Lansing: Buffs Finally Find The Deep Ball

BOULDER — While Colorado's offense has had its share of productive games this season, there has still been one common question looming in all Buffs fans' minds as this year has unfolded: "What has happened to the deep ball?"

It's a fair question, as watching Sefo Liufau and Steven Montez roll out and fire 50-plus yard passes downfield became a staple of the Buffs' electric 2016 offensive campaign. Coming into this season with a slew of talented wide receivers returning, the general assumption in Boulder was to expect an entertaining air-raid passing game with Montez at the helm full time.

But eight games into the 2017 season, with few deep-ball results to boast, the Colorado offense needed an offensive outburst to regain some momentum heading into the final stretch of the season. That all came into fruition Saturday, as Montez returned to vintage form (20-for-26, 347 yards, three touchdowns passing) in an all-around dominant offensive display that featured three different receivers (Shay Fields, Devin Ross, Jay MacIntyre) scoring touchdowns of 20 yards or longer.

What was even more refreshing to observe was the offense breaking multiple season-long passing highs. Prior to Saturday, the longest completed non-scoring pass from scrimmage was a 44-yarder to Shay Fields in the Texas State game, while Chris Bounds' 39-yard touchdown against Arizona served as the longest scoring play via passing.

By halftime Saturday, the season-highs were updated. The new numbers included both Laviska Shenault Jr.'s 58-yard reception on a fly route down the field and the Pac-12 active receptions leader Shay Fields' 65-yard touchdown reception from Montez that couldn't have been timed better if tried.

They were a welcome sight to Buffs supporters.

"It felt great," Fields said. "It took us eight or nine weeks, but that first feeling you get when (the deep ball) finally happens is amazing."

As for Shenault, it was just another flash of the true freshman's potential to assume the position as his own as early as next season. Along with hauling in the second-longest play from scrimmage this year, Shenault came a finger grip away from an acrobatic catch that would have certainly received "Top Ten" consideration had it been completed, a noticeable sight to his teammates.

"Laviska's a great kid. He has potential, and had a great catch today, even though he should've had another," Fields said. "But yeah, he's going to be a great player someday."

Despite a relative lack of production before today from the wide receivers compared to this time last year, Montez is the first to admit that the passing game success is very much a two-way process that revolves around his play.

"I needed to be a lot more focused out there, and I think I was today," Montez said. "Just felt like there was a chip on my shoulder and that I had to show everyone why I'm the one playing."

If there was any doubt in Montez's ability to lead this offense to similar highs of last season, Saturday should serve as a baseline for what to expect from this offense for the last three regular season games. The positive correlation of seeing astronomical offensive numbers as a result of successfully executing deep balls was evident, a testament to the work put in by the offense in practice this week.

"It's big, it's about time we start hitting them because we've been working them all year in practice and we knew if we want to be a legitimate force on offense that we have to throw the deep ball well, and I think it showed today," Montez said.

With Saturday's performance from both Montez and his band of receivers, a sense of urgency has been restored in what this offense can accomplish as the fight for bowl eligibility continues.

Just like Netflix's newly-released "Stranger Things 2," the Colorado offense displayed an "upside-down" offensive performance Saturday, a performance that should have Buffs supporters everywhere feeling optimistic heading into Tempe next weekend.

Players Mentioned

Chris Bounds

Shay Fields

Sefo Liufau

Jay MacIntyre

Steven Montez

Devin Ross

Laviska Shenault Jr.

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