In his first game without his sons, Shedeur and Shilo Sanders, or Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, Colorado head coach Deion Sanders had to find new playmakers. On Friday night against Georgia Tech, one of them emerged: running back Micah Welch.
Though the Buffaloes dropped their season opener 27-20 at Folsom Field, Sanders came away encouraged by what he saw from the ground attack. “Good,” Sanders said of the rushing performance. “I think we should capitalize on a few more and understand the backs we have are pretty darn good backs. Probably the highest [total] we’ve had in the last few years.”
Welch opened the second half with three straight runs, including a 22-yard burst, setting the tone for what looked like a more physical Colorado offense. He finished with eight carries for 65 yards, averaging over eight yards per attempt. His production gave the Buffaloes a balanced option to complement new quarterback Kaidon Salter, who added 43 rushing yards to go with 159 passing yards and two total touchdowns.
Colorado falls to Georgia Tech in the season opener
It was far from a flawless debut for Sanders’ revamped roster. Colorado failed to fully capitalize on three Georgia Tech turnovers in the first quarter, turning them into only one touchdown. Later, in the final minute, poor clock management on the last drive prevented the Buffs from even getting a shot at the end zone. Sanders defended the decision not to use his two remaining timeouts, but ESPN analyst Dusty Dvoracek called the sequence “really poor clock management.”
Despite those issues, the running game stood out. The Buffs averaged 5.6 yards per carry as a team, with Welch leading the way. For a program that has struggled to consistently generate push up front under Sanders, Friday’s showing was a notable improvement.
“I just wanted to be me and trust the line,” Welch said afterward. His ability to gain chunk yards kept drives alive, including a sequence that set up Alejandro Mata’s 29-yard field goal in the third quarter to tie the game at 13.
Still, the Yellow Jackets had the last word. Quarterback Haynes King torched the Buffaloes defense for 156 rushing yards and three touchdowns, including a 45-yard score with just over a minute left to seal the win. Colorado’s defense, which forced three turnovers early, ultimately couldn’t stop the dual-threat quarterback when it mattered most.
That left Sanders pointing toward the positives, with Welch’s emergence near the top of the list. “We’ve got some dudes in that room,” Sanders said of his backs. “I like what I saw tonight.”
The Buffs will need more from Welch and the run game moving forward if they want to avoid falling into another slow start like last season. Next week, they play Delaware at home — a game where Colorado will look to turn encouraging signs into a complete performance.
