Sixty-four yards, then the only drive that counted
Julian Lewis threw for 64 yards on 21 attempts through most of his first night as Colorado’s starter. Then he threw for 75 more in eight plays, and the Buffaloes left Atlanta overnight with a 14-13 win they spent three quarters doing nothing to deserve.
Georgia Tech had gone ahead 13-7 with 1:40 on the clock, Aidan Birr converting from 29 yards after the Yellow Jackets ran three safe plays to drain Colorado’s timeouts. Given what the Buffaloes had produced to that point, the margin looked comfortable. Lewis answered with a 20-yard touchdown to Charlie Williams and 37 seconds left.
Thirty-seven seconds turned out to be plenty for Georgia Tech as well. Alberto Mendoza found Dalen Penson for 42 yards to reach the Colorado 33, which put Birr back in range at 45 yards. Boo Carter got a hand to it as the clock hit zero. Carter spent the previous two seasons at Tennessee.
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Special teams decided it twice
Colorado had already been on the wrong end of the same play. Daniel Gerlach’s 38-yard attempt was blocked by Kevin Roche Jr. with 7:36 remaining, preserving a 10-7 Georgia Tech lead that had stood since halftime. Deion Sanders’ team piled up errors on those units and spent most of the evening reacting rather than dictating.
What kept the Buffaloes alive was their defensive front. Lamont Lester Jr. recorded three sacks on his own, and Mendoza worked under pressure all night while the Georgia Tech run game found nothing. Ball security was a problem for both sides in the Atlanta humidity, to the point where Mendoza was seen putting baby powder on his hands.
What it means for Sanders
Colorado finished 3-9 last season. Opening on the road against an ACC side with a first-year starting quarterback is the sort of assignment that usually confirms a rebuild rather than interrupts one. Instead the Buffaloes are 1-0, and they got there on a blocked kick rather than on anything resembling control.
Georgia Tech will be replaying those last 100 seconds for a while.
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