# A fumble, tears, and a team-high day

> Damian Henderson II nearly lost the ball in the first quarter. What he did next told his coach everything.
- Title: A fumble, tears, and a team-high day | Shortify
- Summary: Damian Henderson II nearly lost the ball in the first quarter. What he did next told his coach everything. How a player reacts to a mistake tells a coach…
- Keywords: college football, colorado buffaloes, running backs, coaching, week 1, sports, fumble, tears, team-high, day, Colorado Buffaloes On SI
- Source: Colorado Buffaloes On SI — https://si.com/college/colorado/football/damian-henderson-ii-reaction-georgia-tech-blunder-bodes-well
- Published: 2026-09-12T15:30:00+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: college football, colorado buffaloes, running backs, coaching, week 1, sports
## He led the Buffs on the ground
In Colorado's win over Georgia Tech, Damian Henderson II finished with the team high in rushing yards. That production was central to the result.
## It started with a loose ball
In the first quarter, Henderson appeared to fumble. A defender came from nowhere, got underneath the ball and stripped it clean.
## The ruling saved him
Officials decided his forward progress had already stopped before the strip, so Colorado kept possession. The call went the Buffs' way.
## He took it personally anyway
The ruling let him off the hook, but Henderson refused to let himself off. He carried the moment into the rest of the game as fuel.
## In tears on the sideline
Running backs coach Johnnie Mack watched Henderson wait for the ruling and saw exactly how much it was costing him.

> Like he was in tears on the sideline, so I knew that meant something to him.
## A senior with everything riding
This is Henderson's final college season, with his football future tied to how it goes. Opening the year with a fumble is about the worst start a back can have.
## Mack is still mad
Days later, at his Wednesday press conference, the coach did not want the play brought up. Ball security is the whole job at that position.

> Don't even remind me of that, because I'm still mad about the ball being on the ground.
## No excuses, not even humidity
Mack's standard is flat. Atlanta was sticky, Henderson had two hands on it, and none of that changes what was supposed to happen.

> No excuses for humidity or anything. The ball is the ball. Protect it.
## He has played the position
Mack was a player himself, so he knows what runs through a back's head after a strip. He could be furious about the ball and still understand the kid holding it.
## Put him back in there
The reaction is what earned the next carry. Mack's read was that a player who hurts that much over a mistake is the one you trust again immediately.

> He felt like he hurt the team, and those types of guys, man, you put them back in there.
## Play next play
That is the phrase the room lives on. Sending Henderson straight back out was the fastest way to get him past it.

> We always say play next play.
## He finished strong
After the early scare, Henderson closed the game as Colorado's most productive runner. The staff kept riding him and got paid back for it.
## Weber State is next
Week 2 gives Henderson a chance to build on that finish. The way he handled adversity in Atlanta is the reason his coaches expect more of it.
## Key takeaway

How a player reacts to a mistake tells a coach more than the mistake itself does.