On Saturday, September 16th, the highly anticipated game between Colorado's state rivals finally kicked off. The football game featured the Colorado State University Rams facing off against the University of Colorado Buffaloes. The online rivalry between the two teams had generated a lot of excitement for this game. When the game began, the energy on social media and in the stadium was electric.
With approximately 8 minutes remaining in the first quarter, Shilo Sanders made an interception and returned it for a touchdown, giving his team a 7-0 lead. Colorado State quickly responded with a 30-yard passing touchdown to their tight end, tying the score at 7-7 with about 7 minutes left in the first quarter. Colorado State then forced a fumble and capitalized on it, scoring another touchdown, making it 14-7 in their favor.
However, Colorado ran into problems when their star wide receiver and early Heisman contender, Travis Hunter, was injured after a late hit from a CSU cornerback. This incident took Hunter out of the game during the first quarter, and it was later revealed that he would be sidelined for a few weeks due to a lacerated liver. Just 40 seconds later, Shedeur Sanders threw his first passing touchdown, leveling the score at 14-14. This all happened with 3 minutes remaining in the first quarter.
The second quarter began slowly, with no scoring or significant plays for the first 11 minutes. Then, Colorado State managed to find the endzone, taking a 21-14 lead. The rest of the second quarter was uneventful.
At halftime, many fans were concerned about Colorado's chances due to their offensive struggles and the points they had conceded to Colorado State. Tensions were rising among Boulder's fans as they hoped for a Colorado University comeback.
The third quarter was characterized by missed opportunities on both sides of the ball. Colorado could not capitalize on big plays, and Colorado State threw an interception and missed a field goal. However, Colorado managed to drive down the field, setting up a field goal to end the third quarter with a score of 21-17 in Colorado State's favor.
With 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter, Colorado State's tight end found the endzone, extending their lead to 28-17. The game seemed out of reach at this point, but Coach Deion Sanders and his team had other plans. Colorado made a field goal, cutting the lead to 28-20, making it a one-possession game.
Colorado State tried to run down the clock, but they eventually had to punt the ball to keep Colorado University from scoring. The task of scoring was not easy, as Colorado University had to start from their own 2-yard line after a great punt. It appeared that all hope was lost among the crowd. Nevertheless, momentum began to shift as Shedeur Sanders completed two long passes, moving the Buffaloes to Colorado State's 48-yard line.
With 36 seconds left in the game, Colorado found the endzone on a 48-yard passing touchdown, tying the score at 28-28. To stay in the game, they needed a successful 2-point conversion, which they went for and converted. Sanders found his tight end, and the game went into overtime. Colorado had come back from an 11-point deficit with around 10 minutes left.
In college football, overtime continues until one team scores while the other does not. Each team starts only 25 yards away from scoring. In the first overtime, Colorado scored with ease and kicked an extra point, making the score 35-28. Colorado State also scored and kicked an extra point, tying it up at 35. The game proceeded to double overtime.
In the second overtime, Colorado quickly scored and then decided to go for a 2-point conversion, successfully finding a wide receiver in the back of the endzone, making it 43-35 in Colorado's favor. Colorado State had the chance to score as well but faced a 4th and goal from 23 yards away after many plays and penalties. The quarterback dropped back to throw a pass on the final play of the game, and it resulted in an interception, giving Colorado the win with a final score of 43-35.
Colorado had shown great perseverance, coming back when many thought the game was over. They never gave up, improving their record to 3-0.
Image courtesy of Pexels,
Photo by Jean-Daniel Francoeur: https://www.pexels.com/photo/selective-focus-close-up-photo-of-brown-wilson-pigskin-football-on-green-grass-2570139/
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