The ACC split a pair of non-conference games Thursday night, as Georgia Tech and Wake Forest kicked off Week 1 of the ACC’s football season.
The Demon Deacons took down Akron at home, while the Yellow Jackets were stunned by Colorado in a last-second defeat.
Colorado 14, Georgia Tech 13
In his return home to the Atlanta area, Colorado quarterback Julian Lewis hit tight end Charlie Williams for a 20-yard touchdown with 37 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, lifting the Buffaloes to a last-minute 14-13 win against Georgia Tech in the season opener for both teams Thursday at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta.
Georgia Tech looked like it might pull off the improbable when quarterback Alberto Mendoza, in his Yellow Jackets debut, found receiver Dalen Penson for a 42-yard gain, putting the Yellow Jackets in field goal range. But Boo Carter blocked Aidan Birr’s 45-yard attempt on the last play of the game, as the Buffaloes stormed the field.
Though a tough night for Lewis for much of the game, it all came together for the freshman in the final two drives. The former 5-star freshman, took 9:07 off the clock with a 17-play, 61-yard drive that ended with a blocked field goal from 6-foot-9 Georgia Tech tight end Kevin Roche Jr.
Georgia Tech responded with a field goal scoring drive to take a 13-7 lead with 1:40 to go, but with newfound confidence, Lewis led a clutch two-minute drive for the win. A drive in which he completed 5 of 7 passes for 55 yards, including his 20-yard TD pass to Williams.
The pass was a well-placed ball that just got over the reaching arm of linebacker Kyle Efford.
Lewis finished the night 14-of-27 for 124 yards and a touchdown. Running back Micah Welch put the Buffaloes on the board with a 5-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter, giving Colorado a short-lived 7-0 lead.
Georgia Tech responded 14 seconds later as Rahkeem Smith returned a kick 100 yards for a touchdown and tied the game. It was Smith’s first touch as a Yellow Jacket and the program’s first kick returned for a touchdown since Jahmyr Gibbs’ return against Boston College in 2021.
Mendoza finished the night 17-of-23 for 237 yards.
Tech will host Tennessee on Sept. 12 in an ACC vs. SEC matchup.
Wake Forest 38, Akron 16
Gio Lopez threw for 350 yards and three touchdowns in his Wake Forest debut, helping the Demon Deacons beat Akron 38-16 in Thursday season opener at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Lopez, who played at North Carolina last year, completed 17-of-25 passes for 313 yards and all three of his scores by halftime, including hitting Louisville transfer Antonio Meeks deep over the middle for a 72-yard TD. He followed with a quick throw to returnee Carlos Hernandez, who shrugged off a tackle then broke loose up the left sideline for a 78-yard score and a 28-0 second-quarter lead.
Wake Forest’s new quarterback had a 34-yard pass to Hernandez on the opening drive before capping it with a 27-yard TD to Kam Shanks.
Hernandez caught five passes for 165 yards, while Ty Clark III ran for 105 yards on seven carries, as the Demon Deacons racked up 559 total yards.
Redshirt freshman Cibastian Broughton threw for 111 yards and ran for 82 more to lead the Zips, who got on the board with Matthew Schramm’s 28-yard field goal shortly before halftime. Backup quarterback Brayden Roggow had two short TD throws late to make the score seem closer than it appeared.
Wake Forest will visit Purdue next Saturday (Sept. 12) in an ACC vs. Big Ten showdown.
–story briefs courtesy of the ACC / photo courtesy of Georgia Tech Athletics