LaJohntay Wester caught a 43-yard Hail Mary pass from Shedeur Sanders with no time left in regulation, and Travis Hunter forced a fumble at the 1-yard line in overtime, leading Colorado to a surprising 38-31 victory over Baylor on a rainy Saturday night.
Micah Welch’s short run in overtime gave the Buffaloes their first lead since the opening quarter. Hunter, who plays both offense and defense, knocked the ball loose from Baylor running back Dominic Richardson at the goal line, and it rolled out of the end zone.
Fans rushed the field and brought down a goal post before officials confirmed the call.
On the final play of regulation, Sanders rolled to his left and threw a perfect pass to Wester, who shook off his defender and caught the ball as he fell. The officials reviewed the catch and confirmed it, allowing Alejandro Mata to make the extra point and send the game into overtime.
“Great, great, great, great, great win,” Colorado coach Deion Sanders said. “These young men were resilient. They never gave up, never surrendered.”
The last-minute play by Shedeur Sanders and the Buffaloes (3-1, 1-0 Big 12) happened just three days before the 30th anniversary of the “Miracle at Michigan,” when the Buffaloes won against the Wolverines thanks to Kordell Stewart’s 64-yard Hail Mary to Michael Westbrook.
The game was nationally broadcast, and they showed the 1994 play just before Sanders connected with Wester.
When asked where this game ranked for him, Deion Sanders replied, “I don’t rank games. I just love the Ws. By any means necessary. I love ‘em.”
Baylor also made several big plays, including Jamaal Bell’s 100-yard kickoff return in the second quarter and Sawyer Robertson’s 45-yard touchdown on fourth-and-1, which put Baylor ahead by 14 points.
After the Buffaloes tied the game in the third quarter, Hal Presley made a spectacular one-handed catch for a 24-yard touchdown with 5:43 left, giving Baylor (2-2, 0-1) back the lead.
The Bears had a chance to win but Isaiah Hankins’ 45-yard field goal attempt went wide right. This set the stage for Sanders and the Buffaloes.
“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 gutted right now, and so frustrated. We’re probably going to be hurting all the way back to Waco.”
