Woelk: Next Step For Buffs QB Montez Will Be Consistency

BOULDER — While experience is by no means a strength, the Colorado Buffaloes' quarterback situation may still be overall as strong as it has been for years.

Simply, the Buffs are loaded with big, strong-armed youngsters.

The equation begins with sophomore Steven Montez. Folks who followed the Buffs last year got a taste of what Montez is capable of accomplishing; the general feeling around the Champions Center is that he could be something very special by the time he finishes his Colorado career.

Big, athletic, cannon for an arm, more than capable with his feet and a gunslinger mentality to match his arm, Montez turned heads everywhere a year ago when he made his starting debut one of the more memorable in CU history: 333 yards and three touchdowns passing and another 135 yards and a touchdown rushing in the Buffaloes' program-turning 41-38 win at Oregon.

It was a performance that made him an immediate fan favorite, one that he followed with a 293-yard, three-touchdown effort in a 47-6 win over Oregon State.

It is why Colorado today finds itself in a rare position: despite losing a four-year starter (Sefo Liufau) whose name is on roughly 100 school records, expectations are the Buffs should take a step forward at quarterback this year with Montez at the helm full time.

No doubt the potential is there — but for him to reach that potential, he will have to add some consistency to his game, something that wasn't always present a year ago.

"That will be a big thing for him this year," CU quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren said as the Buffs prepare to open fall camp on Friday. "We want him to do a nice job of taking care of the football and operating our offense at a high level on a consistent basis. That's going to be a key part of his development."

CU head coach Mike MacIntyre believes Montez's development thus far has progressed along an excellent line.

"We did it the way you'd like to do it," MacIntyre said. "We redshirted him, he sat, he learned, then last year he got to play in some games, he had some success, he had some failures. (Now), for a quarterback, can he handle the grind, can he handle the pressure all the time? He's going to get the (praise) and he's also going to get a lot of the blame. Hopefully he can handle all that well."

Technically, Montez has not yet been named the starter, although he will most certainly go into fall camp atop the depth chart. But barring a super-human fall camp from either Sam Noyer or Tyler Lytle — neither of whom has ever thrown a pass in a college game — or a complete collapse by Montez, he will be the starter when the Buffs open the season Sept. 1 against Colorado State in Denver (6 p.m., Pac-12 Network).

It will be his first start since last year's midseason stretch, when he started against Oregon, Oregon State and USC, helping Colorado to a 2-1 record in that span.

The irony of Montez's performance against Oregon is that it came on the heels of an 0-for-7 effort in relief of Liufau the prior week at Michigan, a game that had CU fans wringing their hands as the Buffs prepared for the Ducks and Liufau was still hobbling. But when given a week to prepare, Montez was a different player at Oregon (although he did have a pair of interceptions).

It means the 29 practices the Buffs have between now and their opener will be devoted to finding the best way to take advantage of his considerable skills while also reducing his mistakes. The key will be finding the delicate balance between encouraging him to take advantage of his gunslinger attitude when the opportunity presents itself — but not letting that attitude result in poor decisions.

"He's shown the ability to be consistent," Lindgren said. "But he did have ups and downs last year. Sometimes we were really hot when he was in there, sometimes we were really cold. For him, it's going to be developing that consistency, day in and day out. Can he go in there and operate that offense and get the ball to our receivers, make good decisions and do it on a more consistent basis?"

Another benefit of Montez's playing time in critical situations a year ago is the confidence he built among his teammates. As Buffs senior center Jonathan Huckins said earlier this summer, "He's a guy that I can trust. Everybody saw him last year and how he performed."

That, Lindgren said, is an intangible that will help Montez immensely.

"Sefo really had a good command and a presence out there and the guys respected that," Lindgren said. "But I think Steven brings a certain moxie, a certain level of confidence. He has a little bit of swagger and I think guys really respond to that. He just has to do it in the right way and I think he will."

It is also something Lindgren and the rest of the CU staff have been trying to continue to impress upon Montez — the role of a leader is something that is earned.

"A lot of it has been built this summer with the guys on his work ethic," Lindgren said. "The biggest thing with a QB is other players see you working super hard and spending extra time, and I think that instantly gives you credibility. We've really been trying to hammer him with that this summer — doing those things teammates will see. You gain respect that way. Then when you get out on the field, they're going to see his confidence and his playmaking ability and that's going to keep building."

By all accounts, Montez has been fulfilling that role over the spring and summer.

Montez's development, however, won't be the only concern in terms of quarterback in fall camp. The Buffs must also develop redshirt freshman Noyer and true freshman Lytle as quickly as possible. Both are physically talented; the key now will be to get them as much experience as possible.

Other quarterbacks on the roster include redshirt freshman Casey Marksberry, sophomore Tyler McGarry and senior T.J. Patterson. Noyer and Lytle, though, are the long-term future.

"We've got to try to put those guys through as many different situations as we can," Lindgren said. "That's one thing with an experienced quarterback like Sefo — he'd been in so many games, so many different situations under fire, two-minute drills, four-minute drills, down and distance scenarios, different scores, you're up by this, you're down by this — he had a really good feel for that. Sometimes as a coach you can take that for granted, that your guys really understand that. For us, it's going to be us putting all of our guys in as many of those tough situations as we can in camp and try to get them as game ready as possible."

From a physical standpoint, Lindgren said both Lytle and Noyer are in position to push Montez in camp. Noyer, he said, is a little more developed physically because he's been in CU's strength and conditioning program for a full year, but Lytle was able to enroll in the spring and is closing the gap quickly.

"We're just looking for them to just keep improving and take the next step," Lindgren said. "If they end up pushing him, that's good. They both have the ability to do it, it's just can they continue to develop and continue to learn the offense to where they're comfortable enough with the system that they will have the ability to compete with him?"

At some point, the coaching staff will also have to name a backup and begin to get him repetitions in the event of an injury. While there's no specific timeline, Lindgren said it's something they would like to do a week or two before the opener.

"When you're ready to make a decision, you make it," Lindgren said. "It's something we definitely would like to have before we start the game prep for Colorado State. When we start really getting into Colorado State you'd like to have chosen a No. 2 to where you can structure the reps accordingly. We'll try to keep both those guys coming as we go through camp."

UPCOMING SCHEDULE: The Buffs will wrap up their summer strength and conditioning program next week, report for fall camp on Friday and begin practice Saturday. ... CU head coach Mike MacIntyre and senior captains Phillip Lindsay and Derek McCartney will head to Los Angeles next Wednesday and Thursday for the Pac-12 Media Days. ... For the first time in the modern era, the Buffs will not have two-a-day sessions in fall camp. Instead, they will stretch out the allowed 29 practices over the entire month.

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu