BOULDER, Colo. — Shedeur Sanders was just trying to be a good guy and get a late touchdown for his teammate. It almost backfired.
Sanders threw for 445 yards and four touchdowns, three of them to Travis Hunter, and Colorado began its second year under coach Deion Sanders by defeating FCS power North Dakota State 31-26 on Thursday night.
But it was the pass Shedeur Sanders didn't need to throw that raised some eyebrows.
With 1:41 left and a pair of running plays needed to run out the clock, Sanders tried to connect on a deep pass to LaJohntay Wester. He threw a short pass and it ended up incomplete to stop the clock.
Deion Sanders' fatherly advice: No more Mr. Nice Guy.
“Shedeur is such a good kid that sometimes it's hard for him,” the coach said. “It's his character. I tell him, 'Come on, Dawg, not now. It's not time to be the good guy. It's time to put this game away.'”
North Dakota State got the ball back with 31 seconds left. As time expired, Cam Miller threw a pass from his own 47-yard line that was caught by Tyler Terhark 4 yards from the end zone.
“Have you ever felt like you won but you didn't?” said Deion Sanders, whose team was a 10½-point favorite. “Let's put that behind us. I'm going to do my best to contain my anger. But we got a win, so I'm happy.”
The Bison's methodical play in the first half helped keep Sanders and the Heisman Trophy-contending Colorado offense on the sidelines. But once Sanders was on the court, he got to work.
Jimmy Horn Jr. had seven receptions for 198 yards and a touchdown, and Hunter caught seven passes for 132 yards.
Hunter's acrobatic 3-yard TD run with a defensive back on him gave Colorado a 31-20 lead with 7:57 left. He celebrated by spinning the ball and dancing. Hunter still had plenty of energy despite playing the entire game at cornerback.
Hunter's play caught the attention of NBA great LeBron James, who wrote on social media: “…
Like Sanders, Hunter is mentioned in Heisman conversations.
Sanders completed 26 of 34 passes and had one interception. He has thrown for 955 yards and eight touchdowns in two openers at Colorado (he had 510 yards at TCU last season).
“It was great,” Sanders said of his big night. “But every time he misses the ball, it hurts me a little bit inside. I'm excited about the win, but [there are] “There were definitely situations in that game that I personally could have handled better.”
This version of the Buffaloes' offense looked a lot like last season's, with a scary passing game but virtually no running game. Colorado was outscored 157-59 on Thursday night. The revamped offensive line allowed just one sack, but Sanders spent plenty of time struggling.
Colorado's defense remains a work in progress under new defensive coordinator Robert Livingston. Miller scored on a 20-yard scramble to make it 31-26 with 2:19 left. His pass on a two-point conversion was incomplete.
“There's nothing good about losing,” Miller said. “But I think both offensively and defensively, this will give us a lot of confidence.”
New North Dakota State coach Tim Polasek had his team on the verge of an upset. The Bison led 20-17 at halftime with Miller orchestrating the offense to near perfection. He finished with two rushing touchdowns and threw for another. The Bison showed a national audience precisely why they are ranked No. 2 in the FCS preseason polls.
“The difference in the game is because they made a few more plays than we did,” Polasek said. “I really believe that.”
