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A Hail Mary and a prematurely torn goal post

Posted on by angelo
A Hail Mary and a prematurely torn goal post

BOULDER, Colo. — LaJohntay Wester caught a 43-yard Hail Mary from Shedeur Sanders with time remaining in regulation and Travis Hunter forced a fumble at the 1-yard line in overtime and Colorado rallied for an improbable 38-31 victory over Baylor on a rainy Saturday night.

Micah Welch’s short dive in overtime gave the Buffaloes their first lead since the first quarter.

Hunter, the Buffaloes’ star two-way player, knocked the ball off Baylor running back Dominic Richardson at the goal line and the ball rolled out of the end zone.

Fans rushed onto the pitch and tore down a goalpost before officials confirmed the decision.

On the final play of regulation, Sanders rolled to his left and threw a perfect pass to Wester, who shrugged off his defender and cradled the ball as it fell to the turf.

The referees confirmed the catch after review and Alejandro Mata scored the extra point to force overtime.

“A tremendous, tremendous, tremendous, tremendous, tremendous win,” Colorado coach Deion Sanders said. “These young men showed resilience. They never gave up, they never surrendered.”

The desperate move by Shedeur Sanders and the Buffaloes (3-1, 1-0 Big 12) comes three days before the 30th anniversary of the “Michigan Miracle,” 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.


Colorado fans celebrate after their team's 38-31 overtime win over Baylor on September 21, 2024.
Colorado fans celebrate after their team’s 38-31 overtime win over Baylor on September 21, 2024. Images by Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn

Asked how to rank this game, Deion Sanders simply said, “I don’t rank games. I love wins. By any means necessary. I love them.”

Baylor made a number of big plays, including Jamaal Bell going untouched for a 100-yard kickoff return in the second quarter and shortly after, Sawyer Robertson breaking free for a 45-yard TD run on fourth-and-1 to give Baylor a 14-point lead.

After the Buffaloes tied the game in the third quarter, Hal Presley made a one-handed catch for a 24-yard touchdown with 5:43 remaining to give Baylor the lead again (2-2, 0-1).

The Bears had a chance to pull away with the win, but Isaiah Hankins’ 45-yard field goal attempt sailed wide of the right post.

That set the stage for Sanders and the Buffaloes.

“It’s a heartbreaking loss,” Baylor coach Dave Aranda said. “I’ve never really experienced anything like it, especially up until the last play of overtime. It’s very hard to take. The team is very devastated right now and so frustrated. We’re probably going to be hurting until we get back to Waco.”

Constantly on the move, Sanders threw for 341 yards. He was also tackled eight times.

Hunter finished with seven receptions for 130 yards, while also recording three tackles on defense.


LaJohntay Wester catches a 43-yard Hail Mary pass from Shedeur Sanders as regulation expires, helping the Buffaloes secure an improbable 38-31 overtime victory over Baylor.
LaJohntay Wester catches a 43-yard Hail Mary pass from Shedeur Sanders as regulation expires, helping the Buffaloes secure an improbable 38-31 overtime victory over Baylor. Images by Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn

His play on both sides of the ball put him in the conversation for the Heisman.

This should only strengthen his thesis.

Omarion Miller made the most of his first catch of the season, catching a deep pass from Sanders and bouncing away from a tackle from Corey Gordon Jr. — all while keeping his knee off the turf.

Miller’s 58-yard TD run was upheld on review and brought Colorado within 24-17 at halftime.

The Buffaloes have successfully returned to the Big 12 Conference. They left the conference after the 2010 season to join the Pac-12, but returned this season.

Rain or shine

Deion Sanders made a big deal about the possibility of rain at his press conference earlier in the week, but he downplayed it, asking if his team would work on wet-field drills. Rain materialized.

Takeaways

Baylor: Changed endgame defense.

Just before Wester’s Hail Mary reception, Will Sheppard got past Baylor’s defensive secondary and nearly caught a pass that could have tied the game.

Colorado: Special teams struggled. Not only did Bell return a kickoff 100 yards, but the Bears also returned a punt 54 yards. “Special teams were horrible,” Deion Sanders said.