Colorado Football: Can Steven Montez bounce back in 2018?

For Colorado football to get back to the point of postseason contention again in 2018, they’ll need rising junior quarterback Steven Montez to step up.

Colorado football had some pretty large expectations entering the 2017 season, after a breakout 2016 campaign under head coach Mike MacIntyre. Since their 2016 Alamo Bowl loss to the Oklahoma State Cowboys, this team has not been the same. Last year, the Buffaloes had a tough time replacing departed quarterback Sefo Liufau, as his durability led the team in 2016 to their first Pac-12 South Championship.

However, redshirt sophomore quarterback Steven Montez looked solid in the year leading up to when he took over as the starter. When the pressure was squarely on him to the lead the offense, it turned out to be a different story. Montez struggled to keep the Buffs at the same level they played at in 2016, in 2017.

Just one year after finishing up with a double-digit wins season, the Buffs rounded out 2017 with only five wins. The win total was cut in half with Montez as the starter under center. Yet, that amount of pressure was a lot to put on Montez in his first year as the starter.

Now, with one year of starting experience under his belt, will he fare any better? Colorado still has the potential to be a competitive team in a wide open Pac-12 South. Given a better season from Montez in 2018, they could be better than the likes of the Arizona State Sun Devils, Utah Utes, UCLA Bruins, and Arizona Wildcats.

One reason why fans should be doubtful about Montez’s ability to respond in a big way in 2018 is the loss of star running back Phillip Lindsay. As the do-it-all rusher for the Buffs last season, Lindsay was a huge factor to the program winning as many games as they did altogether.

With more than 1,700 total yards and 15 touchdowns worth of production gone for the Buffs from just Lindsay alone, someone is going to have to step up and replace him. Montez might be able to make up for that somewhat with his legs, but nowhere close to the 15-touchdown mark.

In total last season, Montez tossed 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions. That’s a decent mark for a starting quarterback in a Power Five conference. Yet, he struggled big time down the stretch as the Buffs fell to Arizona State, USC, and Utah in the final three games of the regular season.

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Against any big time competition last season, Montez didn’t fare too well. His best wins came against the Colorado State Rams and Cal Golden Bears. The outlook for Montez in 2018 is not too great. His stat line could hold up, but he has to play better when it matters for the Buffs.