Officials miss Colorado targeting call on North Dakota State's would-be game winning drive

Deion Sanders and Colorado football escaped their season opener with a 31-26 victory over FSC foe North Dakota State on Thursday in Boulder, Colorado.

The game ended up coming down to the final drive, as Bison quarterback Cam Miller fired a Hail Mary throw to receiver Tyler Terhark, just 4 yards short of a game-winning touchdown as time expired. However, one play in particular during NDSU's final drive caught fans' attention on social media: a missed targeting call.

Smith completed a pass to Braylon Henderson for 19 yards to the North Dakota State 47-yard line with 23 seconds remaining. However, replays showed Colorado's Colton Hood appeared not only to lead with the crown of his helmet, but also make contact with Henderson's helmet in the process. That normally would be ruled a targeting penalty, giving the Bison 15 free yards and stopping the clock.

REQUIRED READING: Colorado holds on, begins Deion Sanders' second season with win over North Dakota State

Officials, however, missed the call.

Three plays later, Miller completed a 49-yard pass that was 4 yards of the end zone, raising questions as to how the no-call may have affected the outcome of the game.

Here's a look at social media reactions to the potentially missed targeting call on the NDSU would-be game-winning drive:

Social media reactions to missed targeting call in NDSU vs Colorado game

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Officials miss Colorado targeting call on North Dakota State's would-be game winning drive