BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — The clock struck midnight and Shedeur Sanders rolled to the left and let the football fly.
LaJohntay Wester caught the ball in the endzone, causing chaos in Boulder on a rainy, stormy night that will be remembered for a long time by coach Deion Sanders and the rest of the Colorado football team.
The connection between Sanders and Wester forced Saturday’s match into overtime, after which Travis Hunter enhanced his Heisman resume by forcing a fumble from Baylor on the goal line to help the Buffs somehow beat the Bears 38-31 in their wild return to the Big 12.
Even that wasn’t the end. Thousands of excited and soaked fans stormed the field after the ball rolled out of the end zone. Officials had to review the play to see if Baylor running back Dominic Richardson had crossed the goal line before the ball popped out.
As the PA announcer herded the fans off the field, the officials finally made it official. It was a fumble. And CU was the winner.
“Awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome win,” Deion Sanders said. “These young men were resilient. They never gave up, never surrendered.”
Micah Welch’s short dive in overtime gave the Buffaloes their first lead since the first quarter. Then Baylor got the ball and marched to the CU 2. Shortly after Hunter’s play, fans rushed the field, lowering the goalpost on the far side before officials confirmed the call.
“I knew they were coming at me,” Hunter said of the final play. “They didn’t think I could tackle, so I had to show them.”
The last-ditch effort for the Buffaloes (3-1, 1-0 Big 12) comes three days before the 30th anniversary of the “Miracle at Michigan,” when they beat the Wolverines on Kordell Stewart’s 64-yard Hail Mary to Michael Westbrook. Saturday night’s Fox broadcast showed the 1994 play just seconds before Sanders connected with Wester.
When asked where this game ranked, Deion Sanders simply replied, “I don’t rank games. I just like the Ws. Whatever. I like them.”
Baylor made several key plays, including Jamaal Bell going untouched for a 100-yard kickoff return in the second quarter and shortly thereafter Sawyer Robertson running free for a 45-yard TD on fourth-and-1 to put Baylor up by 14 points.
After the Buffaloes tied the game in the third quarter, Hal Presley made a one-handed grab for a 24-yard touchdown with 5:43 left to put Baylor (2-2, 0-1) back in front. The Bears had a chance to seal the win, but Isaiah Hankins’ 45-yard field goal attempt went wide to the right.
It set the stage for one of the most memorable victories in Buffs history, and one of the most crushing losses for the Bears.
“Heartbreaking loss,” Baylor coach Dave Aranda said. “I’ve never really been a part of anything like that, especially until the last play of overtime. … Very tough to process. The team is very depleted and frustrated right now. We’re probably going to be sore all the way back to Waco.”
Sanders was constantly on the move, throwing for 341 yards and two scores. He also ran for a score and was sacked eight times. Hunter finished with seven catches for 130 yards, while also making three tackles on defense. His play on both sides of the ball has put him in the Heisman conversation.
This should only strengthen his case.
“T said to me, ‘I’m going to get a pick,'” Shedeur Sanders said of his conversation with Hunter before the Buffs went on defense in overtime. “I said, ‘Make sure you do that.’ He went out there and made a great play. That’s what T does.”
Miller’s first catch of the season is a beauty
Omarion Miller made the most of his first catch of the season, catching a deep pass from Sanders and bouncing away from a tackle — all while keeping his knee off the turf. Miller’s 58-yard TD was upheld on review, putting Colorado up 24-17 at the break.
Failed handshake
In the sea of fans, Deion Sanders couldn’t find Aranda on the court after the game. So he went by the Baylor locker room, but didn’t run into Aranda.
He apologized for missing the handshake.
Speaking about the fans’ renewed love for CU football, he said, “I don’t like what happened at the end of the game, but I love what happened at the end of the game.”
The takeaway meal
Baylor: Adjusting the late-game defense Just before Wester’s Hail Mary catch, Will Sheppard got past the Baylor secondary and nearly caught a pass that could have tied the game.
Colorado: The special teams struggled. Not only did Bell return a 100-yard kickoff, the Bears also had a 54-yard punt return. “Special teams was terrible,” Deion Sanders said.
Next
Baylor: Hosts BYU on Saturday.
Colorado: Saturday in Central Florida.
