Colorado State had no answers for the Buffaloes on Friday night in Denver. Colorado football ran away with the Rocky Mountain Showdown, 45-13.
It never really was that close in Denver when Colorado and Colorado State met up for the annual duel between the two state rivals.
The Buffaloes came out and rolled up a big score early, then continued to add to the total after the intermission. By the end, it was a 45-13 blowout for the Buffaloes as they took down the Rams at Mile High Stadium.
Mike MacIntyre and his staff had their squad ready to stymie any hopes of an upset bid by their Mountain West foes. Colorado State had no answers for their rivals from Boulder, and the Buffaloes now look like a potential threat to preseason favorites Arizona and USC in the Pac-12 South race.
Can MacIntyre’s 2018 squad earn a second trip to the Pac-12 title game in the past three years?How much can we really take away from this contest between the Buffaloes and an overmatched Rams side? We certainly learned a few things about both of these sides on Thursday evening at 5,280 feet above sea level.
Here are three takeaways from the Rocky Mountain Showdown.
3. Steven Montez is ready to shine for Colorado
Last year, Steven Montez stepped into the starting role at quarterback after Sefo Liufau left the University of Colorado. He finished with just under 3000 yards, 18 touchdowns, and nine interceptions on 60.5 percent passing.
Montez was solid if unspectacular over the course of 2017. After a (redshirt) sophomore slump, Montez seems to finally be breaking out of the shadow of Liufau and making the Buffaloes quarterback position his own. It was against a Rams squad that gave up 418 yards and three touchdowns through the air to Hawaii’s Cole McDonald, to be fair. But it was a breakout performance on Thursday night nonetheless.
Montez completed 22 of his 25 passing attempts for 338 yards and four touchdowns. One of his incompletions went for an interception, but it was still an efficient performance that showcased his importance to the Colorado offense. He added 34 yards and a rushing touchdown on three carries, picking his spots to run wisely.
If Colorado is going to win the Pac-12 this year, they will need Montez to produce more ultra-efficient performances like the one he put in to win a third straight against a traditional rival. Montez looks capable of making that difference in the Pac-12 South race as the most experienced quarterback in the division.
2. Buffaloes defense could make difference in Pac-12 South race
Last year the Buffaloes finished 109th in the FBS in yards allowed, fading back to mediocrity after Jim Leavitt left to take the defensive coordinator job at Oregon. In the first season under D.J. Eliot’s guidance as the new coordinator, they gave up 208 rushing yards per game and more than four touchdowns per game.
Things turned out really well for the Buffaloes in the season opener, however. They allowed only 284 total yards of offense to the Rams, stifling their rivals on the ground and in the air. After throwing for more than 500 yards and five touchdowns against Hawaii, K.J. Carta-Samuels came back down to earth against Colorado.
Carta-Samuels, the Washington transfer who decided on Colorado State over staying in the Pac-12, was held to one-third of the production he managed against lower-tier competition. Against the Buffaloes, Colorado State’s quarterback was held under 200 passing yards with a touchdown and a pick.
And even though Colorado State attempted just one fewer carry than the Buffaloes, Colorado’s defense held the Rams to just 40 percent of the rushing production as their backfield counterpart. In every aspect, the Buffaloes controlled the narrative when they didn’t have the ball. That could prove a winning ingredient in the Pac-12 race.
1. The Rams don’t look like they will be a bowl team
That all said, let’s not read too much into the Buffaloes blowout of the Rams at Mile High Stadium. Colorado State was given the benefit of the doubt after losing to Hawaii in the home opener, largely because Carta-Samuels put up big numbers in defeat against the Rainbow Warriors. So too were the rest of the Rams on both sides of the ball.
That was obviously hasty, though, especially considering they were nowhere near the top 10 teams in the preseason Group of Five power rankings. But they did present upset potential leading into the Labor Day weekend.
There was little good to take away from this game for the Rams. Former Rice cornerback V.J. Banks made an impact instantly in his first game after his graduate transfer in April, picking off Steven Montez to slow down the Buffaloes offense for at least a little bit longer.
Carta-Samuels did connect with Olabisi Johnson for a 26-yard touchdown reception with 5:54 left in the first quarter, the closest they would come to leveling the score back up with the Buffaloes. There was little that Colorado State could do after that as they struggled to contain Montez and the Buffaloes offense.
Colorado State is going to struggle to even reach bowl eligibility this season. Now down in a 0-2 hole in 2018, they could possibly be 0-6 by the end of September. SEC opponents Arkansas and Florida loom on the schedule the next two weeks. More likely is 2-4 as long as Colorado State takes care of business against FCS Illinois State and conference for San Jose State.