Nebraska
Keeler: How can CU Buffs QB Shedeur Sanders win big at Nebraska? By blocking out the noise, Steven Montez says
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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LINCOLN—Matt Rhule said Nebraska football is “at a crossroads.”
The Huskers are 6-3 after a 21-17 loss to No. 23 USC. In that loss, the Big Red also lost starting quarterback Dylan Raiola for the season. With a true freshman stepping in and a College Football Playoff berth officially off the table, Rhule said this is a pivotal moment for the season and the program.
“We’re sitting at a crossroads right now as a team,” Rhule said at Monday’s press conference. “It’s an unbelievable opportunity for us. These next three games are some of the most important time for our team and for our program moving forward.”
Rhule likened the moment to one of his favorite books: “Legacy”. The James Kerr book is about the New Zealand rugby team, more commonly known as the All Blacks. The book looks at the iconic team that had “kind of lost their way” before rebuilding and the rules that they lived by.
“One of them is plant trees that you’ll never see,” Rhule said. “It’s about leaving places better than you found them. I really wanted our seniors to have a chance to continue to battle and fight to be a CFP team.”
Rhule added that Saturday’s effort from players that won’t be here to see how high the program can go and environment from the fans are seeds that will get Nebraska back to a place among the nation’s elite.
“I thought the way they fought, battled, and compete for each other when they had some bad breaks… I think those are the things that you can build off of,” Rhule said. “I thought what everyone did with the blackout will have a profound impact on what we’re trying to get done moving forward.
“I do think it’s important, while we’re disappointed and angry and upset, to also be very, very grateful for that atmosphere, for that crowd, for that opportunity.”
On the injury front, Raiola will have surgery this week for a broken fibula suffered in the USC game.
Offensive tackle Elijah Prichett was also hurt against USC. Rhule expects him to be ready to go at UCLA on Saturday, along with the other banged offensive lineman like Turner Corcoran.
You can watch the full media session from Monday below. Continue scrolling for more coverage.
Nebraska Football 2025 Schedule
Home games are bolded. All times central.
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The Nebraska football team lost a heartbreaker in Lincoln on Saturday night to #23 USC, 21-17. The Big Red led for pretty much all of the 1st half and a good chunk of the 2nd half, before surrendering the lead and falling short on their final drive. It’s a gut punch for this team and a gut punch for Husker Nation. We cover it all in the Topline Takeaways.
CHEERS TO THAT
Emmett, Again. It’s hard to think where this Nebraska team would be without #21. Johnson continues to prove he is one of the best backs in the nation, and he absolutely carried the team on Saturday night. The gameplan ran through EJ, and he delivered, to the tune of 29 carries for 165 yards and a touchdown. He is now the first Nebraska running back to reach 1,000 yards since 2018. He seemed to have room to run most of the night, and even when he didn’t, he was able to make something out of nothing. Frankly, I felt the Huskers should have given him the ball even more.
Gameplan. There will be some complaints about the coaching (including later in this column), but let’s at least give credit where it’s due: both sides of the ball had solid plans that worked for good chunks of this game against a very athletic and talented USC team. John Butler’s defense stifled the Trojans’ passing attack, holding quarterback Jayden Maiava to just 9 completions for 135 yards. Yes, they struggled to stop the run, but holding one of the nation’s most explosive offenses to 337 total yards and 21 points should be enough to give your team a chance to win.
It’s less clear cut when it comes to the offense, and I’ll get into some of my complaints in the next section. But credit to Dana Holgorsen for committing to feeding Emmett Johnson. This offense is at its best when it runs through Johnson, and they scored touchdowns on two of their four 1st half possessions.
Tight End Play. Luke Lindenmeyer has been a stalwart all season long, as both a pass catcher and a blocker. Against USC, sophomore TE Cayden Echternach also got into the mix. #44 and #48 made key blocks all night long. Overall, I felt this was one of the better games by Nebraska’s offensive line. The blocking by the tight ends in particular stood out.
Blackout. I must admit, I was initially indifferent at best about the blackout. I wasn’t sure if enough fans would respond by wearing black, and wasn’t sure how cool it would be even if they did. Boy was I wrong. The black uniforms, blacked out crowd, black letters on the field, (even black balloons!)–it all worked to create a fantastic environment at Memorial Stadium. Even though the Huskers didn’t get the W, count me in support of making the blackout an annual occurrence for Nebraska.
DIDN’T LIKE THAT
Game Management + Play Calling. I’m going to lump these into the same section because, at least for this game, they go hand-in-hand to explain why Nebraska lost. In my opinion, Nebraska lost this game as a result of the first three drives of the 2nd half.
At this point, the old sinking feeling started to come back. With more than five minutes left in the 3rd quarter, we had squandered two golden opportunities, and burned two timeouts. When USC scored 5 plays later, and converted the two point conversion to tie it at 14, it felt like the momentum had completely shifted. Credit to the Huskers for continuing to battle with backup quarterback TJ Lateef at the helm. They would take another lead (17-14), and had the ball with a chance to win at the end, but the result was the same thing Husker fans have seen way too many times.
Losing a Big Game Once Again. Once again, Nebraska had a chance to get over the hump against a ranked team. Once again, Nebraska was playing a big name opponent on national television. Once again, Nebraska fell short. Losing Raiola was obviously a major factor in this one, but it still felt like the Huskers might find a way. At some point, the Big Red will break this streak of losing the biggest and most important games on its schedule. For now though, the heartbreak continues for Husker fans.
BOTTOM LINE
I really don’t know what to say about this one. The Huskers absolutely fought their hearts out, no one can argue that. And, no one can dispute that losing Raiola in the middle of the 3rd quarter was a major blow for this team. But I also can’t shake the feeling that numerous coaching missteps made the difference in this particular loss.
I still believe Matt Rhule is the right guy to lead this program, and I believe he can figure out how to get Nebraska to the point of being a perennial college football playoff contender. But you can believe those things and still call out shortcomings when you see them. Whether it’s hiring an assistant, or an analytics guy, or whatever it might be, he has to get better at game management. Furthermore, something needs to change on offense. With Dana Holgorsen running the offense originally installed by Marcus Satterfield two years ago, it seems they are floundering without an identity. The Husker O has now been held to under 300 total yards in four of its last five games.
Moving forward, the game against UCLA becomes absolutely critical. If the Huskers can bounce back to beat the Bruins, they will have improved upon last year with two games still to play, and eight wins will still be on the table. Lose to UCLA, and things start to feel desperate.
I am optimistic the boys in red can get the W at the Rose Bowl this coming weekend. At the very least, Rhule’s teams have shown a propensity to bounce back after bad performances and/or disappointing losses. Let’s hope that’s the case on Saturday night.
As always, GBR for LIFE.
Tell us what you think, Common Fans. We’d love to hear from you. Send us an email at commonfangbr@gmail.com or find us on YouTube.
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Fresh off a bye week and a loss in their last outing, the USC Trojans were able to return to the win column in a 21-17 comeback thriller vs. Nebraska despite quarterback Jayden Maiava’s worst performance of the season.
Facing a eight-point defict at the half, the Trojans rallied for 15 points in the second half to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive. Maiava threw for a season-low in passing yards and completed less than half of his passes for the first time all season.
Maiava had arguably his worst game as the Trojans’ starting quarterback vs. Nebraska. He completed 9 of 23 passes for 135 yards and one interception. It’s the first time this season where he’s thown an interception and failed to throw for a touchdown.
Despite his struggles in the passing game, Maiava was excellent on the ground and had his best game of the season as a rusher.
However, the Trojans’ quarterback was able to deliver when team needed him most late in the second half. After it looked like the Trojans’ first-half struggled would pour into the second half, Maiava and the offense buckled down and scored their first touchdown of the game when he scrambled for a 16-yard touchdown to tie the game at 14.
The following drive, Maiava and the Trojans drove the offense 75 yards down the field to take a 21-17 lead, which they held onto for the win.
Another road game, another slow start from the Trojans’ offense. USC managed to put up only a pair of field goals in the first half vs. the Cornhuskers. The first quarter alone saw the Trojans go three-and out on both of their drives.
Prior to their touchdown-scoring drive in the third quarter, Maiava threw an interception and the Trojans also turned the ball on downs to begin the second half. Even after taking the lead, the Trojans had a chance to turn out the lights vs. the Cornhuskers after getting the ball with 7:44 left in the fourth quarter, but again, were forced to punt.
Their lone remianing road game is at Oregon. Against the Ducks, USC will not have the same luxury it did against Nebraska. The Trojans will need to be productive with their drives in order to pull off the road win vs. the Ducks.
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Although the Trojans were able to escape Lincoln with the win, Maiava’s campaign for the Heisman Trophy took a hit that it probably won’t be able to recover from. Especially with the emergence of Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza and Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson as legitimate Heisman contenders.
Maiava’s window for winning the Heisman Trophy isn’t completely closed yet. If the junior quarterback is able to finish the season strong and returns for his senior year, he should be viewed as a serious favorite to win it in 2026.
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