Prime Got a Blocked Kick. Rutgers Wrote a Check.
Welcome to Sideline Notes - the written side of Cheering from the Sidelines. Let’s recap what happened last night!
Prime Time Deion Sanders rolled into Atlanta like he was filming a documentary. Primetime. ESPN. The whole “Coach Prime is back in Georgia” energy. You would have thought Colorado was about to drop 45 and leave Bobby Dodd looking like a practice field.
They won 14–13.
That is not a statement. That is a blocked field goal and a prayer.
Colorado trailed 13–7 late. Freshman QB Julian Lewis — who spent most of the night looking for the light switch — finally hit Charlie Williams from 20 yards with 37 seconds left. Georgia Tech ripped a 42-yard bomb and lined up Aidan Birr for the walk-off. Boo Carter stuffed it. Buffs storm the field. Deion does the Prime thing. Final score still looks like a high school scrimmage that got out of hand.
Sloppy offense for 58 minutes. Defense showed up. Special teams decided it. After 3–9 last year, Boulder can celebrate. We can laugh. The Prime Show sold the moment in Georgia and left with one point and a blocked kick. That’s not “we’ve arrived.” That’s “we survived.”
And yes — we are still a little bitter. Deion is FSU royalty. Neon Deion. The swagger started in Tallahassee. Watching him turn Thursday into a brand tour while Seminole fans wait on real football is a choice. Winning ugly in Atlanta does not make us clap. It makes us say, “Okay, Coach. That’s your primetime?”
Quick other note: Rutgers cut UMass a $1.55 million check to come get smoked as a 30-point favorite. UMass took the money, won 37–21, snapped a 16-game losing streak, and still got a fireworks show on the way out. That’s not a guarantee game. That’s Rutgers paying for their own humiliation. Pop Watson threw three scores. Rutgers turned it over like they were trying to lose on purpose. Colorado’s night was loud. This one was actually embarrassing.
That’s the Thursday tape from both of us. One Hollywood ending that wasn’t, one paid-for disaster in New Jersey.
Go Noles. Somebody tell Prime 14–13 is not a merch drop