Colorado left its home opener with a 52-21 win over Weber State, and the part that stood out most wasn’t just the margin. It was how the Buffaloes did it.
After showing in their season opener that they can lean on the run game and control the line of scrimmage, Colorado flipped the script against the Wildcats and lit it up through the air. Julian Lewis was at the center of it all, finishing with 366 passing yards, four passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown in a performance that made one thing clear: the Buffaloes can beat teams in more than one way.
Lewis looked like a quarterback growing into the moment fast. His first throw of the day went 66 yards to DeAndre Moore Jr. for a touchdown, and he kept rolling from there.
He connected with Ernest Campbell for another score and found Joseph Williams twice for touchdowns, with Williams finishing as Colorado’s leading receiver. Lewis made good decisions all game, never put the ball in danger and played with the confidence he seemed to carry over from last week’s game-winning drive.
Weber State won’t tell the full story of Lewis’ season, but it did show what kind of ceiling Colorado has at quarterback. After this one, calling him anything less than elite would be a stretch.
The Buffaloes also got a much-needed milestone on the ground. Micah Welch became the first Colorado player to top 100 rushing yards since Deion Sanders took over as head coach, piling up 106 yards on 11 carries.
He also broke free for a 55-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Colorado’s opener featured a rotating backfield, which helped explain why nobody hit that mark then, but Welch’s outing suggested he can be a real factor for the Buffaloes in the Big 12 this season.
Colorado’s run defense still has a few loose ends to tie up, even if the overall picture looks promising. The Buffaloes held Georgia Tech to just 51 rushing yards last week, then limited Weber State’s top back, Omar Shah, to 65 yards while allowing more than 100 on the ground overall.
That’s still a long way from the average of more than 220 rushing yards they gave up last season. Even so, there were missed tackles that could become a problem if they aren’t cleaned up before games against teams like Texas Tech and Utah.
And then there’s the receiver group, which looked every bit as dangerous as advertised. Williams and Moore both cleared 100 receiving yards, and each scored on a touchdown that went more than 60 yards.
Campbell added his own touchdown to the mix. Between the speed, the hands and the way Lewis was delivering the ball, Colorado’s passing game looked too explosive to ignore.
The defense still has work to do, especially after allowing Weber State’s Noah Kjar to go for 121 receiving yards and two touchdowns. But with Welch giving the offense balance, Lewis pushing the ball downfield and a receiver room loaded with playmakers, Colorado looks like a team that belongs in the Big 12 conversation.
Texas Tech and BYU may be the favorites, but Colorado, Arizona and Arizona State are all in the mix, and this conference is shaping up to be one of the most interesting watches in the country this season.
In Other News...
Colorado Depth Chart Battle Is Starting To Get Real Fast
Colorados home opener offered a little bit of everything, from explosive playmaking to the kind of sloppiness that tends to keep a depth chart in motion. Two receivers and a running back each went past 100 yards, Joseph Williams led the way with 123 yards and two touchdowns, and freshman Kaneal Sweetwyne even found the end zone on a run after coming in at quarterback. Elliott Arnold also announced himself with a made 52-yard field goal on his first college try, giving the Buffaloes another useful glimpse at just how much competition is showing up across the roster.
The downside, of course, was impossible to miss, with Colorado piling up 13 penalties for 107 yards and leaving plenty of room for improvement in spots where coaches will be looking for cleaner execution. Multiple quarterbacks got into the game, which only adds to the sense that several roles are still being sorted out, and the early returns suggest the next few weeks could be shaped as much by the competition for snaps as by the box score. [Read more 🡒]
Julian Lewis Just Gave Colorado Fans A Bigger Reason To Believe
Julian Lewis gave Colorado something to hang onto beyond a routine win over Weber State, and the early returns were hard to ignore. The freshman was named Big 12 Freshman of the Week after throwing for 366 yards and four touchdowns in the Buffaloes 52-21 victory, a performance that also produced multiple school records, including the most passing yards in the first quarter and the highest pass efficiency rating in a game with at least 20 attempts.
What makes the outing even more intriguing is how intentional it was. Head coach Deion Sanders said the plan centered on Lewis as a passer, and Lewis has yet to throw an interception in his college career. For Colorado, that combination of production, control and room to grow is exactly why this one felt like more than just a one-game burst. [Read more 🡒]
Colorados 2027 QB Plan Just Got More Complicated
Colorados quarterback board for the 2027 class has taken another turn with Cameron Pooley of Mater Dei High School giving the Buffaloes a verbal commitment after a Boulder visit during a home game. The offer came from director of player personnel Darrien Darden-Box, and Pooleys pledge gives the Buffs an early piece to build around as they keep shaping the future of the position.
Even with Pooley on board, the picture is hardly settled. Colorados quarterback room for 2027 is still thin, and the staff is also weighing four-star recruit Andre Adams as part of its long-range plan. For a program trying to keep its options open at the most important spot on the field, the next move could matter as much as the first commitment did. [Read more 🡒]