Brennan Marion Drawing From Historic Upset Experience Before Georgia Tech

As Colorado prepares for its 2026 season opener against Georgia Tech, the Buffaloes’ new offensive coordinator Brennan Marion is taking pieces of his time with Howard University to prepare for the team’s Sept. 3 season opener.

Marion was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Howard in 2017 when the Bison pulled off one of the greatest upsets in college football ever. Howard defeated UNLV 43-40 as a 45-point underdog which became the largest point-spread upset in college football history and Marion intends on coming into the matchup against Georgia Tech with that same grit and motivation.

Colorado Buffaloes Football Boulder Brennan Marion Go-Go Offense Offensive Coordinator Georgia Tech Season Opener — Sacramento State Hornets head coach Brennan Marion listens to one of the assistant coaches yell at players on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2025, at Dana J. Dykhouse Stadium in Brookings, South Dakota. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Colorado OC Brennan Marion says he’s taken a similar approach to Georgia Tech as he did with Howard going against UNLV when he helped pull off one of the biggest CFB upsets ever.

“To stalk your opponent, to know everything about them and every call they’ve ever made.”
— Jake Schwanitz (@JakeDNVR) August 27, 2026

Brennan Marion Preparing for Season Opener

The circumstances surrounding Colorado’s matchup with Georgia Tech are different from Howard’s game against UNLV. However, the mindset behind offensive coordinator Brennan Marion’s preparation remains the same.

Howard entered its matchup with UNLV as a massive underdog and Marion’s offense helped the Bison’s keep pace in a shootout ultimately leaving the field with a 43-40 victory. That score resulted in an immediate piece of college football history.

That very experience gave Marion an early example of what can happen when a team fully commits to its preparation and truly believes it can exploit an opponent’s weaknesses. Now with the Buffaloes, Marion is bringing that same mentality to Colorado.

He provided some insight on what goes into the preparation for the game:

"To stalk your opponent, to know everything about them and every call they’ve ever made.”

The Buffaloes will travel to Atlanta for their season opener against this Georgia Tech team that presents a difficult challenge. The Yellow Jackets are expected to rely heavily on their running game, quarterback Alberto Mendoza’s ability to make plays with his legs and an offense built around both motion and misdirection.

That makes preparation particularly important for Colorado’s defense.

Colorado Can Benefit From Marion’s Unique Offensive Strategy

Interestingly enough, Marion’s Go-Go offense may be helping Colorado prepare for Georgia Tech even beyond what he brings as an offensive coordinator.

Colorado’s defense has spent the offseason practicing against Marion’s unconventional system that features incredible speed, multiple players in the backfield and a constant threat from the quarterback in the run game. These looks can force defenders to account for several possibilities on every play.

Marion’s coaching career has taken him from Howard to William & Mary, Hawaii, Pittsburgh, Texas, UNLV and Sacramento State before arriving at Colorado. His success at UNLV in particular showed what his offensive system could accomplish as the Rebels went 19-8 during his two-year stint as offensive coordinator.

Now in Boulder, he has the opportunity to use everything he has learned throughout his career to help Colorado start the 2026 season on the right foot. Due to his time with other programs, Marion was able to play a key role in getting wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. to Colorado. An obvious benefit of knowing him previously is knowing what kind of player he is and Moore’s familiarity with the Go-Go offense will only be a major positive for the Buffaloes.

Colorado coach Deion Sanders is looking to rebound from a 3-9 season that Marion can be a huge asset of. A victory over Georgia Tech would immediately provide momentum for both the program and Marion himself as a new addition to Coach Prime’s coaching staff.

The new offensive coordinator has already shown that he understands how to prepare an underdog for a great challenge.

On Sept. 3 Colorado will find out if that experience can help to produce a memorable upset and if not, simply a win for the Buffaloes.

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