What Julian Lewis' Latest Honors Say About Breakout Performance

One of the brightest stars to shine in the Colorado Buffaloes’ blowout Week 2 win over the Weber State Wildcats was redshirt freshman quarterback Julian Lewis. He threw for a career-best 366 yards and four touchdowns on 17-of-23 passing, with an additional touchdown on the ground.

Lewis’ breakout performance was a major rebound from his disappointing Week 1 showing against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. He earned Big 12 Freshman of the Week for his efforts, the first time he’s brought home the award in his career.

Julian Lewis’ award-winning performance

colorado buffaloes quarterback julian lewis cu buffs football deion sanders coach prime big 12 freshman of the week ncaa cfb — Sept. 12, 2026; Boulder, Colorado, USA: Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Julian Lewis (10) is lifted by offensive lineman Chauncey Gooden (51) after Lewis' touchdown run during the second quarter against the Weber State Wildcats at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Buffaloes took a new approach against the Wildcats, given that Weber State hails from the FCS level. While coach Deion Sanders and company weren’t overlooking this game by any means, they knew it should provide them opportunities to run the ‘Go-Go’ offense how they chose given the weak defense they were facing.

They elected to make a conscious effort to involve Lewis more heavily than in Week 1. It served as a chance to boost his confidence and see the potential of offensive coordinator Brennan Marion’s passing attack.

“Yes, he was [intentionally given more opportunities], and we accomplished that goal,” Sanders said postgame.

While Lewis threw the ball more times in Week 1 (27 pass attempts), he was subbed out before the end of the third quarter against Weber State. Had he been given the entire game, he certainly would’ve eclipsed that number.

What Julian Lewis had to rebound from

colorado buffaloes quarterback julian lewis week 1 georgia tech yellow jackets ncaa big 12 cu buffs football deion sanders qb — Sep 3, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Julian Lewis (10) during the first half against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The other key difference in Lewis’ Week 2 performance was the context in which he was airing out the ball.

In Week 1, Lewis was forced to pass on account of Colorado trailing for most of the game. That was despite a clear lack of confidence generated by a hostile road environment and dense humidity, which caused him to bobble a number of snaps.

While Lewis eventually got on track and led Colorado on a last-minute go-ahead touchdown drive, the majority of the game was sloppy at best for him.

The fact that he was able to fire the ball with confidence in front of a home crowd and do so without trailing at any point allowed him to play free and put up award-winning numbers.

Julian Lewis’ elite pass-catchers

colorado buffaloes wide receiver joseph williams julian lewis week 2 weber state wildcats big 12 freshman of the week ncaa qb — Sep 12, 2026; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Joseph Williams (8) reacts following his touchdown in the second quarter against the Weber State Wildcats at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

But Lewis couldn’t have done it without his elite pass-catching group on Saturday. The Buffaloes involved 11 different players in the receiving game for a total of 398 receiving yards and four touchdowns.

Lewis had two favorite targets in Texas Longhorns transfer DeAndre Moore Jr. and returning contested-catch artist Joseph Williams.

Moore racked up 107 yards and a touchdown on four catches just a week removed from leading the team in receiving yards against Georgia Tech. As for Williams, he was Lewis’ go-to target, leading the Buffs with 123 yards and two touchdowns on four catches.

Williams earned Big 12 Team of the Week honors for his performance, and Lewis commended him for it postgame.

“My brother ‘Eight-ball,’ he’s truly a specimen out there,” Lewis said postgame. “I think Jo’s size really helps our wide receiver room because we have a lot of smaller guys. So people have to really worry about that deep game. He makes people have to back up, and that’s all you can ask for.”

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