Colorado University Athletics
Leaner Buffs QB Montez Ready To Take Game Up A Notch
February 23, 2017 | Football, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Just about everyone associated with Colorado football has fond memories of Steven Montez's starting debut.
The Buffs quarterback burst onto the scene last fall with an unforgettable effort in a 41-38 win over Oregon. The then-redshirt freshman threw for 333 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another 135 yards and one touchdown, becoming the first player in CU history to throw for at least 300 yards and run for at least 100 in the same game.
Memorable, indeed.
But while Montez remembers the win — a key moment in CU's 10-4, Pac-12 South title turnaround season — it's not just the numbers he remembers.
He also remembers gasping for breath after some of his runs, barely able to get up and get back to the line of scrimmage in time for the next play.
"Honestly, it was kind of embarrassing," Montez said Wednesday after the Buffs first spring practice. "I was pretty much getting dragged by my O-lineman up and down the field because I was so tired and so out of shape and just so fat."
"Fat" might be a stretch — but Montez, a strapping 6-foot-5 and about 240 pounds at the time, was definitely not in the best of condition, and it didn't go unnoticed by the coaching staff. That includes head coach Mike MacIntyre.
"Coach Mac definitely brought it to my attention," Montez said with a laugh. "He said look at you — you don't even look good. You look like you want to fall over. That's when I made the switch. I got with Drew, Justin, Coach Layport and Laura and they made a plan for me. I was running five times a week extra and I completely changed my diet."
That would be Drew Wilson, director of football strength and conditioning; assistant strength and conditioning coaches Justin Geyer and Jeremy Layport; and head dietitian Laura Anderson. Montez became quite familiar with each of them, and he's spent some extra time with the group on a regular basis since.
The strength and conditioning part — while not easy — was at least familiar to Montez. He knew what running and lifting weights were about.
But the nutrition part was new. Montez was accustomed to eating just about whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. He is, after all, a college student, and readily available sodas and unhealthy snacks were a regular part of his diet.
"A big shout out to Laura, because she's the one who got me right on my diet," Montez said. "She got me eating vegetables again, got me to stop drinking sugary drinks like juice and soda, got me eating all the right stuff. Shout out to her big time."
The result is a stronger yet leaner Montez. He's dropped about 20 pounds from where he played last season, but he has still improved his strength and speed. He is also now to the point that MacIntyre singled him out Wednesday as being in "phenomenal shape" — a far cry from the quarterback whose linemen were "dragging me up and down the field" last fall in Oregon.
Montez said he now weighs about 220 pounds.
"They want me about 225 to 228, but lean," Montez said. "So that's what we're working on in the offseason, running hard and lifting hard. Take off the fat, put the muscle back on."
While CU coaches haven't said Montez is definitely the starter, he clearly has a major edge in the battle for the job. And if early drills are any indication, he is showing no signs of letting any of his pursuers — redshirt freshman Sam Noyer and true freshman Tyler Lytle — close the gap. In Wednesday's opening session, he ran the offense with precision, throwing both deep and short routes with accuracy.
Equally important, he also kept the ball on some designed runs and was able to sprint back to the line of scrimmage for the next play.
"I definitely feel faster and definitely feel a lot more in shape," Montez said. "I feel better throwing the ball, I feel more stable in my core and I don't feel as sluggish. It's really helped me a lot. It feels good to feel good."
While next fall's season opener — Sept. 1 against Colorado State in Denver — is still on the distant horizon, Montez and his cohorts know the offense will be expected to take it up another notch this fall. It's likely there will even be more pressure on the offense in 2017, as the defense must replace eight starters from last year.
But if anything, the Buffs don't believe they'll rest on their laurels of last year's turnaround. Rather, they believe their goal will be to take the next step.
"I think we're more hungry this spring than we were last spring," Montez said. "We got a taste of what it was like to be great and I don't think anybody wants to let that go and wants to go back to where we were two years ago. I think we're all working hard to get better. Our goal is to make and win a Pac-12 Championship and if we do that, hopefully we'll be in contention for a national championship as well."
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
