CU backup Noyer receives some snaps

Sam Noyer knew it wouldn’t be guaranteed, but after he redshirted last season at quarterback for the University of Colorado, the Buffaloes’ home opener Saturday against Texas State almost promised to be his first shot at game action at Folsom Field.

And he was right. Just not to the extent he expected.

CU (2-0) needed a late-game offensive surge to pull away during a 37-3 victory, and Noyer’s initial collegiate snap arrived at the 9minute, 53-second mark of the fourth quarter. He finished 4-of-5 passing for 40 yards, including an 18-yard completion to Laviska Shenault.

“Obviously, I would have liked to go in a little bit earlier, but it is what it is,” Noyer said. “I went in there and did my job.”

Noyer, a 6-foot-4, 210-pound redshirt freshman, was mentored over the course of last season by fellow quarterbacks Sefo Liufau and Steven Montez and showed flashes of growing talent in the spring game by completing all six of his passes for 51 yards and a score.

“I think it was just learning the playbook and learning the offense,” Noyer said. “The speed of the game is a lot faster, and you’ve got some bigger players.”

Footnotes.

Colorado State travels to Tuscaloosa to face No. 1 Alabama at 5 p.m. Saturday. The Crimson Tide opened as a 28.5point favorite, but coach Nick Saban told local media at his weekly news conference that CSU coach Mike Bobo “has done a really good job there. … This is a good team, and it’s going to be a challenging game for us.” … CU will open its Pac-12 schedule in prime time on national television in a rematch of last season’s conference championship game, it was announced Monday. The Buffs (2-0) will host Washington (2-0) at 8 p.m. Sept. 23 at Folsom Field on Fox Sports 1. A CU spokesman confirmed the possibility remains that ESPN’s “College GameDay” selects Boulder as its destination in Week 4.

NEXT MAN UP?

A glance at in-state FBS backup quarterbacks:

COLORADO

Sam Noyer (Redshirt Fr., 6-foot-4, 210 pounds): Saw his first game action against Texas State, completing 4-of-5 passes for 40 yards.

COLORADO STATE

Collin Hill (Soph., 6-5, 210): If starter Nick Stevens stays healthy this fall, expect Hill to redshirt after appearing in five games last year with three starts as a true freshman. Third-string quarterback J.C. Robles played during mop-up duty Saturday as the Rams beat Abilene Christian 38-10.

AIR FORCE

Nate Romine (Sr., 5-11, 180): Romine is the most proven among the in-state backups with 16 starts, 2,178 yards passing and 721 yards rushing.