Colorado blocks FG as time expires in Atlanta to stun Georgia Tech 14-13

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The Colorado Buffaloes pulled out a 14-13 comeback win over Georgia Tech on Thursday night. Julian Lewis threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Williams with 37 seconds left to take a one-point lead over the Yellow Jackets.

On the ensuing drive, Alberto Mendoza worked the ball down the field to get Georgia Tech within field goal range. Aidan Birr lined up for a 45-yard field goal attempt, which was blocked by Colorado as time expired.

Georgia Tech's potential game-winning FG gets blocked!
What a win for Coach Prime and Colorado 🔥 pic.twitter.com/0kPWhJwxeN
— ESPN (@espn) September 4, 2026

Deion Sanders and the Buffs escaped Atlanta with his first win in the Peach State capital as a coach in three tries dating back to his days at Jackson State. For Colorado, this was the first win over an ACC opponent since the 1957 Orange Bowl. This was also Colorado's first road win since beating Texas Tech in Lubbock in 2024.

Lewis ended with 124 yards and a touchdown. The former five-star passer struggled most of the night before CU's final drive. The running game was much improved with Brennan Marion's Go-Go scheme, but Georgia Tech let Colorado hang around, and it ended up burning them in the end.

Sanders said earlier in the week that the Buffs' offense would feature at least five running backs. The committee ran for 183 yards on 48 carries during the course of the game. The Buffs seem to have flipped the script under Marion by utilizing more of the running game and a balanced approach.

As for Georgia Tech, Mendoza dealt with his own struggles and had a problem gripping the ball due to the humidity. The brother of last year's Heisman Trophy winner and number one overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft, Fernando Mendoza, got his first college start. Unfortunately, the milestone resulted in a loss for the Indiana transfer.

Mendoza went 17 of 23 with 237 yards. He was also sacked three times by Colorado's defense, who applied pressure relentlessly throughout the game.

Colorado took a 7-0 lead following a scoreless first quarter. It took only one play for Georgia Tech to catch up. Rahkeem Smith took the ensuing kickoff 100 yards to tie the game with 13:06 to go before halftime. A 22-yard Birr field goal gave Tech a 10-7 lead at the break.

Both teams went scoreless before the final two minutes of the game. Birr tacked on another field goal with 1:43 left, putting the Jackets up 13-7 and putting Colorado with their backs up against the wall needing a touchdown to win.

Lewis put together an 8-play, 75-yard drive in 1:03 of game time. The touchdown pass to Williams was Lewis' only score of the game. But really, it was the only one that mattered for Colorado. He was 4-of-6 for 40 yards on the game-winning drive.

Colorado returns home looking to stay perfect against Weber State next Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN+).