Buffs Utilizing Montez's Rushing Ability As Key Part Of Attack
October 03, 2018 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — In four games this season, Colorado quarterback Steven Montez has three rushing touchdowns, matching the number he produced on the ground in all of 2017.
It is not an anomaly. While remaining judicious with their use of Montez as a rushing threat, the Buffs are incorporating his talents into the ground game at key moments, adding one more weapon to their Folsom Fast attack.
It is difficult to argue with the results. While Montez's numbers — 29 carries for 108 rushing yards — are by no means impressive, those numbers change significantly when sacks are taken out of the equation (unlike the NFL, which subtracts sack yardage from passing totals, the NCAA subtracts sack yardage from rushing totals).
Without the sack yardage — and the sacks counted as rushing attempts — Montez has carried 19 times for 165 yards, a healthy 8.7 yards per carry. That includes a 38-yard scoring run against Colorado State in the season-opening win and two touchdown runs — for 35 and 10 yards — in last week's 38-16 win over UCLA.
"We don't want to run him a ton, but if they are going to give it to us we will let him," head coach Mike MacIntyre said of the game plans concocted by co-offensive coordinator Darrin Chiaverini and Klayton Adams. "He has gotten better at sliding compared to the last few years. It enables us to play fast. Chev has done a great job, both him and coach Adams, in getting things called quickly and getting things going."
Montez's numbers last season were solid. His "adjusted sack" totals were 97 carries for 563 yards and three touchdowns.
But the Buffs this year are picking and choosing their spots with much better success — and Montez welcomes the opportunity.
"It's fun," he said. "I enjoy running the ball. It's part of the game of football. People think quarterbacks are supposed to stay in the pocket and throw, but there are times when you have to go and make a play with your legs. When you get that chance and they call a run, that gives you another chance to make a play — that's the fun part of the game."
It is interesting to note that the Buffs spent the offseason working with Montez on staying in the pocket longer and stepping up and trusting his protection. It is something he has worked on with good results.
"He now understands to step up in the pocket and trust the pocket," MacIntyre said. "He also knows what it means to just throw it away or dump it down really quick instead of making the home run hit. That is the maturation he's made. It has made a big difference on offense and that's why his pass percentage has gone up."
Indeed, Montez's completion percentage has improved significantly. Heading into this weekend's games, he is leading the nation in that category, with 91 completions in 120 attempts for a 75.8 percentage — ahead of Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa (75.0) and Georgia's Jake Fromm (72.5).
But, while he is more comfortable in the pocket, MacIntyre said, CU's coaches haven't discouraged Montez from scrambling when necessary. That ability was clearly evident by a key third-down scramble for a first down that led to a third-quarter touchdown against UCLA.
"When they give it to us and he has the ability to pull it, read it, and see it, he is able to get down and scramble," MacIntyre said. "He has done an excellent job this year in the first four games of being able to step up in the pocket and knowing when to throw it away. You haven't really seen him make a lot of those run around circle plays. He will because he has that ability. I'm not going to take that away from him."
Montez's ability to scramble — and CU's planned runs with him — add an extra layer of problems for defenses. Not only must they worry about containing him on pass plays, they also have to account for him as part of the run game.
"They have to think about who's going to get the ball," Montez said. "Is it going to be the fly sweep, is it going to be the running back, is it going to be the quarterback? There's so many different guys who can run the ball on this offense, I think it adds an extra dynamic to our offense. Their defense has to respect that."
PRICE IS RIGHT: Colorado punter Davis Price is doing a solid job stepping in for injured regular Alex Kinney, who suffered a broken collarbone in the first half of the Nebraska game.
Price has punted 13 times for a 40.23-yard average this season, with a long of 58 and two inside the 20-yard line. His overall net is a respectable 37.5 yards, a number that would be much better had it not been for a 32-yard return by UCLA last weekend.
But overall, he has been consistent at the job.
"He has gotten better," MacIntyre said. "His drops have gotten more consistent. The good thing about Davis, they've been working with him for a while. We've got him to be a two-step punter. When he started he wasn't quite that way. He's getting the ball off quick, which is important, and now his drop is getting more and more consistent, which is good. He has improved.''
Price is also CU's backup field goal kicker (his 54-yard field goal in 2016 is still a CU freshman record) and he also handles Colorado's kickoff duties. Of his 28 kickoffs this year, 22 have been touchbacks, with the longest return just 25 yards. A former walk-on, he was awarded a scholarship last summer.
"He's been very valuable," MacIntyre said. "He's done a lot of different things, always stepped up and given his best and prepared himself the best he can. He's gotten bigger and stronger. He's doing a good job for us. I'm really pleased with Davis."
SHENAULT NUMBERS: Sophomore wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. leads the nation in receptions per game (9.5) and receiving yards per game (145.3). In four games, he has 38 catches for 581 yards.
The first time a CU receiver hit 38 catches for a season? Try 1967, when Monte Huber caught 45. It wasn't until 1984 that at CU receiver hit the 581-yard mark, when tight end Jon Embree caught 51 passes for 680 yards.
NOTABLE: Montez is now second all-time at CU with eight 300-yard total offense games, trailing Sefo Liufau's 11. … The Buffs are 3-for-6 on fourth-down conversion tries this year, with Shenault converting two from the wildcat formation. … CU kicker James Stefanou is now 55-for-55 in his career for PAT attempts. … The Buffs have had two turnover-free games this season (UCLA and Nebraska). The school record is four, accomplished five times, the most recent being last season.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
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