BOULDER, Colo. — LaJontae Wester caught a 43-yard Hail Mary pass from Shedul Sanders with just seconds left in the game, Travis Hunter forced a fumble at the 1-yard line in overtime and Colorado recorded an improbable 38-31 victory over Baylor University on a drizzling Saturday night.
A short rush by Micah Welch in overtime gave the Buffaloes their first lead since the first quarter.
Hunter, the Buffaloes' two-way star, stole the ball from Baylor running back Dominique Richardson on the goal line and the ball rolled out of the end zone.
Before the referee could review the call, fans stormed onto the field and knocked over the goalposts.
On the final play of regulation time, Sanders rolled left and fired a perfect pass to Wester, who shook off his defender and cradled the ball as he fell to the ground.
The referees checked and ruled the catch, with Alejandro Mata scoring the extra point to send the game into extra time.
“Great, great, great, great, great win,” Colorado coach Deon Sanders said. “These young guys were tenacious. They never gave up, they never buckled.”
The desperation throw by Shedell Sanders and the Buffaloes (3-1, 1-0 Big 12 Conference) came three days before the 30th anniversary of the “Miracle of Michigan,” when the Buffaloes beat the Wolverines on a 64-yard Hail Mary pass from Kordell Stewart to Michael Westbrook.
The nationally televised broadcast showed the 1994 play seconds before Sanders connected with Wester on the pass.
When asked where he ranked this game, Deion Sanders simply said, “I don't rank games. I just love winning. I love winning by any means necessary.”
Baylor had a number of big plays in the second quarter, including an untouched 100-yard kickoff return by Jamal Bell and a 45-yard touchdown run by Sawyer Robertson on fourth down and one yard later to give Baylor a 14-point lead.
After the Buffaloes tied the score in the third quarter, Baylor University (2-2, 0-1) re-took the lead when Hal Pressley caught the ball with one hand for a 24-yard touchdown with 5:43 left.
The Bears had a chance to seal the victory, but Isaiah Hankins' 45-yard field goal attempt went wide right.
That set the stage for Sanders and the Buffaloes.
“It's a heartbreaking loss,” Baylor coach Dave Aranda said. “I've never experienced anything like that, especially down to the last play of overtime. … It's just really hard to accept. Our team is really down right now, really frustrated. We're probably going to be carrying that pain all the way back to Waco.”
Sanders threw for 341 yards while constantly moving around and was sacked eight times.
Hunter finished with seven catches for 130 yards and also recorded three tackles on defense.
His play on both offense and defense has made him a Heisman Trophy candidate.
This would further strengthen his argument.
Omarion Miller made the most of his first catch of the season, grabbing a deep pass from Sanders and bouncing off a tackle by Corey Gordon Jr. with his knees on the ground.
Miller's 58-yard TD run was allowed after review, and Colorado trailed 24-17 by halftime.
The Buffaloes made a successful return to the Big 12 Conference, leaving the conference after the 2010 season to join the Pac-12 before returning this season.
Rain or shine
Deion Sanders made a big deal during his press conference earlier this week about the possibility of rain (which he downplayed) and whether the team would engage in wet-ball practice. Rain became a reality.
summary
Baylor: Change your defense late in the game.
Just before Wester's Hail Mary catch, Will Sheppard broke through Baylor's secondary and nearly caught a pass that would have tied the score.
Colorado: Special teams struggled. Not only did Bell have a 100-yard kickoff return, but the Bears also had a 54-yard punt return. “Special teams was awful,” Deion Sanders said.
