BOULDER — Steven Montez makes it look so easy: A broken play, a backyard scramble, a sprint toward the sideline, a flick of his left hand toward a streaking receiver, and with his right hand, a football fastball toward the end zone.
The mad-libbing University of Colorado quarterback did it again Saturday at Folsom Field. Montez set career highs for passing yards (357) and passing touchdowns (four), and midway through the second quarter, he danced down the line of scrimmage to hit Shay Fields for a score in the Buffaloes’ 41-21 victory against Northern Colorado.
CU opens Pac-12 play undefeated thanks in large part to Montez’s athleticism, a known commodity of the 6-foot-5, 225-pound sophomore from El Paso, Texas, in making his transition from backup to full-time starter. But what has coach Mike MacIntyre learned about Montez in his first three games in the spotlight? “He doesn’t really let anything affect him,” he said.
Late in the second quarter facing third-and-10 from the UNC 28-yard line, Montez had a wide-open Devin Ross crossing inside the red zone. The ball sailed high, was intercepted by safety Stone Kane, and returned 44 yards the opposite direction. Montez returned to the sideline and immediately put on a headset.
“It doesn’t bother him,” MacIntyre said. “He forgets it. He says, ‘OK, coach, I got it.’ Boom, and he goes. To me, thatap a great quality.”
Not a bad attribute for the entire CU roster to share.
Especially after yet another nonconference victory where a lopsided score didn’t tell the whole story.
CU lost three turnovers and UNC trailed by just one touchdown late in the third quarter. The Buffaloes were penalized 14 times for 114 yards, including targeting ejections for safety Afloabi Laguda and defensive end Chris Mulumba. CU didn’t allow a touchdown in its two previous games, but UNC quarterback Jacob Knipp connected on scoring throws from 27, 33 and 52 yards.
“I really wanted to see how those dudes were going to perform against this competition,” UNC coach Earnest Collins said. “I told them that I wanted to see heart, I want to see the muscle that you can’t condition. They came out and showed it today.”
Said CU senior linebacker Derek McCartney: “Itap disappointing. We’re not really proud of the way we played.”
The Buffaloes’ room for error shrinks starting 8 p.m. Saturday when No. 6 Washington travels to Boulder in a rematch of last season’s Pac-12 championship game. Montez will provide the barometer. He completed touchdown passes to all four starting receivers Saturday, but like with his interception, continued success requires a short memory.
“We ended walking out of there with a victory,” Montez said, “so thatap all that matters to me, to be honest.”
Game balls
Jacob Knipp, UNC
The Bears’ starting quarterback didn’t earn the victory, but left Boulder with plenty of respect. He threw three deep touchdown passes against a defense that hadn’t allowed one all season and rebounded from several big hits.
Steven Montez, CU
Montez set career highs in passing yards (357) and passing touchdowns (4). He became the fourth quarterback in program history with two career 400-yard total offense games on Saturday.
Phillip Lindsay, CU
The Buffaloes’ starting tailback rushed for 152 yards on 26 carries. Lindsay has scored at least one touchdown in 14 of his last 18 games.