What Colorado Quarterback Julian Lewis Said After Impressing In First College Start

Despite a rough showing from the Colorado Buffaloes' shorthanded offensive line, true freshman quarterback Julian "JuJu" Lewis impressed in his first college start on Saturday against the West Virginia Mountaineers.

The former five-star prospect showed great poise in the pocket and was able to navigate out of several pressures, finishing the day with 299 passing yards and two touchdowns. However, the 29-22 loss soured Lewis' strong starting debut, as the now-3-7 Buffs fell out of bowl contention.

Lewis spoke with the media in Morgantown following his first career start (h/t BuffsTV);

Momentum After Slow First Quarter

What Colorado Quarterback Julian Lewis Said Impressing College Start Buffaloes West Virginia Mountaineers Freshman Football — Nov 8, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Julian Lewis (10) warms up prior to their game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

"It felt good out there. The offense was dominating and executing on the run, pass. The O-line was blocking well up front. It was going exactly how I expected and wanted it to."

First Start Emotions

"It felt amazing playing football again, realistically, as a starter. But, of course, it hurts to lose. We got to play better next week and go out there and execute."

Support For Offensive Line Play

"We knew they (West Virginia) were going to send pressure on a freshman quarterback and all that stuff. I got to get the ball out faster. The O-line did all they could and protected up front and gave me some time back there. That's why I had 299 (passing yards) or whatever I had. The O-line did their thing, I just didn't execute the throws... Guys stepped up this week that didn't expect to play. I'm just grateful that they did their thing, and I just got to do better next time."

On Preparation For Start

"Realistically, I didn't know if it was going to come anytime this season, so I just looked at it as a blessing and an opportunity to take advantage of my opportunity. The loss hurts and sucks, but like I said, we'll come out and get to the next week."

Colorado Still Fighting

"The past couple of beatdowns we've had, it looked like we'd given up and having not want it as bad. But I think you could tell how bad we wanted this one. This is going to hurt on the way home, of course, but we'll recoup, regather, and get ready for the next week."

Reflecting On Freshman Season

"It's been a blessing. Coach Prime is a great mentor. Coach (offensive coordinator Pat) Shurmur is a great mentor. It's a lot of very knowledgeable guys around with great football knowledge, so I'm trying to soak up as much as I could on the sideline, even from K-Salt (Kaidon Salter) and his experience and (Ryan) Staub from his experience."

Chemistry With Omarion Miller, Other Wide Receivers

"Definitely, and same thing with Joseph (Williams) and Sincere (Brown) and all those guys out there. Those extra reps after practice are so important. I was the third-string last week, so I wasn't getting as many reps with those guys. But after practice every day this week, we were getting those extra reps we needed so we can get that chemistry."

On Settling In

"I settled down a little bit. I'm not going to say I was frantic or frightened or anything like that coming in, but, of course, it was those natural nerves coming into football. Being able to use my legs and things like that to extend plays and get the offense accelerated, I did what I had to do."

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Trust In Colorado's Offensive Line

"The offensive line held up for a long time. I just got to sit back there and make the throws. Sometimes, I escaped too early and getting frantic and stuff like that. I just try to regather and come back next week and sit in that pocket."

Looking Ahead

"It's a blessing having this off week to sit around. I'm not going home or anything like that. I'm gonna sit in the facility, watch film, try to grow and get better. I'll try to keep all the receivers back out there so we can keep building that connection and get ready for next year."