Tuesday Buffs Bits: Montez 'Can't Wait' For Season Opener Vs. Rams

BOULDER — Colorado junior quarterback Steven Montez will be making his second start against Colorado State on Friday and his 16th start overall as a Buff.

But Montez said Tuesday that he is perhaps more excited for this game than any since his first career start, a 41-38 win over Oregon in his redshirt freshman season.

"I can't wait. I don't think I have been this excited for a game since Oregon," Montez said. "I am very excited to play this week. I don't know what it is, but I can't wait to get out there and show what we have been working on, on offense. I am sure the defense has a lot of stuff they want to show the world as well. I am excited, and I can't wait. Can't. Wait."

While Montez is working with an almost entirely new set of starting receivers this year — senior Jay MacIntyre is the only returning starter — he has nevertheless appeared to develop a solid bond with this year's corps.

"It has just been work, work, work ever since the season stopped for us last year," he said. "Those younger receivers and I got together and I would throw, and throw, and throw constantly every week. We would throw deep balls, intermediate routes, and really everything just so we know we are on the same page when it comes to live fire. I think it has worked out well for us because we are on pretty good levels. There is good chemistry between me and the receivers."

The Buffs won't be lacking in talent or depth at the receiver spots. While MacIntyre is the only returning starter, at least four other members of the group have enough playing time under their belts to know what to expect. The list includes seniors Juwann Winfree and Kabion Ento, along with sophomores Laviska Shenault Jr. and K.D. Nixon.

"Those kids have played in games, they just haven't had main roles," head coach Mike MacIntyre said. "They're not that wet behind the ears so to speak. All of our quarterbacks have done a good job building chemistry with the receivers. … I'm excited about what they've shown in practice, now they have to go do it in the games. There is a camaraderie there, there is a feel there. They know how they're running the routes. He knows who he can lay out there and throw it to deep to, who he can throw the back shoulders to. They got those nuances figured out and that makes a big difference in a game."

FAMILIAR FACE: Colorado linebacker Drew Lewis is well acquainted with Colorado State quarterback K.J. Carta-Samuels, as both were members of Washington's 2014 recruiting class.

Lewis said the two were good friends during that 2014 season and "hung out together all the time."

But while Carta-Samuels stayed at Washington for four seasons, Lewis left after his freshman year and transferred to Coffeyville Community College before coming to Boulder and CU in 2016.

Meanwhile, Carta-Samuels — whose sister, Gabby, plays volleyball for Colorado — transferred to CSU this year as a graduate transfer.

Now, four years after their freshman season together, they could be reacquainted Friday night. As an outside linebacker, one of Lewis' main duties will be getting pressure on the quarterback and he hopes to reintroduce himself to his old friend in the game.

"It will be interesting for sure," he said. "It's kind of cool how it's all worked out."

SPEED TO BURN: Colorado outside linebacker Davion Taylor is clearly one of the fastest players on the CU roster, and he might be among the fastest linebackers in the Pac-12.

Last spring, Taylor finished sixth in the Pac-12 track and field 100-meter championships, and he recorded a season-best 10.51 time in the event.

But, MacIntyre said, he might not be the fastest player he has coached.

"Davion is extremely fast," MacIntyre said. "(But) I coached a guy named (former CU receiver) Paul Richardson one year that was pretty fast. But Davion is the fastest guy I've ever coached that's over 220 pounds."

Taylor, a junior college transfer, has just two years of football under his belt, as he did not play in high school. But just like his foot speed, he is catching onto the game quickly.

"It's still new to him," MacIntyre said. " Every day you see the light bulb go off a little more. He plays fast on the football field."

FOR OPENERS: Colorado is 79-44-5 in 128 season openers, including an 8-5-1 mark at neutral sites (8-5 in Denver).

CROWD COUNT: Last year's gathering of 73,932 at Mile High was the first time the crowd count eclipsed the 70,000 mark since 2003, when a series record 76,219 saw CU take a thrilling 42-35 win.

FIRST-GAME ADVANTAGE? Coaches from both teams say that CSU has a slight advantage by playing a week before the Buffs open their season. The reasoning is the team that plays first has a chance to shake off the rust and work out the kinks.

In each of the last two years, CSU has opened a week earlier than Colorado. Last year, CSU beat Oregon State in its opener, and this year, lost to Hawaii last week.

But the numbers in the series actually suggest that opening a week earlier hasn't been a big boost for the Rams. Since 1983, Colorado State is just 2-10 against CU when the Buffs are not their first opponent of the season.

Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu