Colorado and Georgia Tech are heading into Thursday’s season opener with a lot more in common than just a Week 1 spotlight. Both teams want to run the ball, both lean on their quarterbacks in the ground game, and both are built to make defenses sort through a steady stream of looks.
That overlap is what gives this matchup its edge. Colorado has rebuilt its backfield around a scheme that mirrors Georgia Tech’s style, and the Buffaloes believe that will shape the way the game is played from the first snap.
The Buffs’ setup is built around 21 personnel, with both running backs aligned to one side of the quarterback. That alignment opens the door to the triple-option and puts the quarterback in the middle of the decision-making, reading the defense and choosing the best handoff based on what he sees. Colorado’s offense is designed to rotate backs with different strengths, and that mix has already started to take shape in camp.
At the top of that rotation is Damian Henderson II, the 6-2, 205-pound Sacramento State transfer who gives Colorado a true bruiser in the backfield. Henderson was the Hornets’ second-leading rusher a year ago, and the Buffaloes say he has made real progress during fall camp.
Colorado also has two backs who can do damage in more than one way. Micah Welch returns after leading the team in rushing last season with 384 yards, and Alabama transfer Richard Young brings another hybrid skill set to the mix. On top of that, DeKalon Taylor and JaQuail Smith give the Buffs speed options that can matter in both option looks and passing situations.
Georgia Tech may not spread the workload quite as wide, but the Yellow Jackets could wind up being even more committed to the run. Last season, they were one of the most run-heavy teams in the country, piling up 2,567 yards on the ground in 2025 with help from their top two backs and quarterback Haynes King.
The headliners in that backfield are expected to be Michigan transfer Justice Haynes and returning standout Malachi Hosley. Haynes started at Alabama, where he ran for 616 yards and nine touchdowns across two seasons, then took another step in 2025 at Michigan with 857 yards and 10 touchdowns as the Wolverines’ second-leading rusher. At 210 pounds, he brings a similar hybrid profile to Welch and Young, but with enough size to lean more directly into power running.
Hosley gave Georgia Tech a dangerous changeup last season. He finished with 697 yards and seven touchdowns as the No. 2 option behind Jamal Haynes, and his burst gave the Yellow Jackets a clean contrast to the power element in the backfield. Before arriving in Atlanta, Hosley had already posted a 1,000-yard season for the Pennsylvania Quakers of the Ivy League in the FCS.
Georgia Tech still appears to have the edge in proven production, especially with additional backs J.P. Powell and Chad Alexander also having been meaningful contributors in the past. Colorado, though, brings the broader range of options and a run-friendly structure that fits what it wants to do.
The Buffaloes’ defense is leaning on familiarity to help it handle the challenge. Colorado has spent daily practice reps against the ‘Go-Go’ offense, and linebacker Gideon ESPN Lampron said that experience has value.
“It’s definitely beneficial,” said Colorado linebacker Gideon ESPN Lampron in his Thursday presser. “Because going against an option offense tests every single rule of your defense. You get so many exotic looks, so they definitely have us prepared for anything that we could see.”
For Lampron, the matchup is more than just another early-season test.
“It’s definitely personal,” Lampron said. “It’s just saying they’re tougher than us, and that’s just something we’re going to have to see when we get out there. I’m so excited for our guys to get this challenge and I know we’ve been working so hard this entire year, so I’m just excited to go out there.”
In Other News...
Georgia Tech Offense Faces An Early Test After Colorados Bold Confidence
Colorado is not hiding its confidence heading into Week 1, and much of it starts with the way the Buffaloes have spent camp preparing for Georgia Tech. Linebacker Gideon Lampron said the defense has benefited from working against offensive coordinator Brennan Marions fast-moving Go-Go offense, a style that has forced the unit to get sharper about fits, communication and handling a run game that can stress a defense in a hurry. On top of that, Colorado has been installing a new scheme under coordinator Chris Marve, with the emphasis clearly on playing together and closing down the ground game.
For Georgia Tech, that makes the opener an early measuring stick for an offense that will be facing a defense eager to prove its offseason work has real teeth. Lampron also sounded genuinely fired up about making his first game for Colorado, which only adds to the sense that the Buffaloes are treating this one like more than a first-week tune-up. The unanswered question is whether that confidence and all that camp prep will carry over once the lights come on against a Yellow Jackets attack that will test the new-look defense right away. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Tech Could Test One Colorado Choice More Than Most Teams
Colorado defensive coordinator Chris Marve will be stationed on the sideline when the Buffaloes face Georgia Tech, a setup he prefers after studying the benefits of being closer to the action. Marve has said the arrangement helps him communicate directly with his linebackers, a group he still coaches, and it fits the way he has learned to operate during his time in the game.
For Georgia Tech, that detail adds another layer to a matchup already shaped by Colorados defensive challenges. The Yellow Jackets will see a coordinator who wants to manage the defense in real time from field level, where every adjustment can come faster and every mistake can be addressed without delay, which is exactly the kind of setup that can make a weekend meeting more complicated than it first appears. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Tech Opener Turns On One Unsettling QB Unknown
Colorados season opener against Georgia Tech already had the feel of a measuring-stick game, but the biggest unknown may be the one lining up under center. The Buffaloes are expected to sort through a quarterback battle between redshirt freshman Julian Lewis and sophomore Alberto Mendoza, with Lewis bringing only limited collegiate experience and Mendoza arriving from Indiana as a transfer trying to settle into a new place and a new offense.
For Georgia Tech, the intrigue cuts both ways. The Yellow Jackets are getting a first look at Mendoza in a setting that has long asked its quarterbacks to be part of the run game, and the matchup now comes with the added wrinkle of Colorados new Go-Go offense, which also puts a premium on quarterback movement. In a game where both sides are adjusting around young or unfamiliar passers, the early script may hinge less on reputation than on who handles the uncertainty better. [Read more 🡒]