Colorado falls to Georgia Tech 27-20 in Week 1 Clash

Running back Dekalon Taylor celebrates after his first receiving touchdown. (Ryan Asaro/Sko Buffs Sports)

Folsom Field was drenched in rain as the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (1-0) spoiled Colorado Buffaloes' (0-1) home opener by a score of 27-20 on Friday.

Out of the gate, the Buffs jumped out to a 7-0 lead, thanks to the quick hands of Martavius French, who recovered two early fumbles, igniting the energy of a sold-out crowd.DJ McKinney was also responsible for an interception in the first quarter, leaving a fool's gold tale of what was to come for the defense. 

What followed was a defensive night that coach Deion Sanders and his squad would want to forget. A swirl of Yellow Jackets accounted for 463 yards of total offense, crushing Colorado on the ground for 320 rushing yards. 

Quarterback Haynes King had a punishing performance on the ground, smashing through the end zone for three touchdowns on the night. Colorado had no answer for the jet sweep motion and counter plays from Georgia Tech. 

“You're not going to win with those statistics,” Sanders said postgame. “They were much more physical than we were, they were much more aggressive…Overall, you gotta give them credit, they played a heck of a game.”

A lone bright spot, Colorado’s special teams earned the approval of coach Sanders postgame with kicker Alejadnro Mata nailing two field goals and punter Damon Greaves displaying his end over end punts. 

Kaidon Salter found running back DeKalon Taylor, after extending the play, for his lone passing touchdown of the game. Additionally, he found the endzone once on the ground, tallying 43 rushing yards. 

The new-look offensive line and running game showed flashes when given the opportunity, but Colorado’s lack of possession limited their plays. Running back Micah Welch led the team in rushing with 68 yards. 

The receiving game left much to be desired, as Salter was unable to connect with his playmakers out wide consistently. Taylor was the number one target for him, receiving six balls and catching 3. Early growing pains in communication and execution were apparent throughout the game, leading up to the final drive. 

Down seven points with one minute left and two timeouts, Colorado’s offense was unable to execute the late-game heroics fans had become accustomed to with Shedeur Sanders. With questionable time management, Salter sent up a prayer to the endzone that was batted down, falling short of a miracle. 

There were plenty of opportunities for the Buffs to secure a victory, adding to the sting of the loss. Leaving the field with a non-conference defeat, the Buffs will have one more tune-up game against Delaware next Saturday at 1:30 p.m. on Fox, before beginning conference play against Houston the following week.