North Dakota State football's season-opening upset bid versus Colorado came up desperately short on Thursday evening, as quarterback Cam Miller's Hail Mary attempt ricocheted into the hands of Tyler Terhark just four yards from the goal line.
The senior wideout was immediately tackled by a swarm of Colorado defenders, confirming a 31-26 setback made more agonizing by a pair of seemingly botched refereeing decisions in the final minute that spared CU coach Deion Sanders ' blushes against North Dakota State.
Colorado appeared well-positioned to finally put away their pesky FCS opposition and prevent another hotly-anticipated season under Sanders from crumbling on opening night, as NDSU began their fateful drive from their own 8-yard line with one timeout and 31 seconds remaining.
Miller continued to dissect the Buffaloes defense, however, immediately finding Bryce Lance over the middle for a 20-yard gain — the senior quarterback finished 18/22 with 358 all-purpose yards and three total touchdowns.
Controversy ensued on the following play as Miller connected once again with Braylon Henderson, North Dakota State's leading receiver who finished with five catches for 72 yards on Thursday. The 5'9 senior was brought down just shy of midfield by a booming hit from cornerback Colton Hood that appeared to meet the criteria for targeting, as he led with the crown of his helmet and connected with the Bison receiver's head and neck area.
The referees elected not to issue a targeting penalty, which would have advanced the ball another 15 yards and set up a more feasible heave to the endzone. Instead, the game clock began to wind well before the head official had finished placing the ball — college rules call for a temporary stoppage on first downs until this process is completed — costing the Bison several precious seconds before Miller finally spiked the ball.
This calamitous sequence left the Bison needing 53 yards with just nine seconds remaining as Miller quickly fired his pass out of bounds to save time for one final endzone shot. The third-year starter ultimately didn't have quite enough arm strength to reach the endzone, and the Bison didn't have quite enough to eek past the Buffaloes and some dodgy officiating at Folsom Field on Wednesday.
It was a relatively disappointing effort to kick off year 2 of Prime Time in Boulder, with the Buffaloes entering Thursday's game as 11.5-point favorites and needing a timely goal-line tackle to escape the Bison. The DI-AA visitors also finished with a 13-minute edge in time of possession while earning three more first downs than Colorado.
However, the Buffs' air-raid offense looked as dynamic as ever, with Sanders' son Shedeur offering up another sterling stat line — the prospective first-round NFL Draft pick finished 28-34 through the air for 445 yards, throwing four touchdowns and just one particularly flukey goal-line interception. The Sanders' return to action with a trip across state lines next Saturday, taking on Nebraska at Memorial Stadium.
Local Colorado State
Most Popular
Comments / 0