Deion Sanders predicts Colorado’s stunning comeback before Boo Carter blocks Georgia Tech’s game-winning field goal
Coach Prime said the Buffaloes would win, Julian Lewis delivered the touchdown and Carter completed the prediction on the final play
C olorado was running out of time, trailing by six points in a hostile stadium and preparing to place its season opener in the hands of a freshman quarterback. Deion Sanders did not look like a coach expecting to lose.
As the Buffaloes prepared for their final offensive possession against Georgia Tech, Coach Prime remained convinced that they would find a way to escape Atlanta. The scoreboard showed Georgia Tech leading 13-7 with only 1:40 remaining. Sanders saw a different ending.
“I told several people on the sideline, ‘We’re gonna make it very, very interesting, but we’re gonna win this game,’” Sanders revealed afterward.
Colorado completes the comeback
Julian Lewis, who had completed only six passes for 41 yards in the first half, suddenly played with the confidence Sanders had demanded from him. The freshman quarterback moved Colorado 75 yards in eight plays, needing only 63 seconds to transform an apparent defeat into a late lead.
Lewis completed the drive by finding tight end Charlie Williams for a 20-yard touchdown with fewer than 40 seconds remaining. The extra point pushed Colorado ahead 14-13 and sent the Buffaloes’ sideline into a frenzy.
Georgia Tech quarterback Alberto Mendoza immediately completed a 42-yard pass to Dalen Penson, moving the Yellow Jackets into Colorado territory and giving kicker Aidan Birr an opportunity to win the game from 45 yards.
Boo Carter lined up on the left side of Colorado’s formation. The Tennessee transfer exploded forward at the snap, reached the ball before it could climb and blocked the potential game-winning field goal as time expired. For one moment, there was only confusion. Then Colorado’s sideline emptied.
Players raced across the field, removed their helmets and headed toward Georgia Tech’s student section to celebrate. The same crowd that had expected to watch a walk-off victory instead saw the Buffaloes shouting back at them after completing a stunning 14-13 escape.
The block completed an extraordinary reversal for Colorado’s special teams.
Earlier in the game, Georgia Tech’s Rahkeem Smith had returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown only 14 seconds after Colorado opened the scoring. Later, the Yellow Jackets blocked a 38-yard Colorado field-goal attempt that would have tied the game during the fourth quarter.
Carter said a coach had shown him how to attack the formation and that he had successfully executed the same block during practice. After delivering it when Colorado needed it most, he described the moment with two words: “Perfect timing.”
The phrase also carried a familiar connection to former Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders , who was inside Bobby Dodd Stadium watching his father’s team. After the celebration, Shedeur and Coach Prime walked off the field together.
Carter was making his Colorado debut after transferring from Tennessee, where he developed into a dynamic defensive back and return specialist. His first game as a Buffalo ended with the biggest play of the night and one of the most dramatic finishes of the opening college football weekend.
According to ESPN , Colorado became the first FBS team since Northern Illinois in 2021 to win its season opener by blocking a field goal as time expired. Remarkably, Georgia Tech was also the losing team on that occasion.
The victory carried another layer of redemption. One year earlier, Georgia Tech defeated Colorado 27-20 in the 2025 season opener after the Buffaloes mishandled their final possession and failed to complete a comeback.
The Buffaloes also answered questions about whether they could compete physically. Colorado outrushed Georgia Tech 183-51 after spending the offseason hearing doubts about the size and strength of its roster.
“My God, they rushed for 51? I thought we were small,” Sanders joked afterward.
Coach Prime did not truly know that Carter would block the final kick when he predicted the victory. What he had was complete confidence in the players around him.
Lewis rewarded that faith with the touchdown. Carter protected it with the block. And by the time Colorado finished celebrating in front of Georgia Tech’s stunned student section, the scoreboard finally showed exactly what Sanders had already said would happen.
