Colorado’s dramatic 14-13 victory over Georgia Tech captured Stephen A. Smith’s attention for reasons extending far beyond the final score.
During the latest edition of ESPN’s First Take, Smith praised the Buffaloes for avenging last season’s 27-20 loss to Georgia Tech and delivering on Deion Sanders’ promise that Colorado would not repeat its three-win 2025 campaign.
“I’m happy for him,” Smith said of Coach Prime. “I think it’s important to get off to a good start. Last year, they lost 27 to 20 to the same team. They avenged this loss last night. Major, major props to them.”
What truly excited Smith was how dramatically Colorado improved in the areas that plagued the program last season.
Stephen A. Smith praises Colorado’s transformation
Colorado rushed for 183 yards while limiting Georgia Tech to only 51 yards on the ground. The Buffaloes’ defense did not surrender an offensive touchdown, with the Yellow Jackets’ lone trip to the end zone coming on a 100-yard kickoff return.
“Here’s what I’m really excited about,” Smith said. “Everybody’s looking at the fact that they rushed for 183 yards. We know how putrid their running game was over the last two years. They outrushed Georgia Tech 183 to 51. I’m very, very happy about that.”
Smith was even more encouraged by Colorado’s defensive performance after the Buffaloes surrendered more than 400 yards per game last season and ended the year on a five-game losing streak.
“The fact that your defense didn’t give up a touchdown and only gave up 51 yards rushing, that is a strong, strong step in the right direction,” Smith said. “I like that. I’m happy about that.”
Kevin Clark viewed the victory as evidence that Sanders successfully rebuilt Colorado’s roster in one offseason. He highlighted several transfer additions, including Boo Carter, whose blocked field goal preserved the victory.
“The team I saw last night was full of hits,” Clark said. “This is a microwave era of college football, and Deion was able to do it in just one offseason.”
EJ Manuel was particularly impressed by the confidence Colorado continued to show in quarterback Julian Lewis after a shaky first half. Lewis responded by leading a nine-play, 75-yard drive and throwing the winning touchdown pass with 42 seconds remaining.
“Everyone wonders, ‘Well, is Deion a good coach?’ Absolutely,” Manuel said. “Because it’s not just about the X’s and O’s. It’s about, can you get an infectious behavior in this team?”
Colorado wins in the trenches
Smith repeatedly returned to Colorado’s dominance along both lines of scrimmage. The Buffaloes recorded three sacks and eight tackles for loss while producing a punishing 17-play drive during which they ran the football on 16 plays.
This was a dramatically different approach from the pass-heavy offenses Colorado featured with Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter in 2023 and 2024.
“He went and got some hogs on both sides of the line of scrimmage because I think that’s incredibly important,” Smith said. “That’s what you need in order to win in college football.”
Smith cautioned that it was still only one game, but Colorado demonstrated that its offseason changes were more than empty promises. The Buffaloes ran the football, stopped the run and made the decisive special-teams play when the game was on the line.
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