SUPERMAN: Colorado & carter steal a win in atlanta

If you were to tell me that a Thursday night matchup between the Colorado Buffaloes and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets would have been what gets fans truly out of their seat and ready for the football season to begin, I would never have believed you. But what just occurred in Atlanta, GA might have been one of the craziest endings in recent college football history.

But the game didn’t start that way at all. In fact, the first three and a half quarters were the slugfest we all imagined. Georgia Tech couldn’t get down the field, and their projected star player Justice Haynes wasn’t able to get going on the ground despite being force-fed. The Michigan transfer turned in an average game on the ground to the tune of 19 rushes for 64 yards, but did not do enough to establish the run, forcing Indiana transfer QB Alberto Mendoza to likely throw the ball more than he wanted to in his first big-time collegiate start at home.

But speaking of force-feeding the ball on the ground, Colorado genuinely had only one way of moving the football, and that was via the ground. They ran the ball a total of 49 times, totaling 183 yards, destroying the Yellow Jackets’ total of 51. What kept this game close however, was the struggles of Julian Lewis and the Buffaloes passing attack. While there were multiple notable drops, Lewis finished the game with an abysmal 53% completion rate and just 124 yards and 1 touchdown. Despite the victory, this offensive output from Lewis will not be sustainable enough to take the Buffaloes beyond a bowl game, and serious improvements from Lewis have to be made. This was also new OC Brennan Marion’s first game at OC for the Buffs; so maybe all that is needed for this offense to mesh is just a little bit of patience.

Key Moments: In a game that was quite frankly, ugly up until the 4th quarter, finding key moments beyond the end of the game is quite difficult. The definitive story of the game began midway through the fourth quarter when the Buffaloes drove all the way down the field, putting themselves in a position to kick a field goal to even the score at 10 - 10. It was only 38 yards, but Buffaloes K Daniel Gerlach’s kick didn’t even get there, as the ball was deflected by Georgia Tech’s Kevin Roche Jr coming off the edge. The score stayed stuck at 10-7 and the Yellow Jacket’s were a touchdown away from putting the game on ice.

Buffaloes Head Coach Deion Sanders looked terrified watching the game seemingly slip through his hands as his struggling offense’s lone drive that showed promise ended in no points. But there was still tons of time left, and that’s where they found their way back. Georgia Tech drove down the field, scoring a field goal to take a 13-7 lead with just under six minutes left, but Colorado wasn’t finished. They continued to run the ball, but eventually gave Julian Lewis a chance to showcase his arm. So he did. He found Charlie Williams for a 20-yard gain, straight into the end zone to take a one-point lead with just 37 seconds left. Williams’s catch encapsulated a beautiful 1:33 minute, 8-play drive in which the Buffaloes showed the most explosiveness they had all year. With just under a minute left on the clock, it looked like the game was wrapped up. But the Yellow Jackets just wouldn’t go away. Quarterback Alberto Mendoza found Dalen Penson for 42 yards up the middle, giving Georgia Tech hope for the last time. The worst part for Yellow Jacket fans is the fact that Penson probably would have gone all the way if the turf monster didn’t bring him down. But regardless, it set up a 45-yard try to go ahead and win the game.

But the kick was blocked by Tennessee transfer DB Boo Carter. Colorado & Carter found themselves another iconic win to open the season in a way that they hope flips the script for the entire program.

The win showed character. It showed grit. It proved that you don’t have to have a good game or a quarterback that can sling the rock. Sometimes, resilience can win you a football game, and that’s exactly what happened.

The Buffaloes don’t exactly have massive expectations this year, but with lots of talent on the team, they certainly do have a chance to be competitive in the Big 12. And after a win like this, it’ll be tough not to turn on the television next week when Colorado is in action.