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Noyer growing as a QB in backup role + Monday practice notes

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Steven Montez (#15)
Steven Montez (#15) (AP)

Although he’s only played in very limited action this season, Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Sam Noyer has been making great progress in his second year with the team.

The redshirt freshman sat on the bench last year with Sefo Liufau at the quarterback position, with current starter Steven Montez as Liufau's backup. This year, Noyer is the team’s primary backup and has to be ready for anything as the course of the game, year, and his career can change in a snap.

During this season, Noyer has made leaps and bounds as a player - feeling much more comfortable under center than he did a year ago. The Oregon native attributes his improvement to continuous practice and getting as many reps as possible - something that’s helped boost his comfort level over time.

“The mental aspect [of the game] - learning the offense and getting a full grip and a full hand on the offense,” Noyer said. “Really it’s becoming more comfortable with my progressions, my reads, just getting used to these guys running their routes and just getting the timing down with them.”

Speaking of Montez, Noyer has been working hand-in-hand with the Buffs' starter to improve various facets of his game. Noyer gives ample credit to the talented signal caller for pushing him to get better.

“We work together on a lot of things, and if we see something on the field that another person didn’t see then we communicate and we talk about it,” Noyer said. “We push each other everyday and we compete and we try and make each other better everyday, and ultimately we’re trying to make the team better.”

One of the people who spends a lot of time around Noyer is quarterback’s coach and co-offensive coordinator Brian Lindgren. Being that Lindgren has been around the block, he’s seen it all in terms of talent, situations, attitudes, etc.

Something that distinguishes Noyer from a lot of the players he’s coaching in the past is his poise, dedication, and maturity in terms of his attitude and preparation as a player.

“I think he’s done well as far as understanding the defenses and what they’re trying to do,” Lindgren said. “He’s done a nice job of preparing, he takes notes in the meetings, and he’s been really professional about being the backup. Some guys can get into that lull of I’m preparing every week and not getting to play, and he hasn’t done that so I’ve been pleased with his preparation.”

RELATED: Bobo steps up in crunch time | Recruits react to CU's win over OSU

In college football, many highly touted recruits coming out of high school think that they’re meant to start from day one. Over the past year in the Pac-12, we’ve seen this firsthand as guys such as Arizona State transfer quarterback Blake Barnett leave their first school due to playing time related conflicts. Even worse, there has been situations where competition and conflict at the position has created visible turmoil in the locker room.

Something that differentiates not just Noyer, but this whole group from other quarterback rooms in college football, is their sticktoitiveness, attitude about the situation, and dedication to improvement.

“The whole group are kids that are confident but also humble,” Lindgren said. “At this level you can recruit guys that just come in and think everything should be handed to them, and the first sign that they’re not the starter they’re going to bolt and talk about transferring, but I really like the group that we’ve got. We get along in the room really well, we work hard, and they show up and compete, and support each other when they’re out there. That makes me optimistic going forward.”

One of Noyer’s most favorable characteristics coming out of high school was his strong arm and ability to fit throws into tight windows - kind of similar to WSU quarterback Luke Falk. Being that fans haven’t had the opportunity to see him in extensive game action, they haven’t been able to gauge his progression in either of these areas very effectively.

After practice, CU head coach Mike MacIntyre praised the Noyer’s arm and ability to improve and make progress over time.

“Sam’s getting better and better,” MacIntyre said. “He can make all the throws, he’s learning the offense, and he’s getting a ton of reps in practice so I’ve been pleased with Sam’s progress.”

--Monday 10/16 Practice Notes--

-MacIntyre expressed his grievances for people affected by the California wildfires, stating he hopes to never coach a game where fans are forced to wear masks. The issue actually impacted him firsthand as he has a son attends Chapman University in Southern California.

-Tailback Phillip Lindsay has allowed the Buffs to control the time of possession in most games thus far. This has helped has been something that’s allowed the shorthanded defense to stay off the field.

-MacIntyre feels that Washington State’s secondary has improved a lot since last season. After watching the film, he thinks that they’re playing more press coverage which has allowed them to utilize more stunt plays and trickery on the defensive line.

-Isaac Miller and Aaron Haigler have been improving and getting better week-to-week. The team plans to rotate them based on various personnel packages that the team sees.

-Cornerbacks Trey Udoffia and Dante Wigley have been getting an even number of reps each week at practice. MacIntyre plans to rotate between this duo in a similar fashion as the offensive lineman.

-MacIntyre talked extensively about the difference in Luke Falk’s playing style to any quarterback they’ve faced this season. He and Mike Leach have the unique ability to consistently stay on the same page, and look for various components of a given defense formation.

-Mac stressed the importance of finding a way to force turnovers to stop WSU’s explosive offense.

-After struggling a little in the last game against Oregon State, MacIntyre expects kickoff specialist Davis Price to have a bounceback game.

-MacIntyre felt a little bit of comfort after watching Khalil Tate’s remarkable performance against UCLA. He repeatedly emphasized that Tate is a special player who can make great plays in space.

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