Georgia Tech runs over Colorado as Buffs drop season opener

Colorado football is back and there was no week one tune-up opponent this season, as the Buffs faced a highly respected Georgia Tech team that finished the season strong last year. The Buffs needed to showcase their revamped roster to come out of week one with a win, which isn’t exactly what happened. Colorado got off to a bang to start the game and slowed at a steep decline until things got dire. Once the Buffs were able to pick up the pace, it was too late, as this new version of the Buffs looked half-baked in their 27-20 loss to the Yellow Jackets on Friday night at Folsom Field.

First Half:

The Buffs defense came out of the gate white hot, forcing turnovers on the first three possessions of the game. Two of the turnovers were fumbles, with one being a botched handoff by GT quarterback Haynes King, with the other being a high snap, both of which ended up in the hands of CU linebacker Martavius French. Colorado’s third forced turnover in as many drives would come on a DJ McKinney interception. 

Offensively, what did the Buffs do with these takeaways?

Not a whole lot!

Colorado would start their first drive in plus territory, and punch in a touchdown on an eight-yard connection between quarterback Kaidon Salter and running back DeKalon Taylor. This would go on to be their only touchdown of the half, with three straight punts and a 41 yard field goal near the end of the second quarter. There is no doubt the fans and coaching staff alike expected more than ten points in the half, considering their three turnovers to start the game.

As the half went on it became obvious that the Buffs had no answer for the GT run game. Extended drive after extended drive left the Buffs defense looking lethargic. By the end of the half they had given up over 200 yards on the ground, something they would have to clean up at halftime if they want to have a chance of leaving Folsom with a win.

What went wrong in the first half for the Buffs? There were two main issues that seemed to just haunt this squad, with the first being Colorado’s offense’s inability to sustain drives. Colorado ran just 23 first half plays, compared to Georgia Tech’s 42. This transitions us into the Buffs’ second fault, which was their inability to get their defense off the field. The Yellow Jackets racked up and sustained three straight drives with 9 or more plays and scored on all of which, following their three straight turnovers to start the game. Based on this, Colorado’s second half blueprint was crystal clear: they’ll need to sustain drives offensively, and get off the field in a timely manner defensively. Seems simple enough, right?

Score at halftime:

Colorado – 10

Georgia Tech – 13

Second Half:

The Buffs’ offense was able to put together a sustained drive to start the second half, which is exactly what they needed. CU got some help too, as Georgia Tech gifted them two separate 15 yard penalties. Salter was able to take the Buffs all the way to the Yellow Jackets’ five-yard line, an untimely third down sack put the nail in their coffin and led to a 29-yard Alejandro Mata field goal to tie the game at 13 points. While this drive wasn’t ultimately capped off with a touchdown, it was nice to see the Buffs mount their longest drive of the game at eight plays.

The Georgia Tech run game continued to march down the field, and the Yellow Jackets were able to cap off an eleven play drive with a touchdown in the third quarter. 

On the very next drive, the Buffs mounted one of their best drives in recent memory, which came as a six minute, 15 play, 75-yard sequence. The running game was proving to be effective, Salter was getting his tight ends involved, and CU’s quarterback would eventually take it in himself to tie the game up at 20.

In crunchtime, Colorado desperately needed to find a way to stop King, as Georgia Tech possessed the ball around midfield with less than two minutes to play. Instead, King shook off multiple Buffs to take a 45-yard run to the house, sticking a dagger in the heart of Buffs fans.

CU had 1:07 and two timeouts to mount a comeback, but it fell short. Salter was able to get Colorado to midfield with around 8 seconds left, but his hail mary fell short and Colorado’s season officially started 0-1. Those two aforementioned timeouts were never called.

Defensively, the Buffs weren’t able to make the right adjustments to get off the field all game, and following a similar narrative to the losses Colorado suffered last year from a defensive standpoint. The defense simply couldn’t stop the run, as the Yellow Jackets rushed for 320 yards on the ground, with 156 yards and three touchdowns coming from their quarterback. The Buffs know that they won’t win many games with those stats, so expect changes in the run defense as soon as next week.

Final Score:

Colorado – 20

Georgia Tech – 27

Players of the game:

• DJ McKinney: McKinney was one of the most highly touted players for the Buffs heading into this season, and he didn’t waste any time to get back in the swing of things. McKinney nabbed an interception in the first quarter, and continued to play excellent coverage the rest of the game. McKinney may be our most important defensive player this season, so a strong showing from him in week one should give Buffs fans something to be excited about.

• Martavius French: What better way to make your Buffs debut than with two fumble recoveries, and in the first quarter alone? French had a nose for the football and tallied six total tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss to go along with those fumble recoveries. You can’t expect much more from a guy making his debut in a new system with a new team.

• Reginald Hughes: Another defensive transfer linebacker who made a big impact on this game. Hughes racked up eleven tackles on the day and was an absolute force in the run game. The Buffs may have a new hard-hitting enforcer at linebacker.

Outlook:

Despite the loss today, Buffs fans have a lot to look forward to with this team. We saw a defense that looked to be flying around the ball and playing with a lot of energy, a mobile quarterback who could use his legs to create opportunities for the passing and running game both, and playmakers doing their thing on both sides of the ball. Finally and most importantly, we saw a team that hung with a good football team and forced a game all the way down to the wire. They were able to get their jitters out and iron out some kinks against a top-tier ACC squad before conference play, which honestly isn’t that bad of a thing. Don’t get us wrong, it’s a shame we lost, but it’s not the end of the world.

Looking forward to next week, the Buffs will have a much easier match-up at home against an FBS newcomer in Delaware. That game will kick-off next Saturday at 1:30 P.M. and CU will be looking to grab their first win. Be sure to tune in, and as always, Sko Buffs.