Three Unsung Heroes of Colorado's Miraculous Win Over Georgia Tech

The Colorado Buffaloes’ miraculous win over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets saw the game’s last-minute heroes get their flowers at length in the aftermath. While the likes of quarterback Julian Lewis and cornerback Boo Carter’s performances were crucial, there were several unsung heroes who were just as vital.

From the trenches to special teams, Colorado had three underrated stars emerge against the Yellow Jackets. Here’s a look at those players and how their performances benefited the Buffs.

Punter Damon Greaves

Greaves received high praise from coach Deion Sanders throughout the offseason, and he showed fans why in his performance against Georgia Tech. Colorado’s offense struggled for a majority of the game, but his performance allowed it to control the field-position battle.

He booted six punts for an average of 40.8 yards per punt, and a total of 245 yards. He pinned the Yellow Jackets inside their own 20-yard line twice in the game, with his longest punt traveling 59 yards. That boot tied him for the 10th-longest punt at the FBS level of the opening weekend of college football.

Greaves has been Mr. Consistency for Colorado throughout the offseason. To represent how much trust Sanders has in him, he was the only player for Colorado to walk out for the coin toss to begin the game. In addition, Greaves was awarded the prestigious No. 21 jersey, which has only been worn previously by Shilo Sanders, Deion Sanders’ son, during the Coach Prime era.

Greaves proved Sanders right in the season opener, and his work in the field position battle was crucial to Colorado holding the Yellow Jackets to just 13 points.

Edge rusher Toby Anene

Defensive lineman Lamont Lester Jr. has received the majority of the attention for his three-sack performance, and rightfully so as he set the Yellow Jackets back a combined 22 yards. But it wouldn’t have been possible without the efforts of North Dakota State Bison transfer edge rusher Toby Anene.

colorado buffaloes defensive linemen toby anene and lamont lester jr. cu buffs football deion sanders coach prime ncaa week 1 — Sep 3, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Colorado Buffaloes defensive lineman Lamont Lester Jr. (56) reacts against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the first half at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Anene created pressure opposite Lester that set his teammate up for his three sacks. Anene recorded five total tackles, two of which were unassisted and one was for a two-yard loss. But the more important stat that people have overlooked is his team-high of two quarterback hurries.

Without Anene to serve up quarterback Alberto Mendoza on a platter, it’s unlikely that Lester would’ve found the success he did.

Cornerback Cree Thomas

In the secondary, Notre Dame Fighting Irish transfer redshirt freshman cornerback Cree Thomas handled his business all night. While Carter had the more eye-catching performance on the opposite side of the field, Thomas was solid throughout the night as well.

He flew to the football, recording six total tackles, with three being unassisted. His presence limited Georgia Tech’s ability to throw the ball deep on the boundary, forcing it to turn to jet sweeps, screen passes and deep crossers to generate its offense.

Eliminating that area of the field came up clutch at the end of the game, as Georgia Tech wasn’t able to work the boundary to advance to the end zone on its final drive. That is what forced the Yellow Jackets to settle for the field goal attempt that was blocked by Carter to seal the game.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google