Takeaways from Colorado football's comeback win over Georgia Tech

Before Colorado’s 14-13 win over Georgia Tech in their season opener, they had not defeated an ACC team since the Orange Bowl back on Jan. 1, 1957, against Clemson. While this is an impressive feat for the program, what might be more impressive is how the Buffaloes won this game.

Colorado established their offensive identity as a team that will dominate the line of scrimmage and run the ball down opponents’ throats. They finished the game with 48 rushing attempts, their most since 49 against Northern Colorado in 2021.

Here is everything we learned from Colorado’s win over Georgia Tech.

Quarterback Julian Lewis led the game-winning drive in the final two minutes of the game. But before that point, Lewis struggled. Decision-making was not a problem, as he put the ball in the right place and never made any errant throws that could have led to an interception. However, it was clear he was not on the same page as his receivers at times and missed open receivers downfield. Luckily, in this offense, Lewis does not need to carry the franchise. But he still needs to improve his communication and accuracy downfield. Once he does, Lewis has the potential to be an elite quarterback in college football this season.

Five different running backs had a carry in this game, with three different backs having at least 10 attempts; two of them finished with over 60 rushing yards. Colorado was bullish about running the football, even on fourth-and-goal early in the game and again in the fourth quarter. The Buffaloes will want to make sure they can adapt when playing a team that is good against the run, but that was not a problem in this game.

Lamont Lester Jr is a force to be reckoned with on the defensive line, as he was responsible for all three of Colorado’s sacks in this game. The Buffaloes were also successful in stopping Georgia Tech’s run game, despite having one of the worst run defenses last season. Boo Carter, the same player who blocked the field goal at the end of the game, also recovered a fumble in the first quarter. Georgia Tech also had a three-and-out, and they were never able to get in the end zone even on the 92-yard drive that got them down to the four-yard line. Colorado’s defense was in control throughout the game, and even though it came down to the final play, the Buffaloes’ defense deserved to win.

The Buffaloes do not have an easy conference schedule, facing three teams ranked in the first US LBM Coaches Poll: Texas Tech, Utah and Houston. So their path to the Big 12 Championship will be difficult. It may be an overreaction to think this team could actually be a contender, but at the very least they will be competitive this season. Having a good defense can take you a long way, and while this defense is primarily built around transfers, they already displayed strong chemistry on the field. If Julian Lewis can improve and make some of those deep shots, Colorado could actually turn out to be a very interesting team to watch this season.

Having a special teams coordinator did not work well for the Colorado Buffaloes in 2025, but that does not mean they should not have one at all. If Colorado had lost this game, it would have been because of their special teams. They allowed a touchdown on a 100-yard kickoff return and allowed Georgia Tech to block a field goal. The kickoff returned for a touchdown was the only touchdown of the game for the Yellow Jackets. This philosophy of having different coaches oversee the special teams unit does not seem to be working through the first week, and there is a reason teams have a dedicated special teams coordinator. It did not bite them in Week 1, but who’s to say it does not later this season.

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This article originally appeared on Buffaloes Wire: Takeaways from Colorado football’s comeback win over Georgia Tech