Colorado dropped a winnable game on Friday night to open the 2025 season, coming up just short in a 27-20 loss to Georgia Tech. A tie game in the fourth quarter, a 45-yard touchdown run by Georgia Tech QB Haynes King gave the Yellow Jackets the lead for good, but it wasn't King's touchdown scamper in the 58th minute that did the Buffs in.
Colorado actually lost the game much earlier than that.
Georgia Tech turned the ball over on its first three drives of the game. Colorado mustered just seven points out of it - a touchdown pass from Kaidon Salter to Dekalon Taylor after the first turnover. That was it. Colorado lost the game in the first quarter and didn't realize it.
Long before they were bludgeoned for 320 rushing yards. Long before King drove the final nail into the coffin. The Buffaloes dug the hole themselves and lowered their own casket.
"That's a tough one, especially provoking those three turnovers," Deion Sanders said in the postgame. "Gotta be more explosive, more definitive, more decisive with what we do with the ball on offense. Defensively, we gave up 463 yards.
"It's hard to applaud the defense when they give up 400 yards."
The Colorado defense had its moments. It forced the three turnovers in the first quarter. Jacksonville State transfer Reginald Hughes and UTSA transfer Martavius French had strong games in the middle, alleviating some concerns about the Colorado linebacker room.
But perhaps the most disappointing thing was a deep and experienced Colorado defensive line - the unit that many assumed would be the strength of the defense - getting blown off the ball all night long. Georgia Tech didn't do anything fancy. They just lined up and punched Colorado in the mouth. Over and over and over again.
Colorado got knocked down - can they get back up?
Coach Prime was visibly frustrated in the postgame press conference. He knows this was a winnable game that slipped away. Colorado should have built a two-score lead in the first quarter off those Yellow Jacket turnovers.
But questionable play-calling by Pat Shurmur and some missed opportunities from Salter prevented Colorado from taking full advantage. Instead of playing catch-up, Georgia Tech took a 13-10 lead into the locker room.
As frustrated as Sanders was in the postgame, he still believes that this team will get better. Delaware comes to Boulder next week, giving Colorado a nice tune-up game before they open Big 12 play on the road against Houston the following week.
"We definitely going to be fine," Sanders said. "We could have won that game... We take advantage of those opportunities, I have a better mood right now.
"It's gonna be a minute before I flush this thing."