BOULDER, CO — Julian Lewis needed only one half to turn Colorado’s home opener into a showcase.
Lewis threw four first-half touchdown passes and ran for another Saturday as Colorado overwhelmed Weber State 52-21 at Folsom Field, moving the Buffaloes to 2-0 for the second time under coach Deion Sanders.
The redshirt freshman completed 17 of 23 passes for a career-high 366 yards before spending most of the second half on the sideline. Lewis threw for a school-record 212 yards in the first quarter and became the first Colorado quarterback to throw four touchdown passes in an opening half.
Colorado wasted little time establishing control. On the Buffaloes’ first offensive snap, Lewis connected with DeAndre Moore Jr. for a 66-yard touchdown. Two plays into Colorado’s next possession, Lewis found Joseph Williams for a 63-yard score and a 14-0 advantage.
Lewis later added touchdown passes of 48 yards to Ernest Campbell and 32 yards to Williams before scoring on a 3-yard run late in the second quarter. Colorado carried a commanding 42-14 lead into halftime.
“That’s cool, having the first-half record,” Lewis said. “But we were just trying to win the game.”
The Buffaloes showed balance beyond Lewis’ big afternoon. Micah Welch rushed for 106 yards, including a 55-yard touchdown, becoming Colorado’s first 100-yard rusher of the Sanders era. Williams finished with 123 receiving yards and two touchdowns, while Moore added 107 receiving yards.
Colorado piled up 578 total yards, including 398 through the air, as the Buffaloes consistently created explosive plays against the Weber State defense.
Weber State managed several big plays of its own, but the Wildcats never seriously threatened after Colorado’s first-half surge. Nate Dahle threw for 244 yards and three touchdowns, while the Buffaloes’ defense forced two turnovers.
Despite the comfortable margin, Sanders made it clear afterward that Colorado’s standards extend beyond the scoreboard. The Buffaloes were penalized 13 times and had several mistakes after building their large advantage.
“I am ecstatic about the win, but my expectations far exceed our productivity of the day,” Sanders said.
Colorado will take its unbeaten record back on the road Saturday against Northwestern in Evanston, Illinois, with the Buffaloes looking to build on an explosive offensive performance while cleaning up the mistakes that kept Sanders from being completely satisfied.