Buffs QB Montez Prepares For Return Trip To Oregon

BOULDER — Colorado fans still have fond memories of the Buffaloes' last trip to Oregon, a wild 41-38 victory over the Ducks in 2016 that marked the starting debut of quarterback Steven Montez.

It was clearly a landmark moment. Starting in place of injured Sefo Liufau, Montez threw for 333 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 135 more and another touchdown, shocking the Autzen Stadium crowd and setting the stage for a Pac-12 South title run for Colorado.

But fact is, fans may remember the game more clearly than Montez. As the Buffs prepare for their first trip back to Autzen since that 2016 game, Montez — now a fifth-year senior — admits the details of the game are a bit blurry.

"I don't really remember a lot of the second half," said Montez, who was named a top 20 finalist Tuesday for the Unitas Golden Arm Award. "The two plays that I do remember pretty clearly were Bryce Bobo's one-handed catch, which was a great catch, and Ahkello Witherspoon's interception to seal the game. I think those two plays will stay with me for a while. They were two really good plays made by two really talented players."

Those were indeed memorable moments. Bobo made a one-handed snare of a Montez pass in the end zone that was initially ruled incomplete, but then changed to a touchdown after a replay review (the second of two touchdowns for CU awarded by replay). That score gave Colorado a 41-38 lead with 8:43 still to play in a game the Buffs led 23-7 early before an Oregon rally.

CU's defense then came up with three straight stops, including an Ahkello Witherspoon interception in the end zone in the final minute to seal the win.

But as for the rest?

"To be honest, I don't really remember a whole lot of it, especially the second half," Montez said. "I remember specific plays, but the entire third and fourth quarter is kind of hazy for me. I just don't really remember a whole lot of it."

But what Montez does know is that he is a different quarterback today as he prepares for Friday night's 8 p.m. matchup against the Ducks at Autzen (FS1).

"I think the maturity aspect is a lot different," Montez said. "A lot of people don't remember, but I threw two picks in that game, so it wasn't like it was a perfect game for me. I went out there and I threw a couple of turnovers, so I think I definitely want to eliminate those this time around and take care of the ball. That's probably the most important thing that I'm looking forward to on Friday, is just to take care of the ball, make good decisions, and not give them any extra possessions offensively."

Montez is no doubt a different player than he was three years ago. The 21 carries and 135 yards rushing in that game are both still career highs, as he has slowly become more of a pure passer, as well as a more savvy quarterback who isn't nearly as prone to jumping from the pocket and running upfield at the first sign of distress.

He pointed to last weekend's touchdown pass against Arizona just before the end of the first half as an example. With just 11 seconds left in the half, Montez dropped back and then scrambled for several seconds behind the line of scrimmage to extend the play before finally finding tight end Brady Russell for a touchdown.

"I think the 2016 Steven would have probably tucked the ball and tried to run for the touchdown," Montez said. "He probably would have felt like he needed to do a little too much and it probably would have ended up coming up short, which probably would have run the clock out and we wouldn't have gotten any points before half. I think that's just that maturity aspect that I mentioned earlier, just knowing the situation and knowing how much time we had on the clock."

Montez's first game seemed to indicate that he would become a dual-threat quarterback at Colorado, as he became the first player in CU history to throw for 300 yards and rush for 100 in the same game.

But because CU's offense has changed over the last three years — the Buffs are now on their third offensive coordinator in his career at Colorado — and because he has focused more on becoming a pure passer, he has depended less and less on his legs.

"I'm just trying to be smart and keep my eyes downfield instead of tucking my head down and trying to go get the yards myself," he said. "I like our wide receivers with the ball in their hands a lot better than I like myself with the ball in my hands. I try to get the ball to those guys and see if they can go pick up the yards for us."

Montez also knows this year's Oregon defense bears little resemblance to the group he faced in 2016. That year, the Ducks finished 11th in the Pac-12 in scoring defense, giving up more than 41 points per game.

But this year, UO's defense has been a strong point. After a narrow 27-21 loss to Auburn in the season opener, the Ducks have held four straight opponents to single-digit scoring, have given up just one touchdown in their opponents' last 51 possessions, and lead the Pac-12 in scoring defense (9.8 points per game).

"They are a lot more talented this year," Montez said. "Their front is really good. They don't need to bring a ton of (extra) pressure because their front gets enough pressure as it is. Their DB's are good and they have good linebackers … Nonetheless, that doesn't really change what we're doing. We're still going to do exactly what we think is going to work from seeing them on film. We've been practicing well and looking good."

This season, Montez has completed 118 of his 176 attempts for 1,463 yards (second-best in the Pac-12), 10 touchdowns and two interceptions.

Tuesday, he was named on of 20 national finalists for the Unitas Golden Arm Award, given annually to the top quarterback in the nation. The 20 finalists:

Zack Abraham, Southern Miss

Ian Book, Notre Dame

Anthony Brown, Boston College

Kelly Bryant, Missouri

Joe Burrow, LSU

Jacob Eason, University of Washington

Caleb Evans, Louisiana Monroe

Mason Fine, North Texas

Quentin Harris, Duke

Justin Herbert, Oregon

Tyler Huntley, Utah

Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma