After marching through the top 10 defensive players in 2018 the past couple of weeks, CUSportsNation.com now looks at the top 10 offensive players. The ranking is according to the analytics/grades according to Pro Football Focus. Quarterback Steven Montez takes the No. 2 spot.
Note: Players needed to have seen 100 snaps in order to be on this list... 19 Buff offensive players saw 100+ snaps
2018 STATS
358-399 (completions-attempts)
2,849 yards
64.7%
19 touchdowns
9 interceptions
Sacked 32 times
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94 rushing attempts
238 rushing yards
4 TDs
MONTEZ VS THE PAC-12
Here is how Montez's offensive grades and advanced statistics stack up to every other quarterback in the Pac-12 that had a minimum of 200 drop backs (13 QBs qualified for this).
Overall season grade: No. 8
Passing grade: No. 10
Rushing grade: No. 2
Fumble grade: No. 4
Amount of times sacked: Most in Pac-12
NFL QB rating: No. 9 (92.3)
First downs: No. 5 (147)
Completion percentage: No. 2
Adjusted completion percentage: No. 5 (73.4%)
It accounts for dropped passes, throw aways, spiked balls, batted passes, and passes where the QB was hit while they threw the ball. The formula: ((Completions + Drops) / (Attempts - Throw Aways - Spikes - Batted Passes - Hit As Thrown))
MONTEZ'S SEASON PASSING CHART
The chart below shows Montez's stats and grades for each part of the field. The number that is inside a color at the top right of each box is his grade for throwing to that part of the field.
The statistics are as followed:
Completions/attempts
Yards
TD/INT
NFL QB rating
TOP GAME OF THE SEASON
The Buffs knocked off Arizona State 28-21 to start the 2018 season 5-0, and Steven Montez had a fantastic game. His single-game grade of 91.4 against the Sun Devils was a season-high. Montez dropped back 35 times and completed 24-of-33 passes for 328 yards and two touchdowns. This was also the only game of the season that Montez was not sacked in.
OUTLOOK ON MONTEZ
After throwing 11 touchdowns to start the season, Montez threw just eight in the Buffs' final games of the season. He also threw seven of his nine interceptions during the losing streak. I could go on and on about how Montez's numbers reflect the losing streak (it definitely doesn't all fall on his shoulders), but let's move on to the 2019 season.
Montez will enter his third season as a full-time starter for the Buffaloes and is easily one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the conference. 2019 will be the third consecutive season that Montez has a new quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator. For Montez and Colorado's sake, hopefully Jay Johnson can help the Buffs QB take the next step in his game. Montez has serious NFL potential with his rocket arm and mobility.
Top Buff Offensive Players in 2018
No. 10 Tony Brown (60.2 grade)
No. 9 Colby Pursell (60.9 grade)
No. 8 Aaron Haigler (62.7 grade)
No. 7 Josh Kaiser (63.5 grade)
No. 6 Juwann Winfree (67.7 grade)
No. 5 William Sherman (70.0 grade)
No. 4 KD Nixon (70.5 grade)
No. 3 Travon McMillian (70.9 grade)
Top Buff Defenders in 2018
No. 10 Rick Gamboa (65.8 grade)
No. 9 Derrion Rakestraw (70.5 grade)
No. 8 Evan Worthington (71.9 grade)
No. 7 Israel Antwine (72.3 grade)
No. 6 Delrick Abrams Jr. (72.5 grade)
No. 5 Davion Taylor (74.1 grade)
No. 4 Drew Lewis (74.7 grade)
No. 3 Javier Edwards (76.9 grade)
No. 2 Mustafa Johnson (82.7 grade)
No. 1 Nate Landman (86.1 grade)
