The post Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders era did not get off to the type of start Deion Sanders and his Colorado Buffaloes hoped.
Although quarterback Kaidon Salter was able to lead the Buffaloes on a later drive to tie their season-opening matchup with Georgia Tech at 20 with just 8:25 to play, Yellow Jackets’ quarterback Haynes King’s 45-yard touchdown scamper with just 1:08 to play broke the tie and gave the Yellow Jackets a 27-20 victory.
During the game, many expected a few packages or at least a couple of plays for highly touted freshman quarterback Julian ‘Juju’ Lewis.
That, however, did not come to fruition as the Buffaloes were in a tight game throughout and Sanders relied on Salter’s experience rather than throwing Lewis into a very difficult situation for the first time in his career.
How Much Will Julian Lewis Play on Saturday?
One of the reasons Sanders has gone with Salter over Lewis is that Liberty transfer is his extensive experience and his production throughout his career.
“I don’t have to really sit down and say, ‘Kaidon, you should have ran right there,’” Sanders explained. “You don’t think he knows that? I’m pretty sure the internet has told him. I don’t have to babysit. These are some grown men getting handsomely paid. I’m pretty sure they understand what the objective is.”
The Buffaloes will look to rebound from that tough loss when they get back on the field Saturday against the Delaware Blue Hens. Although this isn’t a marquee matchup like last week’s primetime showdown with the Yellow Jackets, there are still plenty of storylines heading into this game (including the results of a bet between alumni of each school), but the potential of Lewis seeing the field is perhaps the most intriguing.
According to Uncle Neely, host of the Pregame Show, Salter is expected to start once again but it is assumed Lewis will finally get to see the field during the game Saturday.
“I assume when you get the data at the end of [the game] that Juju will have played more minutes than Salter plays” 👀
– Uncle Neely on the amount each QB will play tomorrow against Delaware pic.twitter.com/dRulquncNR
— DNVR Buffs (@DNVR_Buffs) September 5, 2025
“I assume when you get the data at the end of [the game] that Juju will have played more minutes or snaps than Salter plays,” Neely said. “Luke Juju is going to play more of the game than Salter plays.”
Lewis was arguably the biggest recruiting victory for Sanders since he was able to convince Hunter, the No. 1 overall recruiting in the class of 2022, to join him at Jackson State before eventually following Coach Prime to Colorado. Lewis was ranked as the sixth-best quarterback and 50th-best overall prospect in the class of 2025 according to 247’s composite rankings. They had to beat out several heavyweights as Lewis made visits to schools like Georgia, Ohio State and Auburn and was a long-time Southern Cal commit.
Despite any controversy surrounding their opening loss or their use of Lewis, Sanders believes the Buffaloes will “be fine.”
We’ll begin to find out if that’s true when they take on the Blue Hens on Saturday.
