Colorado’s opener was teetering on the edge until the two plays that mattered most.
Julian Lewis put the Buffaloes in front with a late touchdown drive, then Boo Carter slammed the door with a blocked field goal as time expired, lifting Colorado to a 14-13 win over Georgia Tech on Thursday night at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
The finish came with all the chaos a season opener can pack into one breathless sequence. Georgia Tech had moved ahead 13-7 with less than two minutes left, putting Colorado in a spot where the offense had to deliver immediately.
Lewis answered by guiding the Buffs down the field and finding Charlie Williams on a 20-yard touchdown pass. The extra point pushed Colorado ahead with 37 seconds left.
That still wasn’t enough to settle it.
Georgia Tech got right back to work when Alberto Mendoza hit Dalen Penson for 42 yards, carrying the Yellow Jackets from their own 25 to Colorado’s 33 in a flash. After Colorado had celebrated what looked like the decisive score, the game swung again and came down to one final kick from 45 yards out.
Carter blocked it on the last play.
The Yellow Jackets had already blocked a Colorado field goal earlier in the game, but the Buffs delivered the bigger response when it counted most. Deion Sanders walked away with a road win to open the season, and Lewis got a memorable night back in Georgia.
“Trust each other, we work for it, we know what’s gonna happen, and God did it for us,” Lewis said during his postgame interview.
Later, he added, “God did a great thing for us, and I’m just blessed right now.”
Lewis’ stat line reflected how much Colorado had to grind for every inch. He finished 14 of 27 for 124 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. Williams’ night was short but crucial: two catches for 28 yards, including the touchdown Colorado needed.
The Buffs leaned on the ground game to stay afloat. Damian Henderson ran 12 times for 65 yards, and Micah Welch added 58 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. DeAndre Moore Jr. led the Colorado receiving group with four catches for 37 yards.
Lamont Lester Jr. gave Colorado a big lift on defense with three sacks, keeping the Buffs close while the offense searched for rhythm.
For Georgia Tech, Mendoza completed 17 of 23 passes for 237 yards. Jordan Allen hauled in eight receptions for 113 yards, while Penson finished with three catches for 73 yards. Justice Haynes ran for 64 yards on 19 carries.
It wasn’t clean, and Colorado had plenty to sort out. But when the game turned into a race against the clock, the Buffs made the two plays that mattered.
Lewis found Williams. Carter denied Georgia Tech.
And Colorado left Atlanta 1-0.
In Other News...
Colorado Defense May Have Found An Immediate Difference Maker
Lamont Lester Jr. wasted little time making his presence felt for Colorado, turning in a breakout night against Georgia Tech with three sacks. One of them came at a pivotal third-quarter moment, ending a drive and giving the Buffaloes a jolt from a defensive newcomer who looked anything but new to the stage.
Lester had already shown the mindset for this kind of performance in a previous podcast interview, describing himself as relentless and intent on dominating while continuing to improve. He also pointed to the coaching he received at Monmouth and said confidence and preparation were central to his development, which is exactly the kind of foundation Colorado will be hoping translates into more immediate impact. [Read more 🡒]
Former Colorado Defender Just Added Real Emotion To The Georgia Tech Opener
Ahead of the season opener, Georgia Tech defensive tackle Tawfiq Thomas put a little extra edge into a matchup that already had plenty of built-in intrigue. Thomas, who spent time at Louisville and Colorado before transferring to Atlanta, is giving the Yellow Jackets some help on the defensive line after a career that included a stint under Deion Sanders with the Buffs and a run of production that made him a meaningful addition for his new team.
Thomas also made it clear the opener carries more than ordinary first-game stakes for him. In a social media post, he expressed a desire for revenge against his former school, turning a nonconference matchup into something more personal and giving Colorado another layer to think about as it gets ready to open the year against a player who knows the program from the inside. [Read more 🡒]
Colorados 2026 Offense Hinges On One Huge Question
Colorados offense for 2026 is already taking shape around a familiar kind of optimism, with Deion Sanders entering another season and new offensive coordinator Brennan Marion charged with keeping the unit moving in the right direction. The early read points to quarterback Julian Lewis as the most important piece, after a promising freshman season that set him up to be the expected starter and the centerpiece of whatever Marion wants to build.
Joseph Williams also looms as a possible difference-maker at receiver, giving the Buffaloes at least one more name to watch as the offense comes into focus. Still, the bigger question is whether Lewis can make the leap from promising young quarterback to true driver of the attack, because for Colorado, the answer may define how much Marion can open things up in his first year calling the offense. [Read more 🡒]