed.
"I'm going to do my thing and prepare like I'm the starter," he said. "Whoever Coach Mac plays at the end of the week is going to go and lead us at USC."
Both would obviously love to be the starter Saturday.
Lindgren said he knows watching from the sidelines hasn't been easy for Liufau.
"I think it's been tough on him," Lindgren said. "I don't think he'd ever say that. But I know being around him, he's a really competitive guy. It's his senior year and he's put in a lot of work to get himself back and I think the last two weeks were really hard. He was a big part of those wins and I think the whole team understands that. He did a nice job accepting his role, but I think it was difficult on him. I know that he would have loved to be out there, but at the same time I think he knew, 'Hey, I'm not healthy enough to give us what we need.' We wanted to make sure we got him back to 100 percent.
As for Montez, the process has been a terrific learning experience — particularly the Michigan game, when he was literally thrown to the Wolverines.
"Steven's done a nice job," Lindgren said. You always challenge the backup to prepare like the starter and I think Michigan kind of opened his eyes. I don't think he was probably as ready as he should've been. That next week going into Oregon, he knew was the starter and it opened his eyes to it a little bit. He did a nice job of preparing and I think things slowed a little bit for him that week. I've been happy with the way he's gone about it."
But while there are plenty of questions surrounding the situation and plenty of factors involved, CU's coaches are definitely clear on this much: they have two excellent options, which MacIntyre will tell you is a wonderful situation to have.
All we can say now is stay tuned.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
