The crowd went silent. Every Colorado fan at Bobby Dodd Stadium knew what was coming. Georgia Tech kicker Aidan Birr was lining up for a 45-yard field goal, and this one would decide everything. The Buffs had just taken the lead with 42 seconds left. The Yellow Jackets had one last chance to steal it back. Then Tennessee transfer DB Boo Carter crashed through the line.

Boo Carter got his hand on Aidan Birr’s kick as the clock hit zero, and suddenly Colorado players were sprinting across the field. What a finish indeed! A game that had looked like it was slipping away from Deion Sanders had somehow ended with the Buffs on top, 14-13.

Opening the season on the road against an ACC opponent like Georgia Tech was always going to set the tone for Colorado’s year. After dropping last year’s season opener to the Yellow Jackets 27-20 in Boulder, Coach Prime needed a statement win to prove his program is taking a real leap forward in the Big 12.

Knocking off Georgia Tech in their own building gives Colorado instant momentum and a crucial non-conference victory that could carry massive weight when bowl eligibility and postseason rankings come into play later this fall.

Meanwhile, Boo Carter’s name had already been attached to plenty of college football drama before he ever played a snap for Colorado. His sudden departure from Tennessee and eventual move to Boulder created plenty of noise. Deion Sanders, though, has consistently backed the talented player, including a recent moment at the Buffs’ fall media day in August. 

“When scouts come out, he’s one of the first young men they ask about,” he said. “He’s not problematic. He just wants to know you and wants a relationship to understand that you’ve got his back, and I think he knows that from me. We keep it a buck with one another.”

Deion Sanders called Boo Carter the best athlete on Colorado’s roster and suggested he could be a first-round pick when he puts everything together. On Thursday, the DB lived up to his coach’s hype.  

Georgia Tech had just watched QB Alberto Mendoza hit Dalen Penson for a 42-yard gain, putting the Yellow Jackets into field-goal territory. Aidan Birr was given the chance to win it, but Boo Carter didn’t let that happen. He burst through the protection and deflected the kick. Game over. 

For a Colorado team that had endured an awful night on special teams, it was a rather spectacular way to finish. The Buffs had shanked a punt, surrendered a 100-yard kickoff return touchdown, and even had a game-tying field goal blocked earlier in the fourth quarter. 

Colorado finally got on the board in the second quarter. Micah Welch powered in from five yards out to make it 7-0. Fourteen seconds later, Rahkeem Smith took the kickoff all the way back for Georgia Tech. Just like that, the lead was gone. 

From there, Georgia Tech controlled the scoreboard. Colorado’s defense, however, kept giving the offense chances. Lamont Lester Jr. was outstanding in his Power 4/FBS Division I debut, recording three sacks through the first three quarters. That marked the most sacks by a Colorado player in his Buffs debut since 2003. The defense also forced three fumbles and held Georgia Tech to just 5-of-13 on third down. Julian Lewis, meanwhile, had a rough night for long stretches.

Julian Lewis finally finds the answer

Julian Lewis finished 14-of-27 for 124 yards and a touchdown. But when the game finally demanded something from him, he delivered. Colorado put together a 17-play, 61-yard drive that ate 9:07 off the clock. It ended with a blocked field goal, keeping the Buffs behind. Georgia Tech then extended its lead to 13-7. That should have been the end of it. Instead, the Buffs’ redshirt freshman QB got one more possession.

Julian Lewis led a frantic two-minute drive and found TE Charlie Williams for a 20-yard touchdown with 42 seconds remaining. Colorado had its first lead since the second quarter. Albert Mendoza still had time to respond. The Georgia Tech QB finished 17-of-23 for 237 yards and survived an injury scare earlier in the game. His late connection with Dalen Penson put the Yellow Jackets in position to win. Then Boo Carter showed up.

This was not a perfect performance. But Deion Sanders wanted a different ending this time against Georgia Tech, and he got one. And Colorado’s season began with a blocked kick, a wild finish, and Boo Carter standing in the middle of it all.