BOULDER — Steven Montez threw up a prayer and turned a Sea of Red into church mice.

“I just remember it being dead quiet in the stadium,” Montez, the ex-CU Buffs quarterbacking great, told me over the phone Tuesday. “That was the thing that stuck out to me the most.”

He remembers Laviska Shenault, the Travis Hunter before Travis Hunter, shifting into fifth gear on a “go” route the last time they played in Lincoln, six Septembers ago, converting a right-shoulder fade into a game-winning TD and a 33-28 Buffs victory.

He remembers Jay MacIntyre getting clobbered on third down to give Montez a second chance at paydirt. He remembers the sweetest silence ever. He remembers talking trash to Nebraska linebacker Dedrick Young II, a pal of teammate and CU lineman Brett Tonz, while sprinting downfield to celebrate.

“What did you say?” I asked.

A pause.

“I don’t know if it’s appropriate for print,” Montez laughed.

“Did Dedrick say anything back?”

“He didn’t say a word to me,” Montez replied. “I could just tell he was absolutely livid.”

Funny thing? Montez considers Young a friend now. Well, except maybe this week. The Color That Shall Not Be Named Week.

“I’d rather be dead,” Montez quipped, “than red.”

The best grudges never die, do they? Since 1964, CU’s played in Lincoln 24 times. They won five of those games. Over the last 60 years, only two Buffs QBs have ever beaten the Big Red twice: Darian Hagan (’89 and ’90) and Montez (’18 and ’19). Shedeur Sanders, whose 1-0 Buffs visit the Huskers on Saturday night, is on the cusp of becoming the third.

“We knew it was going to be loud,” Montez recalled of CU’s last visit to Lincoln. “But then you get there, and especially the last drive of the game, I couldn’t hear when I clapped my hands to get the snap. I just felt my hands touch. I don’t know how (the center) heard me.

“I couldn’t hear any of the offensive line communication. It’s as if the crowd noise is pouring over your body.”

Montez’s pro tip for Sanders: When it comes to Big Red Country, it’s what you do, not what you say. Because as long as the latter is happening between the hash marks, nobody’s going to hear it anyway.

“The secret, first and foremost, I think, (has) got to be dealing with that crowd noise,” Montez said. “I’ve played in a lot of different places — I’ve played at (Oregon’s) Autzen Stadium. I’ve played the Big House (in Michigan). Lincoln is, by far, the loudest environment I’ve played in over my career. So I think if you can deal with the crowd noise, I think you can really have a chance.”

And with what he saw of Shedeur and the Buffs against North Dakota State this past Thursday night, he thinks CU really, really, really has a chance.

“The way Travis (Hunter) is playing, the way Shedeur is playing, the way Jimmy Horn Jr. is playing,” Montez continued, “if they’re able to get those guys the ball, they’re going to be tough to stop.

“Even comparing myself and Shedeur, his level of efficiency has surpassed what I put on tape (at CU). He’s playing some of the best ball that I’ve ever seen from a CU quarterback in shoot, I don’t know how long — at least since I started watching the Buffs. The way (Sanders) played last year, with the protection he got, it was honestly pretty mind-blowing to see him play that well (while) getting hit that many times, getting sacked that many times.”

And that’s coming from Montez, who was a darn tough cookie himself. The El Paso, Texas, native threw for 63 scores as a Buff from 2016-2019, and his 9,710 career yards rank No. 2 an CU’s all-time career passing charts behind only Sefo Liufau (9,763).

At 6-foot-5, 230 pounds, Montez, who turned 27 in January, was blessed with a prototype NFL QB body, a strong arm and an easy, quick release. But the pro game can be a fickle mistress, and after stints with Washington and Detroit in the NFL and the Seattle Sea Dragons of the old XFL, Montez signed with the CFL’s Edmonton Elks this past January and was added to the Elks’ “retired” list this past May.

This fall, Montez is the QB coach at San Marin High School in Novato, Calif., having dabbled on the coaching side at this time a year ago.

“It bought me a lot of peace and a lot of fulfillment working with these kids, so I really just wanted to do it again,” Montez said. “I had so much fun coaching these kids — I had a blast last year.”

Plenty of tread left on those tires, though.

“I mean, if the situation is right, I feel like I would definitely love to come back and play again,” Montez said. “I still feel young, still feel in my prime.”

He still loves proving doubters wrong. Still loves being the underdog.

And speaking of, the Huskers are seven-point favorites heading into Saturday night. They were three-point favorites six years ago. Ya never know.

“I thought the initial vibe coming into that (2018) game was, they thought we were going to to show up and they were going to just roll us or something,” Montez recalled. “It felt like all the fans were really confident they were going to beat us that day. And it didn’t end up shaking out like that.”

Heck, yeah, he misses it. We’re all going to miss it.

“Nebraska’s not going to renew that contract, are they?” Montez asked me.

“Not anytime soon,” I said.

Another pause.

“After going 0-3 (in the first three games),” Montez chuckled, “I wouldn’t want to play us, either.”

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The Nebraska Cornhuskers are set to host a pair of elite recruits this weekend for their marquee matchup against the Deion Sanders-led Colorado Buffaloes.

Alamo Heights (Texas) five-star playmaker Michael Terry III, the nation’s No. 1 athlete, has been scheduled for a return trip to Lincoln for some time, and confirmed Tuesday that he is still set to make the trip.

The 6-foot-3, 220-pound recruit brings a rare skillset to the table, especially for his size.

Terry is a dynamic open-field threat who can star at both wide receiver and running back.

Here’s what 247Sports had to say about him, in part, as a prospect:

“Fascinating prospect with a ton of positional versatility. Productive at running back and receiver and could even grow in to a hybrid tight end at the next level. …Just a rare prospect who could literally play and excel at 4-5 different positions at the next level. At 6-3, he’s tall for a running back but runs with good pad level, has some shake and then the speed to run away from a defense. Some players are more quick than fast, Terry is probably more fast than quick but still shows good short area burst and once he gets rolling, you won’t catch him from behind. As a pass catcher, looks comfortable catching the ball over a defender and making plays down the field in the passing game. Can continue to improve his polish as a route runner and being more natural with his hands, and once he does, his game will take off to another level.”

But, according to On3, another big name has been added to the visitor list.

Blue Valley (Kansas) four-star edge-rusher Dawson Merritt, an Alabama, commit, is also slated to make a return trip to Nebraska.

The 6-foot-3, 215-pound ‘backer took three official visits – Alabama, Nebraska and Oklahoma – but committed to the Crimson Tide in late June.

The son of a former NFL’er, Merritt wrecked havoc as a junior, compiling 83 tackles, 17 tackles-for-loss, seven sacks, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.

Here’s what 247Sports had to say about him, in part, as a prospect:

“Long, athletic linebacker prospect who can play a variety of roles within a defense. Used in high school as a stand-up outside edge rusher and shows quickness off the snap, fluidity, bend and closing speed. Also showed he could drop into space and be an asset in coverage. Plays with good discipline and control. Has good change of direction and can stay with ball carriers looking to put a move on him. Has to fill in and get stronger but has the frame to do so. 3-4 outside linebacker is a possibility as well as SAM backer in other schemes.”

With all eyes on the Nebraska-Colorado clash, will the Cornhuskers be able to turn that attention into some major recruiting momentum with a flip or key commitment?

Time will tell.