Colorado had their way with in-state rival Colorado State in a 45-13 victory to take the Rocky Mountain Showdown in Denver on Friday night. It marked the fourth straight victory in the rivalry for the Buffaloes, who get to take home the Centennial Cup for their efforts.
Colorado throttles Colorado State in the Rocky Mountain Showdown
Steven Montez accounted for 5 TDs against the in-state rival
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Buffs quarterback Steven Montez was the star of the show, throwing for four touchdowns and running in another from 38 yards, leading a Colorado offense that racked up 596 yards and averaged over nine yards per play.
Montez completed his first 12 passes of the game and on the night was 22-of-25 for 338 yards through the air, his accuracy helping to set a school record.
Lavis Shenault Jr. was Montez’s favorite target on Friday, hauling in 11 passes for 211 yards, including an 89-yard touchdown. The Buffs also got big plays on the ground, running for 258 yards, including 103 yards on just 10 carries and a touchdown from Trav McMillan.
Game updates
8:46, third quarter: CU 42, CSU 10
The Buffaloes continue to pour it on against the Rams, with two quick touchdowns to start the third quarter. The highlight was Laviska Shenaul taking a short pass over the middle and running mostly unscathed into the end zone for an 89-yard touchdown.
Halftime: CU 28, CSU 10
It was all Buffaloes in the first half, racking up 332 yards for a big halftime advantage. Quarterback Steven Montez ran one in from 38 yards for one touchdown, and he threw for three more, including this one to Juwann Winfree for the only score of the second quarter:
End of first quarter, CU 21, CSU 7
The opening 15 minutes were filled with offense, especially for the Buffaloes. Steven Montez led three touchdown drives in the first quarter, completing all 12 of his passes. Colorado was especially efficient on first down.
It helped that the Buffaloes rushed for 106 yards on just nine carries in the opening quarter, including a 38-yard TD run from Montez.
K.J. Carta-Samuels passed for a touchdown of his own for Colorado State, all while completing seven of nine passes.
8:17, first quarter, CU 14, CSU 0
Steven Montez is on fire to start this one, completing his first seven passes for 106 yards. The latest was a 46-yard score to K.D. Nixon to but the Buffs up two touchdowns.
13:36, first quarter: CU 7, CSU 0
They’re underway at Sports Authority Field. And the Buffs have moved quickly to take the lead, on a 38-yard run by quarterback Steven Montez. In total, that was a five-play, 75-yard drive that covered the first 2:24 of clock time. Not bad!
Game preview by James Brady
The Colorado Buffaloes and Colorado State Rams will meet in the latest iteration of the Rocky Mountain Showdown for the Centennial Cup on Friday. The rivalry has existed since the Buffaloes beat the Rams all the way back in 1893, and has been an annual game since 1995. Friday’s game is set for 9:30 p.m. ET on CBSSN (live streaming via CBS Sports and CBS All-Access).
The Buffaloes have won the last three meetings between the teams, and 16 of the last 23, dating back to 1995. Last season, Colorado beat Colorado State, 17-3. They lead the series, 65-22-2.
Time, TV channel, and streaming info
- Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver
- TV: CBSSN
- Streaming: CBS Sports, CBS All-Access
- Odds: Colorado opened as 6-point favorites, and the lines have only moved further in their favor.
Colorado vs. Colorado State news:
- The Buffaloes are hoping that senior safety Nick Fisher will be a boost to their secondary this season, as he’s set to be a starter for the first time.
- Colorado running back Kyle Evans was named a co-starter alongside transfer Travon McMillan, big news for the 5-foot-6 running back that suffered through serious injuries last season. The folks at Ralphie Report are excited:
Even though Evans is co-starting for the time being, with a back-by-committee approach in place and Mike MacIntyre not wanting to use all four backs every game, he must show out to keep his role. However, after encountering countless external and internal roadblocks throughout his college career, Evans is finally set to show he’s the player everyone knows he can be - quick, shifty, versatile, and full of passion.
- The Rams may have lost in Week 0, but the offense was impressive, at least down the stretch. The Buffaloes have to be prepared for a high-scoring game.
- Rams coach Mike Bobo said that he expects quarterabcks coach Ronnie Letson to be the primary play-caller against Colorado, same as he did against Hawaii. Bobo said that his health issues havne’t allowed him to be at all the team’s offensive meetings leading up to the Rocky Mountain Showdown.
The Rams’ pass defense looks vulnerable
In “Week 0”, Hawaii’s Cole McDonald threw for 418 yards and three touchdowns against the Rams, leading the Rainbow Warriors to a 43-34 victory. He completed 26 of 37 passes, and had two receivers with over 100 yards, one of whom (Cedric Byrd) nearly had 200. K.J. Carta-Samuels found his rhythm in the second half for the Rams, but even with his five touchdowns, the Rams couldn’t keep pace.
Colorado vs. Colorado State prediction:
Steven Montez looks primed for a big game against the Colorado State defense, and that coupled with the slow start by the Rams in their first game, leads me to believe the Buffaloes will make it 4-0 over the last four games against the Rams.
As far as S&P+ metrics are concerned, Colorado has a -3.1, while Colorado State has a -4.7. With the game essentially being a neutral field for both, those stats would also point to the Buffaloes as victors.
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