BOULDER — Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to LaJohntay Wester as regulation time expired Saturday to force overtime and the Buffaloes went on to defeat Baylor, 38-31, at Folsom Field.
Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders’ Buffs improved to 3-1 overall as they won their Big 12 opener. Baylor dropped to 2-2, 0-1.
The game will go down as an immediate classic in CU history.
The Buffs trailed 24-10 in the second quarter but cut the gap to 24-17 by halftime when Sanders connected with Omarion Miller on a 58-yard scoring pass. CU tied the game late in the third period before the Bears regained the lead, 31-24, midway through the fourth quarter.
The Buffs then escaped disaster when they were forced to punt from their own end zone and Baylor returned to the CU 26-yard line. The Buffs defense held and what would have likely been a game-clinching field goal for Baylor sailed wide right.
That kept Colorado within one score and Sanders — who endured eight sacks in the game — directed a magical 72-yard touchdown drive, completing the touchdown pass to Wester as time expired. Sanders rolled left on the play, stopped and set his feet just in time to get the pass off in front of a Baylor defender.
Wester sealed the play by diving to the turf and cradling the ball for the score.
“I knew I was going to get a lot of pressure,” Sanders said. “So I was like, ‘OK, cool. Let’s go ahead and roll.’ We put Travis (Hunter) backside because he’s going to get all that attention and LaJohntay was there on the outside. They’re not going to think we’re going to throw him the ball. So I roll left, everybody went in the middle of the end zone and I just trusted God. I just threw it up to God and God answered the prayer.”
But the big plays by the Buffs weren’t over.
CU scored first in overtime, methodically driving 25 yards in seven plays with Micah Welch carrying in from 1 yard out.
Baylor then appeared ready to tie the game on its possession — only to see Travis Hunter deliver a hit on Baylor running back Dominic Richardson at the goal line. The ball popped loose and bounced through the end zone to seal the win for Colorado.
CU fans rushed the field prematurely but an official review confirmed the ball came loose just before the goal line and the celebration ensued.
“Shedeur told me to go out there and get the ball,” Hunter said. “So I told him, ‘I got you,’ and I kept my word. I knew I had to tackle. I knew they were coming at me. They don’t think I could tackle, so I had to show them.”
Sanders finished 25-for-41 for 341 yards and two touchdowns while surviving the eight sacks in the process. Hunter finished with seven catches for 130 yards — his fifth straight 100-yard receiving game — while also recording three tackles and the game-clinching forced fumble in overtime.
Colorado outgained the Bears 432-313 and also survived 210 yards in returns by the Bears, including a 100-yard kick return for a touchdown.
CU finished with 91 yards rushing, led by Isaiah Augustave’s 41 yards on 12 carries. Welch finished with 22 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries.
“Great, great, great, great win,” Coach Prime said in his postgame press conference. “Young men were resilient. They never gave up. They never surrendered. The coaches were still inspired. I mean, all the way to the end, they were still calling and devising things … I don’t like how it played out, but I love the results. I think we’re so much better than what we’re showing you at times. We keep showing you glimpses of running game. We show you glimpses of us playing tough football defensively. We show you we can throw the ball all around, and then we just stall for a series or two and surrender something foolishly. But I’m pleased.”
HOW IT HAPPENED: Baylor used a 54-yard punt return to get in position for a field goal and 3-0 lead midway through the first quarter, but the Buffs had an answer.
Sanders guided Colorado on an 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to give CU a 7-3 edge. The CU quarterback completed six passes on the drive, including throws of 11 yards to Jimmy Horn Jr., 24 yards to Hunter on third down and 10 yards to Drelon Miller.
The Buffs then overcame a holding penalty that negated a touchdown and finally scored on a 2-yard Sanders run, CU’s first rushing touchdown of the year.
Baylor, though, answered with its first touchdown of the game. The Bears kept their possession alive with a 22-yard pass completion on third-and-13 before Sawyer Robertson threw a 30-yard scoring pass to Monaray Baldwin for a 10-7 BU lead.
Colorado then drove for a tying field goal. Sanders completed four passes on a 55-yard drive that stalled at the Baylor 25, leading to a 43-yard Alejandro Mata field goal that tied the game at 10-10.
But that led to CU’s second special team glitch of the game. On Colorado’s ensuing kickoff, Baylor’s Jamaal Bell took the kick in the end zone and raced 100 yards untouched to the end zone to give the Bears a 17-10 lead.
Baylor then pushed its lead to two touchdowns after a CU punt and 17-yard Bears return. On fourth-and-1, BU’s Robertston snaked to the left side, then raced 45 yards to the end zone for a 24-10 Bears lead.
But after both teams punted, the Buffs finally found the end zone again. Sanders was magnificent on the drive, avoiding at least two sacks on one play to run 15 yards for a first down, then avoiding another sack three plays later to connect with Omarion Miller. The CU sophomore made a nice catch, then managed to keep his knee off the turf, break a tackle and race to the end zone for a 58-yard touchdown.
That sent the Buffs into the break trailing by just one score, 24-17.
The touchdown was Miller’s first catch of the year.
“He’s hungry, he wants it,” Coach Prime said. “He’s sitting over there on the sideline. He doesn’t want to be over there. When he gets in, he’s ready to go. Shedeur has a tremendous expectation of him. And Omarion just came in there and did his thing.”
Neither team scored on their first two possessions of the third quarter, with the Buffs coming up with a big fourth-and-1 stop at midfield to halt one BU drive.
Colorado finally found its offensive footing again late in the period. Sanders completed passes of 46 and 31 yards to Hunter, with the second converting a third-and-15. That set the stage for two Welch runs, including a 2-yard touchdown that helped the Buffs tie the game at 24-24 with a minute remaining in the quarter.
The Buffs then forced another Baylor punt and quickly drove into Bears territory. But the drive stalled when CU elected to go for it on fourth-and-8 and Sanders was sacked.
That gave Baylor decent field position and the Bears marched 61 yards in eight plays for a touchdown, finishing the drive with a 24-yard scoring pass to Hal Presley. BU converted two third downs on the march and took a 31-24 lead with 5:43 left in the fourth period.
Colorado then dodged a huge bullet. Sanders was sacked twice for 21 yards in losses on CU’s next possession and following an incompletion, the Buffs punted from their own end zone. Baylor returned the ball to CU’s 26 and was in position for what would have been a game-clinching field goal.
CU’s defense did its part and held. The Bears attempted a 46-yard field goal but the kick sliced right and Colorado took possession still trailing by just a touchdown with 2:16 remaining.
That led to yet another piece of Sanders magic and an immediate berth in the annals of memorable Colorado plays.
Starting at their own 28 with 2:16 remaining, the Buffs drove into Baylor territory. Colorado overcame a second-and-24 when Sanders scrambled for a 17 yard gain, threw for 6 yards on third down and ran for 3 on fourth-and-1.
That was followed by two incompletions, leaving Colorado with the ball on the Baylor 43-yard line and two seconds on the clock.
On the final play of regulation, Sanders rolled to his left, stopped and drilled a throw to the end zone where Wester dove to the turf and cradled the ball for the touchdown. That set off a delirious Folsom Field celebration and Mata’s PAT tied the game, sending it into overtime.
Colorado then had first possession in the extra period and methodically drove 25 yards in seven plays, with Welch scoring from 1 yard out. Mata’s PAT gave CU a 38-31 lead.
Baylor then appeared ready to tie the game on its ensuing possession — only to see Hunter’s hit on Richardson at the goal line force a fumble. The ball bounced out of the end zone and the Buffs walked off the field with the win.
TURNING POINT: When Sanders completed the 43-yard Hail Mary touchdown, momentum finally swung Colorado’s way.
KEY STATISTICS: The Buffs ran 83 offensive plays and averaged more than 5 yards per snap … CU’s defense held the Bears to 148 yards passing and just seven points in the second half.
WHAT IT MEANS: Colorado is now 1-0 in Big 12 play while notching a win that will go down as one of the greatest finishes in CU history
NEXT UP: The Buffs hit the road next Saturday for their longest trip of the year when they head to Orlando, Fla., for a matchup with UCF.
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Story by Neill Woelk, Contributing Editor for CUBuffs.com. Content courtesy of the University of Colorado at Boulder.