Deion Sanders had a veteran quarterback sitting there on the sideline in Atlanta, but when Colorado needed a spark against Georgia Tech, he stayed with Julian Lewis.
That was the call that mattered most for the Buffaloes. Lewis, a redshirt freshman, was still working through a rough afternoon at halftime, going 6 of 14 through the air.
Isaac Wilson, who came over from Utah with seven career starts and 1,510 passing yards as a true freshman, was available if Sanders wanted to make a switch. He never did.
Instead, Sanders kept Lewis in the game and put the pressure on him in front of the entire team.
“I talked to him at halftime in front of the whole team. ‘Let’s go.
You’re that man. We believe in you.
Let’s go,’” Sanders said.
“I challenged him in front of the whole team, and he went and did his thing. He took advantage of the moment. He didn’t shrink in it.”
It did not turn immediately. With 1:40 left, Lewis was still only 10 of 21 for 64 yards, and Colorado trailed 13-7.
Then the game flipped. Lewis led a 75-yard march in 63 seconds without a timeout, hitting four of six throws on the drive.
The finish came on a 20-yard touchdown pass to tight end Charlie Williams, and Colorado was suddenly in front.
Sanders had already taken some bold swings earlier in the game. Colorado came up empty on a fourth-and-goal try in the first quarter, and a fourth-quarter field goal attempt was blocked. Those decisions were part of the night, but the quarterback choice carried the biggest weight.
The contrast with a year ago is hard to miss. When Colorado opened against Georgia Tech 12 months earlier, Lewis was 17 and did not play. He made his college debut the next week against Delaware, and Sanders explained then that the staff was being careful with him.
“Youth. I mean, he’s just young.
You can’t throw everything at him. You don’t want to do that.
You don’t want him to feel like he failed. So you’ve got to proceed with caution,” Sanders said then.
“Some guys want you to just throw them in there, but I’m too protective. I love the kid, and I want the kid to be successful.”
This time, the protection looked different. Sanders didn’t shield Lewis from the moment. He gave him the chance to survive it.
Afterward, Sanders said he understood how quickly things could have gone sideways.
“I’m glad Julian Lewis came alive because the media would’ve ate him alive,” Sanders said.
Brennan Marion helped finish the job on the decisive snap, dialing up a double move against man coverage. Lewis put the ball on Williams for the touchdown.
Lewis’ final line was 14 of 27 for 124 yards, and Colorado didn’t find its second touchdown until the final minute. Wilson’s experience still leaves the Buffaloes with another option if they need it down the road. But for now, Lewis heads into the home opener against Weber State with something he didn’t have before Atlanta: Sanders’ trust in a moment that could have gone another way.
“A moment could change everything, man,” Sanders said. “And I’m proud of the kid because he didn't shrink in that moment.
He didn’t shrink. He stood up and did his thing.”
In Other News...
Georgia Tech Faces A Tougher Tennessee Test In Home Opener
Tennessee heads into its matchup with Georgia Tech in Atlanta with a key defender back in the mix, as linebacker Arion Carter returns from a one-game suspension tied to accepting and repaying a payment from a sports agent. The game carries a bit of extra history too, since it will be Tennessees first in Atlanta since 1986, giving the Volunteers a familiar-looking stage but a fresh set of stakes against a Georgia Tech team trying to find traction early.
The Yellow Jackets are coming off a stretch where the offense has not looked settled, and that makes this a tricky home opener against a Tennessee team that has already shown it can lean on defense. Georgia Tech will need more stability and cleaner execution to keep pace, while Tennessee arrives with momentum on that side of the ball and a linebacker unit restored to full strength. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Tech Leaders Set The Tone For Tennessee Week
Jordan Walker and Jordan Allen helped frame the mood around Georgia Techs prep for Tennessee this week, and their comments offered a clear look at how the Yellow Jackets are approaching one of the bigger early tests on the schedule. Walker, speaking as a team captain, described the mindset he wants from the group and pointed to the challenge that Tennessees offensive line can create up front, a reminder that this matchup will be decided as much by discipline and physicality as by scheme.
Allen brought a different layer to the conversation, emphasizing the connection he has built with quarterback Alberto Mendoza and the confidence the offense has in its plan. For Georgia Tech, those kinds of voices matter in a week like this, when leadership and trust tend to shape how a team handles the noise around a high-profile opponent. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Tech Faces A Prove It Test Against Tennessee At Home
Georgia Tech heads into its home matchup with Tennessee in an uncomfortable spot, carrying the kind of underdog label that usually comes with a little extra bite. The sportsbooks and power ratings lean toward the Volunteers, but the bigger question inside the building is whether the Yellow Jackets can show the kind of cleaner, sharper football Brent Key has been demanding after a shaky recent stretch.
Key has made it clear he wants a response, and the pressure falls not just on the team as a whole but on the growth of quarterback Alberto Mendoza as the Jackets try to steady themselves against a major test. A win would change the conversation quickly, while even a competitive showing would at least offer proof that Georgia Tech is closer to the level it wants to reach. [Read more 🡒]