Buffs Montez, Shenault Continue Red-Hot Ways
October 06, 2018 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — It has become as reliable of a connection as sunrises and the east: Montez to Shenault.
Once again, Colorado's dynamic combination of quarterback Steven Montez and wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. proved unstoppable. Saturday afternoon, the two Colorado stars connected 13 times for 127 yards and two touchdowns in a 28-21 win over Arizona State.
Shenault is quickly rising in the ranks of Heisman Trophy favorites, as well as other national awards. In five games, he has 51 receptions for 708 yards and six touchdowns, including a 3-yard scoring reception and a 30-yard scoring reception against the Sun Devils. He also has four rushing touchdowns, including two Saturday.
"He is a fabulous football player," ASU coach Herm Edwards said. "There were a couple of times that we had him doubled and he still caught the football. … We could not tackle him."
Neither could the Sun Devils contain Montez, who is also a candidate for a host of national awards. The CU junior has completed 115 of his 153 attempts for 1,420 yards and 11 touchdowns, and has been so accurate that his 72.7 percent completion rate Saturday — 24-for-33 — actually dropped his season percentage to 75.2.
"He knows where he wants to go with the ball," CU head coach Mike MacIntyre said. "He's really worked on his feet. He knows when to step up, he knows when to step out and scramble and get his feet set. He's just continued maturing and he's gotten a little better in every area."
The connection was certainly on target Saturday. The two hooked up on big play after big play, producing six first downs — including some key third-down plays that kept scoring drives alive — to go along with the two touchdowns.
Shenault is also proving to be a valuable back from the wildcat formation. He scored his third and fourth rushing touchdowns of the season, making him the first player in CU history to score multiple touchdowns receiving and rushing in the same game.
"Our offensive line is blocking and we have added a few more wrinkles to it each week," MacIntyre said of the wildcat. "The first week we only ran it one way. The second week, we countered. The third week we did a different one. … We'll have some other wrinkles up our sleeve."
Montez also benefited from some outstanding protection by his offensive line. The Buffs did not give up a quarterback sack — only the second time they have accomplished that this season — and the CU quarterback brought his entire offensive line to the postgame press conference to show his appreciation.
"The O-line played absolutely phenomenal today," Montez said. "They played out of their mind."
While Montez could no doubt find his name in the Heisman conversation, he threw his vote behind his teammate.
"He is in the running for the Heisman," Montez said. "He had an absolute monster game today. We have that connection because we worked all offseason and all summer. Viska is such a big guy, he can put corners on his back and still make the catch and secure it."
LEWIS STEPS IN: When CU inside linebacker Nate Landman — the Buffs' leading tackler — went out on a targeting call in the first half, Colorado didn't skip a beat.
The Buffs simply moved outside linebacker Drew Lewis — a former ILB — back to his old position. Lewis responded with a team-high 10 tackles.
"It felt like I was going back to what I was doing last year," Lewis said. "I remember still learning what I was supposed to do and getting better on the inside. … It was going back to what I knew. It didn't make me too nervous because I was going back to my old ways."
Lewis also had a big hit on ASU star receiver N'Keal Harry on a punt return in the third quarter. Harry later returned, but did not touch the ball again.
"I got double-teamed at first, pushed out of bounds and almost hit Coach Mac," Lewis said. "I kind of just kept going because the play was still going on. When I got back in, I don't think he (Harry) saw me so I just blindsided him. It felt pretty good."
MORE THAN JUST SHENAULT: While Shenault had another outstanding day, several other CU receivers got into the act. Sophomore K.D. Nixon caught five balls for 97 yards, including a 51-yarder to set up a touchdown, and Tony Brown had four catches for 55 yards, including a 39-yard reception. Senior Jay MacIntyre, meanwhile, had two catches for 49 yards.
ON THE RUN: Senior grad transfer Travon McMillian had his fourth 100-yard game of the season finishing with 136 yards on 30 carries. The last CU back to have four 100-yard efforts in the first five games was Rashaan Salaam in 1994, setting the stage for his Heisman Trophy run.
McMillian now has 528 yards on 84 carries.
"We aren't satisfied," McMillian said. "We are going to keep going to work each and every day. It's exciting and we're going to enjoy it, but we have another opponent next week. We'll enjoy it tonight and then get to work Sunday."
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
