North Dakota State football is used to the primetime lights of ESPN and the stage that comes with it. However, they were on a stage even more prominent than what they were used to Thursday night in Boulder, Colorado, as NDSU faced the most hyped-up and talked-about team in college football, the Colorado Buffaloes. The Buffs, coached by Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders and his stockpile of talent, which includes star quarterback Shedeur Sanders and two-way star Travis Hunter, arguably the best duo NDSU has ever faced in program history. Colorado had Heisman hopefuls, and NDSU had question marks. The Bison came into this game down two all-American players in fullback Hunter Brozio and safety Cole Wisniewski, while also breaking in a new head coach in Tim Polasek, and they didn’t seem to have any offensive playmakers. The Bison proved they were more than ready for “Prime” time, but could they crash the Buffaloes’ party?
The Bison took the first possession of the game 57 yards in six plays, thanks to a TK Marshall 48-yard catch and run on 2nd and long to set up a 36-yard Griffin Crosa field goal to put NDSU up 3-0. Colorado responded quickly with a six-play 75-yard drive that ended with Shedeur Sanders hitting Travis Hunter on a 41-yard touchdown pass to put Colorado in front, 7-3. The first half was filled with offensive fireworks as the first five possessions all resulted in points. Drive #3 went Joe Stoffel’s way as he caught a seven-yard touchdown pass from Cam Miller on 3rd and goal to cap off a 10-play drive to give NDSU a 10-7 lead. Colorado arguably has the best group of receivers in college football. One of their stud receivers, named Jimmy Horn Jr., is also one of the fastest players in the game, and he showed why two plays later as he caught a desperation heave from Sanders and ran it to the land of six from 69 yards out to give Colorado a four-point lead.
The second quarter continued the game of “College Football 25” that these two teams were playing early. Neither team could stop the other, as NDSU marched back down the field in 10 plays. Cam Miller finished the drive with a 14-yard touchdown run, thanks to Bryce Lance blocking Travis Hunter, paving the way for Miller to go untouched into the end zone. The next drive, “Code Green” stepped up as they stopped Colorado on downs, stuffing Dallas Hayden on 4th and 1 to set up another Griffin Crosa field goal, this one from 31 yards out to push the NDSU lead to six. Colorado ended the half with a 27-yard field goal, but the Bison went into the locker room leading 20-17.
The second half opened with the Buffs marching down the field and getting to the NDSU five-yard line until one of the most bizarre plays of the young season occurred on 3rd and goal. Shedeur Sanders threw a pass into the endzone that ricocheted off the left calf of Bison cornerback Anthony Chideme-Alfaro and into the arms of linebacker Nick Kubitz to get the Colorado offense off the field. The Buffaloes would respond later in the quarter as Sanders would find Travis Hunter in the endzone to give the Buffs a 24-20 lead.
While NDSU’s offense was stuck in neutral in the second half, Colorado was able to get some breathing room in the 4th quarter as Shedeur Sanders once again found Travis Hunter on a three-yard touchdown pass on 3rd and goal to extend the Buffaloes lead to 11. The Bison would not go quietly into the rocky mountain night as they responded with a 75-yard drive that took 11 plays and was capped off with a Cam Miller scramble that turned into a 20-yard touchdown run to get the Bison to within five 31-26. After a failed two-point conversion and a defensive stand, NDSU had 38 seconds to win the game and no timeouts. The Bison offense was able to march the ball to their 47-yard line before throwing up a Hail Mary pass that Tyler Terhark caught; the problem was he was four yards short of the endzone. The Bison came up four yards short of yet another FBS upset as the Bison fell 31-26.
The Bison racked up 449 yards of total offense; Cam Miller threw for 277 yards and a touchdown while running for two more. Braylon Henderson was NDSU’s leading receiver with 72 yards. Colorado’s offensive weapons showed out as Shedeur Sanders passed for 445 yards and three touchdowns, while Travis Hunter scored three touchdowns and had 132 yards receiving.
NDSU shined on one of the biggest stages in the country, and for a first test, they exceeded expectations. The herd returns to the FargoDome for the home opener on Saturday, September 7, at 2:30 p.m. as the Bison host the Tennessee State Tigers.