Julian Lewis got Colorado to the edge. Boo Carter pushed it over.
That was the story Thursday night at Bobby Dodd Stadium, where the Buffaloes escaped Georgia Tech 14-13 after Carter swatted away a potential game-winning 45-yard field goal on the final play. Colorado had just taken the lead with 37 seconds left, and still needed one last stop to finish the job.
Lewis was the one who delivered that late punch. With Georgia Tech up 13-7 and less than two minutes to play, Colorado’s offense finally found its rhythm.
Lewis guided the Buffs down the field and hit Charlie Williams on a 20-yard touchdown to tie the game at 13-13. The extra point put Colorado ahead.
Afterward, Lewis pointed to the belief inside the locker room.
“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.
Georgia Tech nearly spoiled the celebration immediately. Alberto Mendoza connected with Dalen Penson for a 42-yard gain, flipping the Yellow Jackets from their own 25 to Colorado’s 33 and putting the Buffs in danger again almost as soon as they had surged in front. Then, with three seconds left, Georgia Tech lined up for the kick.
Carter made the season-opening escape possible by blocking it.
The Yellow Jackets had already blocked a Colorado field goal earlier in the night, so the Buffs simply returned the favor at the most important moment. It handed Deion Sanders a road win to open the season and gave Lewis a memorable night back in Georgia.
“God did a great thing for us, and I’m just blessed right now,” Lewis said.
Lewis finished 14 of 27 for 124 yards, with one touchdown and no interceptions. Williams caught two passes for 28 yards, including the must-have score.
Colorado did a lot of its damage on the ground. 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 receiving group with four catches for 37 yards.
The defense had its own hand in keeping the game close. Lamont Lester Jr. piled up three sacks and helped Colorado hang around until the offense could finally break through.
Georgia Tech got strong passing production from Mendoza, who went 17 of 23 for 237 yards. Jordan Allen hauled in eight catches for 113 yards, and Penson added three receptions for 73 yards. Justice Haynes ran for 64 yards on 19 carries.
Colorado will have plenty to clean up after a messy opener, but when it mattered most, the Buffs found the two plays that decided everything: Lewis to Williams for the go-ahead touchdown, then Carter’s block to seal it.
A sloppy game. A wild finish. And Colorado walked out of Atlanta 1-0.
In Other News...
Vanderbilt Opens With An Early Tight End Problem To Watch
Vanderbilt is already facing an early wrinkle at tight end before the season even gets rolling. Cole Spence will miss the opener against Austin Peay after getting hurt earlier in the week, and Clark Lea said the sophomore was questionable but unlikely to play as the staff takes a careful approach to his recovery.
Jayvontay Conner, the transfer, is now positioned to carry the load in Spences absence, giving the Commodores an immediate test at a spot that can matter in both the passing game and the run game. It is an early-season adjustment, but one Vanderbilt will have to sort through quickly as it prepares for the opener. [Read more 🡒]
Kirby Smart Is Back In A Conversation Georgia Fans Know Well
Clark Leas name is back in a national coaching conversation after ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit grouped him with three of the sports most closely watched sideline leaders as a top candidate for the 2026 Coach of the Year award. For Vanderbilt fans, it is another sign that Leas work has moved beyond simply stabilizing the program and into a broader discussion about what sustained success can look like in Nashville.
Herbstreits list also included Marcus Freeman at Notre Dame, Kirby Smart at Georgia and Curt Cignetti at Indiana, a reminder of how crowded the race already looks before the season gets going. Vanderbilt will have its own chance to keep building momentum when the Commodores open the upcoming year, and Leas place on that early national watch list gives the season a little more weight before the first snap is even played. [Read more 🡒]
Vanderbilt Won But One Big Concern Showed Up Immediately
Vanderbilt got the result it needed in the opener, handling Austin Peay 28-9 and moving to 1-0, but the larger question coming out of the game was less about the final score than how the offense arrived there. The Commodores were deliberate from the start, leaning on possession, field position and a low-risk approach as they prepared to turn the page toward Delaware, and that style left observers watching closely to see what it might mean once the schedule stiffens.
Blaze Berlowitz was steady in his first start, but the passing game did not exactly announce itself as a source of big-play threat. The concern now is whether Vanderbilt can pair that kind of control with enough explosiveness to keep opponents from crowding the box and forcing longer drives, because the opener suggested the Commodores may need more from the quarterback spot if they want this season to feel different from the last few. [Read more 🡒]