Colorado University Athletics
Spring Notes: Montez's Spring Progress Steady, Awaits August
April 09, 2016 | Football
BOULDER – Steven Montez began spring practice last month believing he could compete for the Colorado's starting quarterback position. He emerged from Saturday's final major spring scrimmage with that belief underscored – and then some.
Although the strong-armed redshirt freshman wasn't as dazzling at Folsom Field as he has been in some of the previous 13 practices, he left his afternoon's work feeling comfortable about his progress and optimistic about whatever this fall presents.
“I think I put down a good foundation,” said Montez, who completed 12-of-21 passes for 75 yards (one interception) in CU's 82-play afternoon. “I just need to keep learning and carry that into the fall.”
Montez measured most of his progress in learning to better read defenses: “Definitely the reads,” he said. “I came in shaky on reads because I didn't know the entire playbook fully and was not really confident.
“Now I feel like I've got a really clean grasp of it. You can always get better, but right now I feel like I've got a good grasp of the playbook and the reads.”
In Saturday's scrimmage, Montez admitted to being jittery early on. “Yeah, definitely,” he said. “At the beginning there were a lot of jitters, a lot of nervousness. (But) we eventually overcame that and finished strong.”
He said he finally felt comfortable “in one of the last drives, maybe the beginning of the two-minute (drill) . . . I'm not even sure. We started to get some passes completed and get the ball rolling a little bit. I was kind of like, 'All right, we're here and going to make some plays.'”
Buffs QB coach Brian Lindgren said Montez's decision-making remains a work in progress: “I feel a little bit bad for him because he's had a great spring and made a lot of plays. Today he struggled a little at times. I don't know that he showcased his full skill set out here . . . I know that our staff and the rest of the team through 13 practices have seen a guy who's gotten a lot better.”
Lindgren believes Montez's most noticeable spring strides occurred in his “adjusting to the speed of the game” and his understanding of defenses and how CU's offense will try and attack them.
“High school was a lot simpler game for him,” Lindgren said. “Getting to this level is different. He was able to go with the first group a lot this spring and see a lot of different looks and coverages and go out and do it. That's huge for a young quarterback.”
Coach Mike MacIntyre said Montez “can be a player. But if everything works out with the other guys, I don't know if he's quite ready for that yet. But athletically, he has ability in all that he does. He's going to be a really good player here for us for a long time.”
Montez shared reps this spring with senior-to-be Jordan Gehrke – and that will be the case again in August camp. The availability of incumbent starter Sefo Liufau (Lisfranc injury) is to be determined, but coach Mike MacIntyre said the status of graduate transfer Davis Webb hasn't changed.
“He's told me he's definitely coming,” MacIntyre said Saturday, referring to a report that Webb is visiting California this weekend. “He signed with us, all that. It's a weird deal with transfers but he told me last night – and the other day – he was coming. So we'll see.”
Asked if it was frustrating not having all his QBs available for spring drills, MacIntyre answered, “I wouldn't say it's frustrating (but) you want them here. But on the other side of it, we were able to get Steven and Jordan Gehrke a lot of reps. So that was good. But you always want your main guys here during that time.”
Ready or not, QBs are counted on for leadership. Montez said his increased reps this spring helped push him into that role and helped his confidence in the huddle.
“But you still have to know your role and understand that you have to earn your stripes,” he said. “So I'm working with that, battling with that. But you try to be a leader when I can. I think the guys are behind me.”
Lindgren seconded that, noting, “I think the guys saw him make some plays, and just the way he carries himself on the field. They responded to him, especially the second half of spring.”
Montez, said Lindgren, appeared “a little timid at first” because he was a redshirt freshmen and unaccustomed to taking charge. But, added Lindgren, “We told him, 'Hey, it doesn't matter if you're a senior or a young guy, you're in that role.' He's a fiery guy, a competitive guy.”
Montez hopes to gain 5 to 10 pounds (he's listed at 6-5, 230 now) before August but wants any additional poundage be “lean weight. I want to get stronger, too.” He'll return to El Paso at the conclusion of the spring semester, then return for summer workouts in mid-June.
RUNNING BACK DEPTH: New position coach Darian Hagan had a good idea of who his top ball carriers might be, but his pre-spring goal was to create more depth. On Saturday he said he that had been accomplished.
“Yeah . . . I've got four guys, actually all my guys have really, really improved,” Hagan said. “The depth we have is really, really special . . . I'm happy with it.”
Six running backs had carries Saturday – Phillip Lindsay, Patrick Carr, Michael Adkins, Dino Gordon, Donovan Lee and Kyle Evans. Lindsay's 83 yards topped that group's productivity.
“A lot of people have grown up and taken on roles that are going to help us out (with depth),” Lindsay said. “There's enough room for all of us to go in there and make some plays. We need to keep bonding as a team and understand that we're going against the other team and not each other.”
Come August, Hagan will have incoming freshman Beau Bisharat on the roster. At 6-2, 212, Bisharat will be the biggest of Hagan's backs and could fill the role that Christian Powell occupied.
However, Hagan said don't discount the 5-11, 200-pound Gordon: “I think Donald is a guy we can depend on. We might give him that role.”
Hagan also said he didn't want Bisharat, who attended Saturday's scrimmage, to put on more weight before August camp: “He looks good and can move. I'd like him more to ease into it (gaining weight) as he gets older.”
MORE SPRING IN HIS STEP: A year ago, CU's defense was feeling its way under new coordinator Jim Leavitt. This spring, said D-lineman Jordan Carrell, the 'D's comfort level, passion and intensity skyrocketed.
“We didn't really take many steps backward this spring, it was going forward the whole time . . . definitely a big jump,” Carrell said. “Last spring we were kind of complacent because we were learning the whole defense and didn't really understand it that much. We wanted to come out this spring and lay it all out there. I think we did a good job of that.”
Carrell, who transferred last January from American River College, said he played this spring with “way more confidence. I had a lot of things in my mind that I had to work on and I felt like I did a good job. I think I stepped into a leadership role on the defensive line . . . they look to me and ask me what I need to work on. It makes me proud to be a Buffalo.”
A leadership role is fine with Carrell.
“I enjoy that,” he said. “I wanted to do that last year, but I was trying to get used to things. I wasn't as comfortable as I am now. It's definitely a big change for me and I like it.”
BIG DAY FOR ROSS: Junior wide receiver Devin Ross capped off a solid spring with an outstanding spring game, leading all receivers with eight catches for 57 yards.
“It was a great way to end the spring,” Ross said. “It was actually a little slower pace than we've been running but overall I think you saw what we're going to be able to do.”
Ross said he entered the spring with the goal of proving to CU's coaches that he can be an every-down receiver.
“I want to show them I can be a No. 1 guy next year,” Ross said. “Nelson (Spruce) is gone and that's wide open. I want to show I can be the guy they can count on every down. That's my goal, and I feel like I took a big step in that direction this spring.”
Now, Ross will concentrate on finishing up school for the semester before heading home for a month of training.
“I'll be working every day, making sure I get better at my craft — my hands, my speed, everything,” he said. “I want to make sure I come back even more ready than I am right now.”
Plus, Ross said, he wants to continue to build on the confidence he established this spring.
“It's through the roof right now,” Ross said. “Not just me, but the team. We have so many goals — Pac-12 champions are where we want to be. Everybody in here is working with that in mind.”
FALL DATES: The Buffs have set a tentative schedule for the fall. Players are scheduled to report on Aug. 3, with the first practice set for Aug. 4. The first practice in fall gear will be either Aug. 7 or 8, with the first day of classes scheduled Aug. 22.
Colorado's season opener is Sept. 2 vs. Colorado State in Denver.
RIPPY READY: Senior Deaysean Rippy, who did not play a single defensive snap last fall, saw significant action in Saturday's scrimmage at outside linebacker, finishing with four tackles, including one third-down stop.
“Full-time outside is a good move for me,” Rippy said. “I have a lot of guys like Jimmie Gilbert and Derek McCartney helping me. It's still fairly new to me. I'm getting used to the speed moves, but I think I'm improving my versatility. I've definitely made some progress, and I'm still making some errors. But that's what spring ball is about — learning and getting better.”
Rippy transferred to CU in 2013 from Pitt.
“I've definitely traveled a long road,” Rippy said. “Being a senior now is definitely something I think about. I realize it's my last year and I have to take advantage of it.”
LYNOTT AT GUARD: While he spent much of his spring working at center, redshirt freshman Tim Lynott is listed atop the depth chart at guard, and that's where he started Saturday's scrimmage.
“I love guard — that's where I played in high school,” Lynott said. “I feel more comfortable there. I'm always ready at center, and that's why they had me there — to be ready in case they need me. Either one is fine, but I love guard. That's where I really feel at home.”
