Colorado plagued by struggles on both sides of the ball, drop season opener to Georgia Tech

A lot of questions were answered for the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field on a rainy Friday night as they fell to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, 27-20.

Pat Shurmur did not call a great game on offense while the defense struggled to stop the run. The Buffs ran the ball well, but the passing attack was abysmal all night long outside of a handful of plays. The clock management issues from the first two seasons of the Prime era were also still around.

“That’s a tough one. Especially getting three turnovers and not coming out plentiful for that. That’s not good. We have to be more explosive, more definitive, more decisive than what we’re doing with the ball on offense,” Coach Prime said after the game.

The Buffs game out of the gates hot, as a touchback on the opening kickoff followed by a fumble by Georgia Tech on the second play from scrimmage was a start Prime could have only dreamed of. The momentum was fully in favor of the Buffs just 30 seconds into the contest.

With more than 52,000 people at Folsom Field cheering as loud as possible, the new-look Buffs went 36 yards in five plays to find the end zone. Kaidon Salter was flushed out of the pocket, but showed great poise as he rolled to his right and found DeKalon Taylor in the end zone.

In the blink of an eye, it was 7-0 Colorado.

Salter ➡️ Taylor for the first TD of the season!@07ksalt x @Trackhawk_DT

📺: ESPN pic.twitter.com/UW7D3t9io7

— Colorado Buffaloes Football (@CUBuffsFootball) August 30, 2025

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Georgia Tech coughed up the ball on their ensuing drive, their second of three first quarter turnovers. However, the short-lived magic on offense had run its course for the black and gold. Over the next three drives, Colorado gained just 32 yards on 11 plays. Pat Shurmur stopped running the football after his offense had success doing so early, and all momentum was killed.

On the other side, the Yellow Jackets found their stride behind a heavy ground attack led by quarterback Haynes King and running back Jamal Haynes. The Buffs’ front seven had no answers for Georgia Tech’s potent rush attack all night, as they finished with 320 yards on the ground on 47 carries. Friday’s defensive effort from Colorado was very similar to what the Kansas game looked like last year — a defense with no answer no matter what they tried to pull out of the hat.

Prime said the Buffs tried to do many different tactics defensively, but none were able to hold the Georgia Tech offense as they ran for 320 yards

— Trent Finnegan (@trent_finnegan2) August 30, 2025

At the half, Georgia Tech was up 13-10 after perfectly executing a two-minute drill to put Aidan Birr in field goal range.

The second half saw more grit and grind football, as both teams primarily moved the ball via short passes and runs. Alejandro Mata nailed his second field goal of the season of the night midway through the third quarter to even the game at 13, but Georgia Tech immediately answered with a touchdown drive that was capped off by an elusive run by King.

The Buffs had an answer, and punched right back with their own quarterback rush attack, as Kaidon Salter found the end zone to even the game at 20. Mata had his extra point blocked, but it still managed to sneak above the cross bar.

Salter takes it to the 🏠@07ksalt x #GoBuffs

📺: ESPN pic.twitter.com/vp6RqQhxuj

— Colorado Buffaloes Football (@CUBuffsFootball) August 30, 2025

That drive lit another fire in a Folsom Field crowd that had lost its mojo midway through the game, and they let King and the Yellow Jackets offense hear it all throughout the ensuing drive. A pair of pre snap penalties forced King into a 3rd and 18 situation, and he missed a wide open target down the field that would’ve given them a first down in field goal range.

Salter and the offense couldn’t muster up anything with their next chance, and King got one more crack at it. Tie game, three minutes left, 62 yards to go. They faced a third and two at midfield coming out of the two minute timeout, the biggest play of Friday contest, and they went to the bread and butter, another run off tackle with King for a first down. Two plays later, King burst free for a 45-yard touchdown scamper that put his squad up seven points with 67 seconds to go in the ballgame.

King finished the ballgame with 156 yards on the ground on 19 carries.

Heading into the final drive, Salter was 14-for-23 with 139 yards and a touchdown, and a swing route for a loss immediately put them behind the sticks. Poor clock management resulted in too much time being burned off the clock, and the Buffs were hoping for another Hail Mary miracle from the 50-yard line with three seconds left.

Unlike last year’s Baylor game, their prayer at the buzzer was not answered, and Georgia Tech walked away victorious.

The best asset for the Buffs this season was supposed to be the depth of the receiving core. The receivers as a whole combined for 10 catches, and no receiver had more than two receptions. Much of the pass game was centered around the running backs despite having talents such as Omarion Miller and Joseph Williams on the outside. Miller only had one catch on the night, a 39-yarder up the sideline before halftime that showed his ability to make big plays. The Buffs didn’t revisit him again all night.

“We gonna get that right,” Coach Prime said about getting the receivers more touches in future games.

Both sides of the ball were a struggle. The pass game was lackluster, and the rushing defense was abysmal. The Buffs have an easy opponent next week to iron out those wrinkles, but this is a loss that will be one that they wish they had back later in the year.

Colorado now looks to rebound when Delaware comes to town next Saturday. Kick from Folsom Field is set for 1:30 p.m. MDT.