The Colorado Buffaloes narrowly escaped the Bison of North Dakota State in Deion Sanders‘ second home opener in Boulder, Colorado, with a 31-26 victory. The game highlighted many of the same issues the team faced last season, but also showcased the bright spots in quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, who led the team to their first win of the season.
Hunter, a wide receiver and cornerback, was sensational from start to finish, catching three touchdown passes on seven receptions for 132 yards. His performance was a highlight reel, including an incredible catch that seemed impossible to make.
Shedeur Sanders passed for 445 yards, completing 26 of his 34 pass attempts, and threw four touchdowns. Wide receiver Jimmy Horn also made a significant impact, finishing with 198 yards on seven catches.
However, the Buffaloes struggled in many of the same areas as last year, particularly in the first half. The offensive line continued to have issues, the defense was often confused and gave up too many big plays, and some decisions by the coaching staff were questionable. Their lack of size on the offensive line showed, as they finished the game with only 59 rushing yards.
Unable to rush for a first down to kill the clock in the fourth quarter, Colorado gave North Dakota State one last chance to score with a deep throw into the end zone from their own 47-yard line. The pass was caught but not in the end zone, allowing the Buffaloes to escape with a thrilling victory. The defensive backs tried to catch the ball rather than knock it down, a point of frustration for Coach Sanders.
After the game, Sanders expressed his displeasure with his secondary’s decision-making in a postgame interview with ESPN. When asked about his thoughts on their failure to bat the ball down, he said, “You don’t want to know. I don’t use profanity, but I thought it.”
It was a very physical game that saw Travis Hunter and Shilo Sanders getting into scuffles throughout. With a tough schedule ahead, it’s early in the season, and the Buffaloes will need to take it week by week, focusing on continuous improvement.
