Boulder, CO - Saturday marked the start of CU Football’s 93rd season playing at Folsom Field in the heart of Boulder, Colorado. The Buffs headed into this matchup against the Texas State Bobcats determined to maintain their reputation as dominant opponents at home with an overall school record of 309-169-10. Since they have never faced Texas State, let alone any Sun Belt Conference team since New Mexico in 1985, there was an element of uncertainty for CU and how they typically prepare for teams outside of the Pac-12. However, with multiple weapons in the Buffs’ repertoire including their brick-wall defense and Quarterback, Steven Montez’ play-making ability, CU won by a convincing score of 37-3, improving their record to 2-0 on the season.
When the defense can hold the opposition to just three points for the entire game, CU’s offense can afford to be patient and find holes when they appear, rather than having to force the issue. The flow of today’s game reveals just that, as the Buffs got off to a slow start with just 56 total yards in the first quarter. The first touchdown of the game came from an unlikely source in Wide Receiver, #8 Laviska Shenault Jr, who recovered a fumbled punt return (by #26 Isaiah Oliver), and ran it 55 yards into the end-zone for the first score of the game. Shenault accomplished history being just the 15th player in collegiate football to score on their first touch in an official game. It didn’t take much longer until Quarterback, #12 Steven Montez found his rhythm and launched a 43-yard completion to Wide Receiver, #1, Shay Fields. On the very next play, #4 Bryce Bobo hauled in an incredible one-handed catch on the sideline for a completion of 28 yards. The drive was finished off with a clever QB sneak where Steven Montez found a hole and ran it in for 2 yards and a 14-0 Buffs lead headed into the second half.
The second half began with Colorado possession as Montez and his settled-in receiving core looked to expand the lead. A 38-yard catch by #1 Shay Fields followed by a 15-yard catch by #4 Bryce Bobo set up Australian kicker, James Stefanou, for a 34-yard field goal attempt, his first of three total throughout the game. Chasing a 17-0 Buffs lead, the Texas State Bobcats had little to counter with only one 32-yard field goal by kicker, James Sherman. The primary factor for the Bobcats poor offensive performance was the disciplined coverage by the Buffs’ secondary, led by Junior, #26 Isaiah Oliver, who QB Steven Montez claims is “Without a doubt, one of the best cornerbacks in the nation.” Oliver’s biggest highlight was an interception in the 3rd quarter that he ran back for 41 yards.
Colorado will undoubtedly come away from this lopsided win with confidence in their defense’s ability to keep teams at bay throughout an entire game, or at least until the offense starts firing. CU Head Coach Mike MacIntyre emphasized that “When teams get down near the red-zone, we don’t flinch. Where other teams have a mentality that ‘oh well, the other team is going to score’, our guys keep on playing and take it to another level.” Although the score-line does indicate that Colorado’s defense was the high-point of the game today, QB Steven Montez still ultimately put up 299 yards and 1 touchdown with 19 completed passes out of 31 attempts. Furthermore, Shay Fields and Running Back, Phillip Lindsay, both ended with over 100 all-purpose yards. Coach MacIntyre referenced his impression on the offense’s willingness to persevere when pushed back deep into their own territory: “When we’re backed up, we don’t just leave it there, we take it and go score. When we have drives that are 92 yards, 95 yards and I think we’ve done that three times in just two games, that’s pretty good.”
After a triumphant home-opener at Folsom Field this Saturday, the Colorado Buffs will return next week on September 16th to take on the Northern Colorado Bears at 12:00 PM MST. If they can stay hot and pull off the victory, it will be CU’s first 3-0 start to a season since 2008.
When the defense can hold the opposition to just three points for the entire game, CU’s offense can afford to be patient and find holes when they appear, rather than having to force the issue. The flow of today’s game reveals just that, as the Buffs got off to a slow start with just 56 total yards in the first quarter. The first touchdown of the game came from an unlikely source in Wide Receiver, #8 Laviska Shenault Jr, who recovered a fumbled punt return (by #26 Isaiah Oliver), and ran it 55 yards into the end-zone for the first score of the game. Shenault accomplished history being just the 15th player in collegiate football to score on their first touch in an official game. It didn’t take much longer until Quarterback, #12 Steven Montez found his rhythm and launched a 43-yard completion to Wide Receiver, #1, Shay Fields. On the very next play, #4 Bryce Bobo hauled in an incredible one-handed catch on the sideline for a completion of 28 yards. The drive was finished off with a clever QB sneak where Steven Montez found a hole and ran it in for 2 yards and a 14-0 Buffs lead headed into the second half.
The second half began with Colorado possession as Montez and his settled-in receiving core looked to expand the lead. A 38-yard catch by #1 Shay Fields followed by a 15-yard catch by #4 Bryce Bobo set up Australian kicker, James Stefanou, for a 34-yard field goal attempt, his first of three total throughout the game. Chasing a 17-0 Buffs lead, the Texas State Bobcats had little to counter with only one 32-yard field goal by kicker, James Sherman. The primary factor for the Bobcats poor offensive performance was the disciplined coverage by the Buffs’ secondary, led by Junior, #26 Isaiah Oliver, who QB Steven Montez claims is “Without a doubt, one of the best cornerbacks in the nation.” Oliver’s biggest highlight was an interception in the 3rd quarter that he ran back for 41 yards.
Colorado will undoubtedly come away from this lopsided win with confidence in their defense’s ability to keep teams at bay throughout an entire game, or at least until the offense starts firing. CU Head Coach Mike MacIntyre emphasized that “When teams get down near the red-zone, we don’t flinch. Where other teams have a mentality that ‘oh well, the other team is going to score’, our guys keep on playing and take it to another level.” Although the score-line does indicate that Colorado’s defense was the high-point of the game today, QB Steven Montez still ultimately put up 299 yards and 1 touchdown with 19 completed passes out of 31 attempts. Furthermore, Shay Fields and Running Back, Phillip Lindsay, both ended with over 100 all-purpose yards. Coach MacIntyre referenced his impression on the offense’s willingness to persevere when pushed back deep into their own territory: “When we’re backed up, we don’t just leave it there, we take it and go score. When we have drives that are 92 yards, 95 yards and I think we’ve done that three times in just two games, that’s pretty good.”
After a triumphant home-opener at Folsom Field this Saturday, the Colorado Buffs will return next week on September 16th to take on the Northern Colorado Bears at 12:00 PM MST. If they can stay hot and pull off the victory, it will be CU’s first 3-0 start to a season since 2008.