BOULDER, Colo. — Shedeur Sanders threw for 445 yards and four touchdowns — three to Travis Hunter — and Colorado began Year 2 under Deion Sanders by holding off FCS power North Dakota State 31-26 on Thursday night.
The Buffaloes couldn’t shake a pesky Bison team that scored with 2:19 left to make things interesting.
Shedeur Sanders looked as if he had sealed the season-opening victory when he scrambled and heaved a ball downfield on third-and-8 that drew a pass interference call. It gave the Buffaloes a first down with 1:41 left and North Dakota State had only one timeout left. But Colorado chose to pass on first down, which ultimately left time on the clock after the Buffaloes punted.
North Dakota State got the ball back with 31 seconds left. Cam Miller launched a pass from his own 47 as time expired and it was caught by Tyler Terhark 4 yards short of the end zone.
The methodical play of the Bison in the first half helped keep Heisman Trophy hopeful Sanders and the Colorado offense on the sideline. But once Sanders was out there, he went to work.
Jimmy Horn Jr. had seven catches for 198 yards and a score, and Hunter hauled in seven passes for 132 yards. His acrobatic, 3-yard TD with a defensive back draped on him gave Colorado a 31-20 lead with 7:57 left. He celebrated by spinning the ball and doing a dance.
Hunter still had that much energy despite playing all night at cornerback, too.
Sanders finished 26-of-34 passing with an interception and a passer rating of 219.4.
This version of the Buffaloes offense looked a lot like last season — terrifying passing game with virtually no rushing attack. The overhauled offensive line gave up only one sack, but Sanders spent quite a bit of time scrambling.
The Colorado defense remains a work in progress under new coordinator Robert Livingston. Miller scored on a 20-yard scramble to make it 31-26. His pass on a 2-point conversion was incomplete.
New North Dakota State coach Tim Polasek had his team on the cusp of an upset. The Bison led 20-17 at halftime because of the play of Miller. He rushed for two scores and threw for another. The Bison showed a national audience precisely why they are ranked No. 2 in the FCS preseason polls.
The Bison dropped to 9-5 against FBS opponents, including 3-2 against teams in the Big 12.