Sanders connects with Wester on Hail Mary in regulation, Colorado beats Baylor 38-31 in overtime
AP Sports Writer
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — The clock struck 0:00 and Shedeur Sanders rolled to his left and let the football fly.
LaJohntay Wester caught the 43-yard Hail Mary pass in the end zone, unleashing bedlam in Boulder on a rainy, storm-the-field kind of night that coach Deion Sanders and the rest of the Colorado football program will soak in for a long time.
The Sanders-Wester connection sent Saturday’s game into overtime, then Travis Hunter embellished his Heisman resume by forcing a Baylor fumble at the goal line to help the Buffs somehow defeat the Bears 38-31 in their wild return to the Big 12.
Even that didn’t end things. Thousands of revved-up and rain-drenched fans stormed the field after the ball rolled out of the end zone. Officials needed to review the play to see if Baylor running back Dominic Richardson had crossed the goal line before the ball popped out.
With the PA announcer urging fans off the gridiron, the refs finally made it official. It was a fumble. And CU was the winner.
“Great, great, great, great, great win,” Deion Sanders said. “These young men were resilient. They never gave up, never surrendered.”
Micah Welch’s short plunge in overtime gave the Buffaloes their first lead since the opening quarter. Then, Baylor got the ball and marched to CU’s 2. Soon after Hunter’s play, the fans rushed the field with the goal post on the far end lowered before officials confirmed the call.
“I knew they were coming at me,” Hunter said of the last play. “They didn’t think I could tackle, so I had to show them.”
The desperation play for the Buffaloes (3-1, 1-0 Big 12) comes three days shy of 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 telecast showed the 1994 play just seconds before Sanders connected with Wester.
Asked where this game ranked, Deion Sanders simply responded: “I don’t rank games. I just love the Ws. By any means necessary. I love ’em.”
Baylor turned in plenty of big plays, including Jamaal Bell going untouched for a 100-yard kickoff return in the second quarter and, shortly after that, Sawyer Robertson breaking free for a 45-yard TD on fourth-and-1 to put Baylor up by 14.
After the Buffaloes tied it in the third quarter, Hal Presley made a one-handed grab for a 24-yard touchdown with 5:43 remaining to give Baylor (2-2, 0-1) back the lead. The Bears had a chance to secure the win but Isaiah Hankins’ 45-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right.
It set the stage for one of the more memorable wins in Buffs history — and one of the more crushing losses for the Bears.
“Heart-wrenching loss,” Baylor coach Dave Aranda said. “Haven’t really been a part of something like that, especially down to the last play of overtime. … Very hard to take. The team is very is gutted right now, and so frustrated. We’re probably going to be hurting all the way back to Waco.”
Constantly on the move, Sanders threw 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 recording three tackles on defense. His play on both sides of the ball has put him in the Heisman conversation.
This should only bolster his case.
“T told me ‘I’m gonna go 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.’ He went out and made a play that was amazing. That’s stuff T does.”
Miller’s first catch of the season is beauty
Omarion Miller made the most of his first catch of the season, snagging a deep pass from Sanders and bouncing away from a tackle — while keeping his knee off the turf. Miller’s 58-yard TD was upheld after review and brought Colorado within 24-17 at halftime.
Missed handshake
In the sea of fans, Deion Sanders couldn’t find Aranda on the field after the game. So he went over by the Baylor locker room but didn’t run into Aranda.
He apologized for missing the handshake.
Speaking of the fan base’s renewed love for CU football, he said: “I don’t like what transpired at the end of the game but I love what transpired at the end of the game.”
The takeaway
Baylor: Altering 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’ve resulted in the tying score.
Colorado: The special teams struggled. Not only did Bell turn in a 100-yard kickoff return, the Bears also had a 54-yard punt return. “Special teams was horrible,” Deion Sanders said.
Up next
Baylor: Host BYU on Saturday.
Colorado: At Central Florida on Saturday.
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