Colorado wins season opener in miracle fashion
Colorado Buffaloes football is entertaining again.
The Colorado Buffaloes (1-0) defeated the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (0-1) 14-13 in Atlanta, Georgia, on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2026, thanks to a last-second Boo Carter field goal block.
Last year, the Yellow Jackets defeated the Buffaloes 27-20. So head coach Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders was ready to have the Buffaloes get their revenge.
“This is a big win, period, man,” Sanders said after the game. “This is a big win for these kids, man.”
Colorado allowed 320 rushing yards when the two teams clashed in Boulder last year, but under new defensive coordinator Chris Marve, held the Yellow Jackets to just 51 yards on the ground.
“It says a lot about Marve and who he is and how he's relatable to these young men and how they really want to fight and play for him,” Sanders said.
On the offensive side of the ball, redshirt freshman quarterback Julian “JuJu” Lewis had a hit-or-miss night but showed up when it mattered, ultimately throwing for 124 yards and the go-ahead touchdown with under a minute left. He started his night 6-of-14 in the first half before going 8-for-13 in the second, including 67 percent completion in the fourth quarter.
“The kid is still young, man, he's still growing,” Sanders said after the game. “I challenged him in front of the whole team, and he went and did his thing.”
Damian Henderson II led all rushers with 12 carries for 65 yards while Micah Welch added to the effort with 13 carries for 60 yards and the Buffs’ first touchdown of the season. The Buffs used five total backs and ran for a total of 183 yards on the night.
“You got to go with what you know,” Sanders said. “We know we're big up front, we know we could be physical, we know these guys can move bodies, so that's what we went with.”
Once Colorado’s run game began to find its feet, Welch punched in a five-yard run to get into the end zone to go ahead 7-0 with 13:06 left in the second quarter.
Georgia Tech immediately followed up the effort with a 100-yard kick return touchdown from Rahkeem Smith, killing the momentum and tying the game at seven with 12:52 left in the second quarter.
After back-and-forth empty drives, Georgia Tech kicked a 22-yard field goal to give the Yellow Jackets the lead 10-7 into the half.
Neither offense had a drive come to fruition in the third quarter, keeping the score close at 10-7 going into the final frame.
Colorado began the fourth with a six-and-a-half-minute, 61-yard drive that saw all their yards come on the ground. JaQuail Smith and Henderson combined for 35 rushing yards to get Colorado in position to tie the game with a 38-yard field goal, but had it stuffed by Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets began to bleed the clock with a six-minute drive of their own, resulting in a field goal to go ahead by six, 13-7, with just 1:40 left in the game.
Lewis then got to work, going 55 yards in just 58 seconds. Tight end Charlie Williams got around his defender on a hook-and-go route, to which Lewis connected with him for a 20-yard touchdown that put Colorado in the lead after the extra point, 14-13 with just 37 seconds left.
Georgia Tech quarterback Alberto Mendoza found Dalen Penson for 42 yards, which put the Yellow Jackets in field goal range with just three seconds left. Boo Carter came off the edge to block the attempt and seal the game for the Buffs.
“That's just the faith I have in these young men and the coaching staff,” Sanders said.
Colorado’s next game will be at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado against the Weber State Wildcats (1-0). Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. MT (ESPN+).
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