When Brendon Lewis steps out on Folsom Field Friday night to face UNC in the Buffaloes' 2021 season opener, it'll mark the first time a freshman started at quarterback for Colorado since Steven Montez did so in relief of the injured Sefo Liufau back in 2017.

When Liufau got banged up on the road at No. 4 Michigan early into the 2016 campaign, Montez got the call and started at Oregon and USC as well as home against Oregon State.

For Lewis, he won't be stepping in for an injured upperclassman; Lewis is Colorado's starting quarterback in part out of necessity and in part due to a solid showing during the Buffs' fall camp.

While one of things should not detract from the other, it's impossible not to consider the injury sustained by Tennessee transfer and sophomore quarterback J.T. Shrout back on Aug. 14 during a scrimmage.

On Tuesday, Karl Dorrell relayed that Shrout had undergone knee surgery recently but that his injury would sideline him for the entirety of the season.

Even before Dorrell's confirmation, the apparent severity of Shrout's injury thrust Lewis into the starter's role, as behind him, CU has just one healthy scholarship signal caller in true freshman Drew Carter, who joined the team in January but has no college experience.

Lewis was able to get a bit of that last December, making his collegiate debut in relief of Sam Noyer (who transferred to Oregon State early in the summer and was named the Beavs' starting quarterback Monday) during the Valero Alamo Bowl vs. Texas.

As Colorado fans will certainly recall, Lewis performed well during the Alamo Bowl.

While the Buffs fell, 55-23, to the Longhorns, Lewis was behind center on all three of CU's touchdown drives, going 6-of-10 for 95 yards through the air while rushing for a touchdown and 74 yards on nine carries.

For Lewis' teammates, they've seen a small sample size of what he's capable in and look forward to lending a hand in his first full season as starter.

“Obviously, Brendon’s a gamer and you could tell that last year when he came in against Texas," junior tight end Brady Russell said. "He showed flashes of stuff we’d never seen — once he’s in the game, he’s locked in and he’s looked amazing all camp."

"He’s looked incredible so I’m really excited to have him throw the ball and I’m looking forward to running routes for him, doing things for him and helping out a young quarterback."

When he was made available to the Colorado media earlier this week, Lewis seemed to be in sphinx mode — if there is/was any nervousness or uncertainty he's feeling leading into Friday night he certainly made no hint of it when speaking with reporters.

Then again, Dorrell recalled Lewis being similarly devoid of any discernible emotion when he faced the Longhorns last year.

“When he played in the Texas game and we said, ‘Hey, you’re in,’ he really didn’t change demeanor or anything," Dorrell said. "He just went in the game and (did) what he (did). I think he’s one of those guys who really relishes playing and relishes the moment. I’m sure in his mind, he wanted to play well and show that he could play at this level — he checked all the boxes from that standpoint, when he played in the bowl game."

"That’s just kind of his personality. He has a tremendous amount of confidence in himself."

With Noyer injured during spring ball and Shrout acclimating himself to CU's playbook, Lewis took the lion's share of the first-team snaps at quarterback.

From an operational standpoint, Lewis feels confident in his ability to run the offense.

“I feel like I know the playbook like the back of my hand," he said. "I know what to do when I get certain looks and all that, so I feel like I know all of the playbook pretty well.”

As he and the Buffs prepare to face an opponent in the UNC Bears that has not played a game since 2019 and which is led by a largely new coaching staff, Dorrell has stressed the importance of being able to make in-game adjustments.

With all that Lewis has showed throughout fall camp and dating back to the Alamo Bowl his teammates are eager to take the field with him.

“He’s cool, calm and collected for sure," senior tight end Matt Lynch said. "He’s been in his playbook, he knows what he’s doing, he knows the ins and outs of the offense and the checks you have to do, so I feel like the offense is really comfortable running behind B-Lew.”