Shedeur Sanders throws crazy interception off North Dakota State defender's leg
In the third quarter of Thursday’s season opener, Shedeur Sanders threw one of the craziest interceptions you’ll ever see. On 3rd and goal, he looked toward the end zone to put Colorado ahead, but his pass hit a North Dakota State defender’s leg and bounced into the hands of another Bison player.
Sanders intended to find LaJohntay Wester on the first drive out of halftime, but the ball appeared to be falling short. However, it bounced off North Dakota State’s Anthony Chideme-Alfaro’s leg and Nick Kubitz was there to catch it.
North Dakota State then went three-and-out on the ensuing possession, and Colorado struck back quickly. Sanders found Travis Hunter for the second time in Thursday’s game to give the Buffaloes a 24-20 lead with 7:45 to play in the third quarter.
Colorado looked like it was going to be down 20-14 into halftime, but Sanders put together an impressive 2-minute drill to set up a field goal from Alejandro Mata to make it a three-point deficit. The Buffaloes’ defense struggled through the first two quarters, but they recorded their first sack of the night in the third period to try and create some momentum.
Watch College Football Games Live -Try for Free Fubo! Click HERE NOW
Sanders was one of the bright spots in the first half. He completed 12 of 15 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns, including a 41-yarder to Hunter on the first drive. Jimmy Horn Jr. had a monster half with 134 yards and a touchdown of his own.
On his way to the locker room, Sanders said he loves those 2-minute situations. But he also said it’s important to get points every time Colorado goes down the field.
“That’s my favorite time,” Sanders told ESPN’s Quint Kessenich. “But we just got to go out, keep drives. We’ve got to score every drive. That’s personally on me. … We’ve just got to finish. We just did our job.”
One of the biggest keys to North Dakota State’s halftime lead was the time of possession. The Bison had the ball for 21:48 while Colorado was on offense for just 8:12. That could be key as NDSU wears down the Buffaloes defense, but Shedeur Sanders pointed out the importance of getting the job done on offense, as well.
He also noted North Dakota State threw some different looks at Colorado early. However, Sanders and the staff got together, and he said they’ll be better prepared out of the break.
“That’s a lot [of time of possession], but offensively, we just got to score each and every drive,” Sanders said. “One of the drives, they brought out some stuff we didn’t expect, so we’ve got our adjustments and we game planned. We fixed everything now.”