Colorado beat Georgia Tech 14-13 on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta, in both teams’ season opener. True freshman quarterback Julian Lewis threw a go-ahead touchdown pass in the final minute of the fourth quarter, and Colorado’s Boo Carter blocked Georgia Tech’s potential game-winning field-goal attempt as time expired to seal the win. Colorado plays in the Big 12 and Georgia Tech in the ACC, so the game was a non-conference matchup that does not count toward either team’s conference standings.
Key facts
- Final score: Colorado 14, Georgia Tech 13
- When and where: Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta
- Winning play: Julian Lewis’s 20-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Williams in the final minute of the fourth quarter
- Game-ending play: Boo Carter blocked Aidan Birr’s 45-yard field-goal attempt as time expired
- Total yards: Colorado 307, Georgia Tech 288
- Turnovers: Georgia Tech 1, Colorado 0
Lightning delayed kickoff
Kickoff, originally set for around 8 p.m. ET on ESPN, was pushed back roughly 20 minutes by a lightning delay in the Atlanta area, with fans inside the stadium directed to the concourse and those outside told to find shelter before the game got under way.
How the scoring unfolded
Colorado struck first in the second quarter on a 5-yard touchdown run by Micah Welch, who finished with 58 yards on 13 carries. Georgia Tech answered immediately when Rahkeem Smith returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, tying the game 7-7. Georgia Tech kicker Aidan Birr, who had already missed a 35-yard attempt earlier in the half, made a 22-yard field goal to put the Yellow Jackets ahead 10-7, then added a 29-yard kick in the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 13-7.
Colorado’s late rally
Colorado answered with the game’s decisive sequence. Lewis found tight end Charlie Williams for a 20-yard touchdown in the final minute of the fourth quarter, putting Colorado ahead 14-13. Georgia Tech quarterback Alberto Mendoza then connected with wide receiver Dalen Penson for a 42-yard gain that put the Yellow Jackets in range for a potential winning kick. On the final play, Colorado’s Boo Carter got a hand on Birr’s 45-yard field-goal attempt, and it fell short as time ran out.
Julian Lewis’s first start of 2026
Lewis, a true freshman from Carrollton, Georgia, was a five-star recruit in the 2025 class who decommitted from USC to sign with Colorado. He had played in four games last season, making two starts and completing 52 of 94 passes for 589 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. Thursday’s game was his first start of the 2026 season, making him the ninth true freshman to start at quarterback in Colorado program history, under head coach Deion Sanders, who is in his fourth season leading the Buffaloes. He finished 14 of 27 passing for 124 yards and a touchdown — an uneven performance for most of the night that turned decisive on the final drive.
Team stats
Colorado
- Damian Henderson II led all rushers with 65 yards on 12 carries.
- Wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr., a transfer from Texas, caught 4 passes for 37 yards.
- Colorado finished with 307 total yards and no turnovers.
Georgia Tech
- Mendoza completed 17 of 23 passes for 237 yards.
- Jordan Allen led Georgia Tech’s receivers with 8 catches for 113 yards.
- Justice Haynes, a transfer from Michigan, ran 19 times for 64 yards.
- Georgia Tech had 288 total yards and one turnover — a difference that can decide a game this close.
Georgia Tech coach reacts to the loss
Georgia Tech coach Brent Key said afterward that his team would not have felt good about its performance even if the final kick had gone through, and that Colorado had outplayed and outcoached the Yellow Jackets. He pointed to Georgia Tech’s overall play, not just the blocked kick, as the reason for the loss.
Disputed calls in the fourth quarter
A disputed sequence in the fourth quarter also drew attention, and it involved two separate plays. On the first, officials ruled that forward progress had already stopped for the Colorado ball-carrier before Georgia Tech could return the loose ball for a touchdown. On the second, a separate Lewis fumble was overturned to an incomplete pass after an in-game replay review. SI.com called some of the late calls “questionable,” and two separate Yahoo Sports pieces sharply criticized the officiating, reflecting how strongly the calls landed with Georgia Tech fans and some commentators.