2 Takeaways From The Colorado Buffaloes' Season-Opening Victory
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The Colorado Buffaloes’ victory over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets was a tremendous way to kick off the season. Deion Sanders and company got their revenge against the same team that beat them in Week One last year. Here are my biggest takeaways.
The Identity Has Changed
The first takeaway from the Buffaloes’ victory is that the identity has shifted. Early in Sanders’ Colorado tenure, the team was a pass-heavy team. Shedeur Sanders, his son, ranked 15th out of 133 starting quarterbacks in pass attempts in 2023.
The former Buff averaged 39.1 pass attempts per game. Sanders then jumped to fifth in pass attempts out of 134 starting QBs in 2024. He averaged 36.7 attempts per game that year. 2025 was a bit of a revolving door at the QB position after his departure, so it was a bit hard to evaluate.
Let’s fast forward to this most recent game. The quarterback, Julian Lewis, attempted just 27 passes. Colorado ran the ball 49 times for 183 yards. They dominated in the trenches on both sides of the ball, as Georgia Tech had just 51 yards on the ground.
The Buffaloes won the time of possession 34 minutes to 26 minutes. This is the very same team that finished near the bottom in rushing yards per game in 2023 and 2024. They averaged 68.9 and 65.2, respectively.
The shift is a credit to offensive coordinator Brennan Marion. He was hired last December by Coach Prime and was known for his up-tempo offense and a dynamic run game.
It’s only one game, but the vision is there. Colorado is going to run the ball and grind out victories. The days of the high-flying offense from Sanders to Travis Hunter are behind the Buffaloes. It was a breath of fresh air to see them try something new.
A Moment For Julian Lewis
The second takeaway from Colorado’s victory was the quarterback. Lewis started just his third game on Thursday. It was not an easy environment to thrive in front of the raucous Yellow Jackets crowd.
The 18-year-old had a roller coaster of a game. Lewis seemed unsettled for most of the game. He completed just over 50% of his passes and did not crack 200 yards.
There were many self-inflicted penalties as well. There were multiple instances in which Lewis bobbled the snap, and on one play, he completely lost the ball mid-throw. It seemed like it wasn’t going to be his night.
The final drive then happened. Georgia Tech was up 13-7 with 1:40 left to go. The Buffalos had to go 75 yards in 100 seconds with no timeouts.
The first 30 seconds of the drive did not start well. Colorado had only gained 16 yards total and faced a third-and-11. Lewis then made the biggest throw of the game up to that point, to Joseph Williams for 16 yards.
The Buffaloes were then in business. The team marched to the Yellow Jackets’ 20-yard line in less than 30 seconds. With 37 seconds left, came the pass of the game for Lewis.
Colorado went up 14-13 off a nice throw down the left sideline by Lewis. It was not an easy throw, but he somehow got it to his tight end, Charlie Williams, for the go-ahead score.
A moment like that cannot be understated. The game was so choppy for the first 58 minutes of gameplay. Lewis could have easily let his rattled confidence affect him in that final drive. Instead, he put it behind him and led his team to victory.
Poise through adversity is a trait that cannot be taught. All the great quarterbacks possess the ability to perform well in the clutch even after a rough opening 50-55 minutes. This can be a moment that catapults Lewis to a good season.
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End Of My Buffaloes’ Victory Rant
The Buffaloes’ victory was incredibly inspiring. It was truly a full team effort. After Lewis led the team to take the go-ahead score, the team needed to prevent a score in 37 seconds.
Stopping a Yellow Jackets score seemed out of the question when Alberto Mendoza threw a 45-yard strike to get Georgia Tech into field goal range. The Yellow Jackets found themselves at Colorado's 27-yard line, down 14-13 with a chance to win it on a 45-yard field goal.
The kick was up, and it was blocked. The block by the Buffaloes was a redemption moment for Colorado football. I’m sure some people thought of the Denver Broncos’ blocked kick vs the Kansas City Chiefs, down 16-14 in 2024.
What a way to kick off the season.
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