On the night of Oct. 21, 2017, I visited cold, rainy, windy Pullman, Wash., and watched Colorado quarterback Steven Montez go through the worst start of his career.

During the 28-0 loss to Washington State that night, Montez struggled so much that then-head coach Mike MacIntyre benched him at halftime. After the game, when I asked MacIntyre if the quarterback competition would be open that week, he said, “Oh yeah. As bad as we looked, yes.”

Last Saturday, almost exactly two years after that disastrous night in Pullman, I was back on the Palouse on a cold, rainy, windy day and watched Montez go through another bad start.

Montez was better than he was in 2017 (not a difficult task), but it was a long night. He wasn’t benched (but was replaced late with the game out of hand) and head coach Mel Tucker was supportive of his quarterback. Twitterverse? Not so much.

A sampling of the Montez comments I got on Twitter during and after the game:

“Time for new leadership at the QB position.”

“It’s time to start looking at what we are going to have next year.”

“Montez has been the same QB for 3 years. Probably time to move on and see what you have with Lytle.”

“Montez has been insanely careless with the ball and has lost his composure of late. Players need to be sent a message: the team matters more than anything. Bench Montez.”

“When you’re getting called out by the color guy on TV it’s probably time to sit.”

“Why play Montez at all then the rest of the year? He sucks.”

“What’s the point of playing Montez ever again??”

With five games to play and riding a three-game losing streak, the Buffaloes (3-4, 1-3 Pac-12) have a quarterback problem. The solution, however, isn’t what those fans quoted above would like to see.

In this edition of the Monday Rewind, we’ll look at Montez and the state of the quarterback position heading into the final five games. Also this week:

Laviska Shenault’s odd season

Youth gaining valuable experience

Best of the Buffs against Washington State

Stats and quotes of the week

Pac-12 rankings and AP ballot

LEADING OFF: What to do with Montez?

Let’s end the suspense: Montez isn’t getting benched. If he’s healthy, he’s going to start on Friday night against Southern California (4-3, 1-3) and, likely, the rest of the season.

First of all, the Buffs don’t have much of a choice.

Backup Tyler Lytle injured his right shoulder on his only play of the WSU game, and third-stringer Blake Stenstrom threw an interception on his first pass before finishing 1-for-3. I’m not a doctor, but I’d be surprised if Lytle was physically ready to go by Friday, and it would be a daunting task for Stenstrom to take the reins.

As tough as the last two weeks have been for Montez, who has thrown six interceptions and no touchdowns in back-to-back blowout defeats, he gives them the best shot to win, and I firmly believe that Tucker still wants to try to win games. While it seems like a long shot right now, a bowl is still possible. Lytle and/or Stenstrom could certainly wind up being very good players for the Buffs at some point, but benching Montez – a fifth-year senior who has been named a captain in four of seven games so far – would be a sign that Tucker and the Buffs are throwing in the towel on 2019. I don’t think they’re ready to do that because their starter has had two bad games.

Second, Montez should start the rest of the year if he’s healthy. He obviously has his detractors, and he has his flaws, but he’s earned the right to lead this team to the end of his career.

He’s not a perfect quarterback, and he’s not among the elite in college football, but when he’s on, he’s very good. He’s got a shot to leave CU as the program’s all-time leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns and could be the first Buffs’ QB drafted since Koy Detmer in 1997.

I do understand some the criticism of Montez, including:

He has a 15-19 record as a starter, although, much like a pitcher in baseball, I think judging a QB off that is misleading. Montez has been better than the record suggests, including five times leading the offense to 30-plus points in a loss.

Is 2019 Montez much better than the 2016 version we saw as a temporary starter for three games in 2016? Statistically, no. His numbers were very similar in 2017 and 2018 and could wind up similar this year. He still makes questionable decisions at times, but I do think he’s more mature and a much better leader. Not sure if having three position coaches and three play callers has helped him much.

Montez, at times, gets gun shy in the pocket and could probably make more plays if he’d settle in for another fraction of a second. On the other hand, he’s been hit so many times in his career because the protection has never been great that it’s hard to blame him too much for bailing out early.

His detractors will point out other flaws, which they’ll label as “freshman mistakes,” such as throwing off his back foot, trusting his ability too much that he forces some plays, and not always making the right pre-snap reads and going through his progression to find an open man after the snap. I see NFL veterans (and very good NFL veterans) making those same “freshman mistakes,” so I think those criticisms of Montez are a little unfair. His decision making could be better at times, but I think his style of play leads to more good than bad.

He’s been awful in poor weather, and that could hurt him at the next level. Montez has now made three career starts in rain or snow (the two games at Washington State and last season vs. Utah). These are his TOTAL numbers in those three games: 33-for-65 (50.8 percent) for 234 yards, 0 TD, 3 INT, an 0-3 record and an average of 5.7 points scored by the offense.

Despite all of that, let’s not let the last two weeks cloud our judgment of Montez, however. This is the same guy that led the Buffs to a 3-1 start; the same guy who rallied them to a win against Nebraska and to the program’s first-ever win at Arizona State.

Montez is also a guy who typically doesn’t go into prolonged slumps. This is the first time in his career he’s had back-to-back games with multiple interceptions and it’s only the second he’s had back-to-back games without a touchdown pass.

For a CU team that still harbors hopes of a bowl game, benching Montez isn’t the answer. Instead, the Buffs needs to get their senior’s head on straight and get him back to how he played the first five games of the season.

“We just need to get him right,” Tucker said.

If they do, Montez has the ability to finish the season on a high note by playing well, breaking records and possibly getting the three wins CU needs to extend the season.

VISKA’S IMPACT: Best games not translating to wins

It’s been interesting to see this season play out for Laviska Shenault, the standout junior receiver who was on multiple preseason All-American lists this summer.

The common perception was that the main reason for CU’s seven-game losing streak last year was because of the injuries to Shenault in the second half of the year. I firmly believe that while it was one factor, it wasn’t THE factor. In fact, Shenault had 35 catches (8.8 per game) and 377 yards of total offense in four of those games.

For various reasons, including some injuries and receiving more attention from the defense, Shenault hasn’t had a big year this season. But, it’s odd to see that his best games typically have not resulted in wins for CU. Here is Shenault’s game-by-game stats, listed in order of his total offense:

149 yards, 2 TD – vs. Air Force: Loss, 30-23 OT

83 yards, 1 TD – vs. Colorado State: Win, 52-31

70 yards, 0 TD – at Oregon: Loss, 45-3

62 yards, 1 TD – at Washington State: Loss, 41-10

37 yards, 0 TD – vs. Nebraska: Win, 34-31 OT

23 yards, 0 TD – at Arizona State: Win, 34-31

GAME CHANGER: Youth being served

Washington State’s Anthony Gordon picked on CU freshman cornerback KJ Trujillo quite a bit on Saturday night, and it’s a good bet that other quarterbacks will do the same in coming weeks.

Trujillo was one of three true freshmen in the secondary against the Cougars, along with corner Tarik Luckett and nickelback Mark Perry. The defensive line rotation included true freshmen Austin Williams and Na’im Rodman.

With so much youth playing on that side of the ball, it’s not a big surprise that CU has allowed 86 points in the last two games and at least 30 points in every game so far this season.

While the youngsters are taking their lumps now, there is hope that it will pay off down the road.

“Most definitely,” Trujillo said. “We have a lot of young guys playing. It’s good for us to get our feet wet this early, so in the future it’ll be better.”

CU’s best defensive team in the past decade was the 2016 squad, which featured seniors Chidobe Awuzie, Tedric Thompson and Ahkello Witherspoon – who are all now starters in the NFL. It was a senior-laden defense that built its foundation by getting humbled as freshmen in 2013 and sophomores in 2014.

Tucker is already seeing the experience pay off for his young team. Although CU gave up 41 points, they had a long stretch of success against the Cougars. During the second and third quarters, CU had a stretch of five defensive possessions where it allowed only three points.

“The scores haven’t reflected this the past couple games, but I feel like we’re making some improvements defensively,” Tucker said. “We have a lot of young players out there. We have a lot of freshmen, not just in the back end, but in our front. A lot of new faces. We had some guys out there really getting some playing time – (junior college transfers) Jamar Montgomery and Jash Allen – really for the first time.

“We’ve been developing those guys in practice and they’re to the point now where we’re putting them in the game. That is going to help us because we need all these guys to be ready to go in there and produce.”

CU, of course, hopes the experience pays off with better results in the next five games. But, at the least, this season should pay off down the road.

BEST OF THE BUFFS: This week’s top CU players

CU’s top performers in last weeks’ 41-10 loss to Washington State:

RB Alex Fontenot: He’s been impressive for the most part this season and he finished with 105 yards rushing on 11 carries. He added two catches for five yards.

LB Nate Landman: Finished with seven tackles, but it seemed like more than that. He also had a pair of QB hurries and a pass breakup.

DE Terrance Lang: Solid game for Lang, who had four tackles and half a sack (with Alex Tchangam).

WR Laviska Shenault: Just 46 yards on four catches, but he also had 16 yards on three rushes, including the Buffs’ only touchdown, on a 6-yard run.

STAR Davion Taylor: The senior had a team-high 11 tackles, including two tackles for loss.

THOUGHTS ON THE WEEKEND

1. I felt bad for backup QB Tyler Lytle on Saturday. During his three years at CU, he’s worked his tail off to reshape his body and improve his game. Given Steven Montez’s durability, there haven’t been many chances for Lytle to play. When good opportunities have come up, his coaches – both Mike MacIntyre in 2018 and Mel Tucker this year – haven’t taken them. Lytle should have been given chances to throw the ball in the fourth quarters against Colorado State and New Hampshire in 2018 and a week ago at Oregon. In each case, MacIntyre or Tucker left Montez in long enough that Lytle’s only playing time involved handing the ball to the running back in the final couple minutes. Before Saturday, his only five passes came on a snowy Boulder day last year in a blowout loss to Utah. On Saturday, he finally got a chance to get into the game and throw some passes, and what happens? On his first play, he throws incomplete and gets slammed to the ground by the WSU defense and injures his shoulder. I’m not sure how long he’ll be out, or if he’ll miss any time, but it was a tough break for a kid who needs – and deserves – some quality playing time.

2. Alex Fontenot might be the most pleasant surprise of the season. I’ve heard for a couple of years that he has good burst, but I was a bit skeptical about his ability to be a lead back because of his frame. Fontenot has been impressive, though, and he’s got a chance to reach 1,000 yards this season with a strong finish.

3. For me, the most disappointing part of Saturday’s game at Washington State was that the Buffs seemed to let the poor weather get to them. A couple hours before the game, several dozen Washington State players came out of the locker room in shorts and no shirts and, with snow falling, had a good ol’ time running some sprints and firing each other up. CU’s players eventually emerged bundled up. Sounds too simple to judge the teams off of that, but I felt Washington State embraced the elements and CU tried to tolerate them. We saw that two years ago under similar conditions in Pullman, but I thought Tucker’s team would show more mental toughness in that regard.

4. Oregon State is no longer an easy out in the Pac-12. The Beavers already have two conference wins, both on the road (at UCLA and California). No doubt those teams, like CU a year ago, penciled those games in as wins. If the Beavers could figure out how to win at home, they could make a bowl push. Since the start of 2017, the Beavers are now 3-8 in Pac-12 road games and 0-11 in Pac-12 home games. Luckily for OSU, three of the last five are on the road.

5. A couple weeks ago, I was pretty sure CU would go into the Rose Bowl on Nov. 2 and get a win against hapless UCLA. The Bruins might be gaining some confidence, though. They pummeled Stanford last week, and if they figure out how to knock off ASU this week, the Buffs better watch out. ASU could do the Buffs a favor by bringing the Bruins back to reality this week.

STAT OF THE WEEK: 11

False start penalties called against the Buffaloes in the last two games combined, including four against Washington State. The two tackles, Arlington Hambright and William Sherman, have each had three of those. Against WSU, four of the five starting offensive linemen (all but center Tim Lynott) were flagged for a false start.

STAT OF THE WEEK, part II: 4.75

That’s Tony Brown’s average yards per catch in the last two games. The senior has caught eight passes, but for only 38 yards. During the first five games, he averaged 15.2 yards per catch, picking up 442 yards on 29 receptions.

MY PAC-12 RANKINGS

How I rank the Pac-12 after Week 8:

1. Oregon Ducks (6-1, 4-0 Pac-12; previous rank: 1): After their win in Seattle, I’m about ready to call the race in the North and punch the Ducks’ ticket to Levi’s Stadium on Dec. 6. They’ve got a two-game lead on Oregon State and a three-game lead on everyone else.

2. Utah Utes (6-1; 3-1; PR: 2): Impressive and crucial win against ASU last week.

3. USC Trojans (4-3; 3-1; PR: 6): Trojans actually sit in the driver’s seat in the South, by virtue of their win against Utah a few weeks ago.

4. Arizona State Sun Devils (5-2; 2-2; PR: 3): Three South teams in the top four?? Suddenly the South is the stronger division.

5. Washington Huskies (5-3; 2-3; PR: 4): They’ve got two weeks to get ready for a visit from Utah in a game that could turn the tide for the Huskies.

6. Washington State Cougars (4-3; 1-3; PR: 10): The cure for a three-game losing streak? Just bring the Buffs to Pullman! Cougars have to visit Oregon this week, though.

7. Oregon State Beavers (3-4; 2-2; PR: 11): This might be the highest I’ve ever had the Beavers on this list. This is just the second time in five years they’ve won as many as two conference games.

8. Arizona Wildcats (4-3; 2-2; PR: 7): Since beating CU, the ’Cats are 0-2, have been outscored 92-41 and Buff killer Khalil Tate is in danger of losing his job.

9. UCLA Bruins (2-5; 2-2; PR: 12): Bruins took advantage of a depleted Stanford roster to earn an easy win on the road.

10. California Golden Bears (4-3; 1-3; PR: 5): Cal’s doing Cal things again. In 2017, they started 3-0 and then lost the next 3 and finishing 5-7. In 2018, they started 3-0, lost the next 3 and finished 7-6. This year, they started 4-0 and have lost the next 3. With Utah, Washington State and USC coming up, the streak could last a while.

11. Stanford Cardinal (3-4; 2-2; PR: 8): Does David Shaw have any players left?

12. Colorado Buffaloes (3-4; 1-3; PR: 9): No team in the conference has played worse the past two weeks.

MY TOP 25 BALLOT

Here’s the ballot I submitted to the Associated Press for this week’s Top 25:

1. Clemson

2. Alabama

3. LSU

4. Oklahoma

5. Ohio State

6. Notre Dame

7. Penn State

8. Florida

9. Auburn

10. Oregon

11. Georgia

12. Utah

13. Texas

14. SMU

15. Cincinnati

16. Baylor

17. Minnesota

18. Wisconsin

19. Michigan

20. Iowa

21. Boise State

22. Arizona State

23. Appalachian State

24. Virginia

25. Wake Forest

QUOTES OF THE WEEK

STAR Davion Taylor on the weather being a factor against Washington State: “I feel like defensively, there is no excuse. Whatever we play in, we need to execute 100 percent. Yes, it was cold, it was raining, but we still try to play our best. We had mistakes, but it is still no excuse for the game.”

RB Alex Fontenot on the weather: “It didn’t affect our run game at all. No fumbles or anything like that. That’s what we’ve been practicing all week. I really can’t speak for the receivers or Montez.”

DB Mark Perry, a true freshman, on the comfort he’s gaining as he plays more each week: “I’m getting the game plan a lot faster and I’m getting the speed of the game, the environment, settling down. I feel like I’m getting used to it.”

WR Laviska Shenault on not letting the season spiral out of control: “It’s the game of football, first off. You just have to know how to one click and let it go. You’ve got to be good at responding, honestly. Listen to the coaches, listen to what they have to say and just go from there.”

Shenault on the red zone struggles: (CU has one TD in its last eight trips to the red zone) “It’s definitely frustrating because we know we can move the ball and we can do this and do that. Then when we get in the red zone and can’t finish like we want to. It’s definitely hard for all of us. We have to find a way, someway, somehow.”

THIS WEEK: Coming home

After a brutal two-game swing in the Pacific Northwest, the Buffs return home to host USC on Friday night.