On September 17, former El Paso Del Valle quarterback Steven Montez stepped in for injured starter Sefo Liufau in the third quarter for the Colorado Buffaloes against Michigan. In what he called an “absolutely brutal” performance, Montez finished the game 0 for 7 and -4 yards rushing.
As for the next week, Montez was asked to step in this past Saturday at Oregon, where he would be making his first collegiate start on the road. After a tough performance, Montez quickly moved ahead to the game in Eugene.
“We lost at Michigan, we can’t do anything about it now,” Montez said, “What are we going to do about it and how are we going to respond this week; I took it to heart.”
Fast forward to the following Saturday in Autzen Stadium, and Montez was leading the Buffaloes to one of their biggest wins in recent years thanks to a stellar individual performance.
Montez finished 23 of 32 for 333 yards and three touchdowns. He also put up another 135 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Montez’s 468 yards of total offense were the most that a Colorado quarterback has had in his debut. It was also the fourth-largest single game total in school history.
People in El Paso knew what kind of talent he was with at Del Valle, one of the most consistent contenders in District 2-5A. During his senior year, Montez led the Conquistadores to an 11-win season, including wins in the bi-district and area rounds of the playoffs. He also threw for nearly 3,000 yards and rushed for just over 1,000 during that season.
Now, that he’s in Boulder, Montez knows that his collegiate career is just beginning. Even though it’s unclear if he’ll start again this season, Montez is simply focusing on getting better.
“I’m working on being more comfortable with the reads, taking better command of the offense and rallying our guys,” Montez said. “My endurance and stamina wore down towards the end of the game so I’m going to need to get back in shape.”
That said, Montez enjoyed the “wave of emotions” during Saturday’s victory, which included two second half touchdown passes that were called incomplete but later overturned on review and a game-saving interception by Ahkello Witherspoon in the end zone.
It was a special day for him and those close to him. His father, stepmom, and his siblings all attended Saturday’s game in Eugene while other close friends watched the game on television back in El Paso. While he focuses on football and his studies, he also wants to help his younger brother Raymond succeed as the starting quarterback of the Conquistadores. Steven’s advice to him is to make sure he has fun with the game and be confident. Ultimately, he wants him to focus on the mental side of things.
“My dad takes care of the football stuff,” Montez said, “He’s his coach so they go over enough football, but I just want to make sure that he’s in the right place mentally by being more of a regular brother instead of a football friend.”
As Steven continues his college career, he will undoubtedly a player to watch in the next few years as well as one of the best players to come out of El Paso in the last few years.
