Buffaloes quarterback Steven Montez wins Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week

Colorado Buffaloes redshirt freshman quarterback Steven Montez has been named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week in the first collegiate game he ever started. Montez was called into action due to an injury to Sefo Liufau and didn't buckle under the pressure of a noisy road game in Oregon, leading the Buffaloes to a 41-38 victory. He is the second Buffs quarterback to receive the honor this season after Liufau won in week one.

Congrats, Steven!

Offensive: Steven Montez, Fr., QB, Colorado
• In Colorado’s 41-38 win at Oregon, the redshirt freshman made his first collegiate start, and had 468 yards of total offense and 23 first downs earned (8 rush/15 passing).
• He enjoyed the best game in a quarterback’s first start at Colorado in terms total offense (surpassing 430 by Kordell Stewart vs. Colorado State in 1992 – 409 pass/21 rush).
• His 135 yards rushing were the most in a debut by a starting QB at Colorado (topping the 116 by Darian Hagan vs. Texas in 1989) and is the 10th most in any game all-time at Colorado by a quarterback (and the first 100-yard game by a quarterback since Nov. 4, 2006 when Bernard Jackson rushed for 105 against Kansas State).
• His 468 yards of total offense were the fourth-most in a single-game in Colorado history and it was the first-ever 300 passing/100 rushing game in school history
• His 14 straight completions in the first half tied for the second-most in school history (trailing 15 by Mike Moschetti over two games in 1999); it matched the most in one game (Koy Detmer, 14 at Colorado State in 1996).

Defensive: Solomon Thomas, Jr., DL, Stanford
Special Teams: Zane Gonzalez Sr., PK, Arizona State

2016 PAC-12 FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK