What Happened Colorado opened 2026 on Thursday, Sept. 3, by rallying past Georgia Tech 14-13 in Atlanta, where Julian Lewis hit Charlie Williams for a go-ahead touchdown in the final minute and Boo Carter blocked a field goal at the horn.

The Buffaloes beat a Georgia Tech team that went 9-4 in 2025 despite Lewis completing 14 of 27 passes for 124 yards. Colorado ran 76 plays to the Yellow Jackets’ 53, held the ball for 34:09 and turned its edge on the ground into a nonconference road win that puts more weight behind a turnaround after last season’s 3-9 finish.

Afterward, Sanders praised the belief he heard from his linemen during the game. “You have no idea how many times I was shaken by a lineman and told that we got this, and I never doubted it,” he said.

Georgia Tech led 10-7 at halftime and pushed its advantage to 13-7 when Aidan Birr made a 29-yard field goal with 1:40 left. Colorado had no timeouts when Lewis took over at his own 25-yard line, then found Williams for a 20-yard touchdown with under a minute remaining.

Mendoza answered with a 42-yard completion to Dalen Penson, moving Georgia Tech into range for one more kick. Carter got through Birr’s 45-yard attempt as time expired.

Why This One Matters Colorado’s 183 rushing yards on 49 carries — the third-most of the Sanders era — carried the offense while Lewis worked through an uneven debut. Damian Henderson II ran 12 times for 65 yards, Micah Welch had 58 yards on 13 carries and JaQuail Smith added 42 yards on 10 attempts.

Welch’s 5-yard touchdown gave Colorado a 7-0 lead and marked the program’s first opening-score rushing touchdown since 2021. Georgia Tech tied it immediately when Rahkeem Smith returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown.

Colorado also won the other rushing matchup. The Buffaloes held Georgia Tech to 51 yards on 30 attempts, or 1.7 yards per carry, while Alberto Mendoza threw for 237 yards. Lamont Lester Jr. had three sacks, including one that stopped a Georgia Tech possession after a 30-yard completion opened the drive.

For a team that went 1-8 in Big 12 play in 2025, controlling both lines against a nine-win opponent gave Colorado more than a dramatic finish. It gave the Buffaloes their first 1-0 start since Sanders’ 2023 debut season.

What Most People Are Missing Lewis and Carter supplied the final-minute plays, but Colorado created the chance by owning 23 more offensive snaps. The Buffaloes kept handing the ball to their backs after Georgia Tech crowded the box, and the offensive line gave them enough room inside to avoid making the freshman quarterback carry the offense through the air.

Chauncey Gooden started at left guard and also worked at defensive tackle. Colorado’s passing game had dropped passes, missed downfield chances and a rough late-second-quarter sequence in which Lewis lost his grip on the ball, recovered it and took a 15-yard sack. The run game kept the Buffaloes close anyway.

What the Coaches Can Actually Change Special teams nearly cost Colorado a game it otherwise controlled. The kickoff return erased Welch’s touchdown, and a bad snap disrupted Daniel Gerlach’s 38-yard field-goal attempt in the fourth quarter, leading to a block after Colorado had marched 61 yards in 17 plays.

Carter’s block finished the game, but it did not erase the return or the failed field-goal operation. Colorado went without a special teams coach this season, a decision that drew online criticism; the program has not explained the choice.

Colorado also has not disclosed whether players sustained injuries in the opener.

The Pate State Read The score was tight, and Lewis’ passing line leaves real work ahead. But Colorado won on the road against a 2025 nine-win team with its fronts doing the heavy lifting: 183 rushing yards, 49 attempts and a defense that allowed only 51 rushing yards.

Lewis did not need a clean four quarters. He needed one last drive after the run game and defense held the game within reach, and he delivered it. Colorado has already banked the kind of road result that can separate a real turnaround from another rebuilding season.

What to Watch Next 1. The carry total. Colorado hosts Weber State on Saturday, Sept. 12. The box score will show whether the Buffaloes again lean on the ground game after 49 attempts at Georgia Tech.

2. The rushing defense. Georgia Tech managed 1.7 yards per carry. Colorado’s next FBS test comes Saturday, Sept. 19, at Northwestern, where the Buffaloes can show whether that number travels.

3. The kicking operation. Watch the snap and protection, not only whether Gerlach’s next attempt goes through.

4. Lester’s pressure. His three sacks changed the opener. Colorado needs that disruption to continue as the schedule turns toward FBS opponents.

Sanders’ message in the locker room was for his players to respect the opponent after the escape. “Let’s make sure the locker room is clean when we leave. Let’s be respectful, don’t say nothing crazy about our opponents because they fought their butts off,” he said.