'HEART-WRENCHING'
9/22/2024 2:18:00 PM | Football
Hail Mary pass sinks Bears in 38-31 overtime loss at Colorado
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
BOULDER, Colo. – Dave Aranda was an 18-year-old senior at Redlands (California) High School when Colorado quarterback Kordell Stewart threw a 64-yard Hail Mary pass to Michael Westbrook in a 27-26 "Miracle at Michigan" victory in 1994.
But the fifth-year Baylor head coach had never "been a part of something like that."
Until Saturday night.
With the Bears in firm grasp of what would have been a huge road victory in the Big 12 opener, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders connected with LaJohntay Wester with a 43-yard Hail Mary on the last play of regulation as the Buffaloes (3-1, 1-0) pulled out a 38-31 overtime victory before a homecoming crowd of 52,794 at Folsom Field.
"Really tough and just a heart-wrenching loss," said Aranda, whose team fell to 2-2 overall and 0-1 in the Big 12. "Haven't really been a part of something like that, especially down to the last play of overtime or last play of overtime, how that went. Very hard to take. Team is very gutted right now and so frustrated. We're probably going to be hurting all the way back to Waco."
Baylor had a chance to answer after freshman running back Micah Welch scored from a yard out in the first overtime to give Colorado its first lead since the opening quarter. But Baylor running back Dominic Richardson fumbled the ball into the end zone on a hit by cornerback Travis Hunter at the 1-yard line, setting off a crowd-storming celebration that was put on hold until the call on the field was reviewed and upheld.
Game over.
"Just so hard, man," linebacker Kyler Jordan said. "You put so much into it, and to have it in your hands and throw it away, it just hurts. The pain in the locker room, it's terrible. You want to remember the good, but it's hard to remember the good when it turns out the way it did."
That's the thing, there were about 59 minutes and 58 seconds of good that were wiped away in a couple painfully bad moments.
"A lot of hurt," said wide receiver/punt returner Josh Cameron, who had 91 yards on three punt returns, including a 54-yarder to set up the Bears' first score. "Only one way to go now, and that's up. (Coach Aranda) was talking about the errors that we made and can't be made if we want to beat good teams like that."
Cameron actually gave the Bears a chance to put it away with a 20-yard punt return to the Buffs' 26 after the defense recorded back-to-back sacks that had Colorado's punter kicking from near the back of the end zone.
That followed Sawyer Robertson's 24-yard TD pass to Hal Presley that put Baylor back on top, 31-24. Making his second-straight start and sixth over the last two seasons, Robertson was 11-of-21 for 148 yards and two touchdowns and also scored on a 45-yard TD run.
But with a chance to ice it with a couple first downs or a score, the Bears went backwards on three plays before Isaiah Hankins missed wide right on a 45-yard field goal attempt that would have made it a two-digit lead with just over two minutes to play.
Even on Colorado's last series of regulation, Sanders was sacked twice by a Baylor defense that pressured him all night. But he overcame a second-and-24 from his own 31 with a 17-yard scramble, a six-yard pass to Wester and a one-yard keeper on fourth-and-one.
After Will Sheppard dropped a pass at around the 5-yard line that would have likely ended the game – Colorado had no timeouts left – Sanders pulled off the miracle. Rolling to his left, and under pressure, he heaved a throw into the end zone that Wester caught between two Baylor defensive backs for the gut-punch touchdown that tied it up.
With JACK linebacker Garmon Randolph out of the game with an injury, the Bears' five-man rush made a tactical mistake when the "backup at one of the positions" that was supposed to contain the outside went "up and under," Aranda said.
"That's a shame, because he's contained," said Aranda, who called a timeout before that play to draw it up on the sidelines. "I've never seen that. I take full responsibility for that. I have to find a way to coach that better."
Obviously gassed after an 11-play drive (including penalties), the defense gave up a seven-play scoring drive in OT that was done mostly on the ground. From the 5-yard line, Sanders picked up three yards, Jordan stopped Isaiah Augustave at the 1, and then Welch bulled into the end zone to put the Buffs on top, 38-31.
Jordan said the Bears' attitude going into the overtime period was, "Let's go!"
"We got ourselves in this situation, let's get ourselves out. Just more football," he said.
Seemingly poised to play even more football after Robertson picked up 13 yards on a run down to the 2, the game ended in even more frustration on Richardson's fumble that rolled out of the back of the end zone.
"Still kind of feeling that," Cameron said, "just anger and disappointment, really."
Hounded all night by a relentless Baylor pressure, Sanders was sacked eight times – the Bears' most since 10 in the Sugar Bowl win over Ole Miss three years ago. But he threw for 341 yards and two touchdowns and also scored the Buffs' first touchdown on a two-yard TD run.
After going 0-for-6 in the third quarter, Robertson was 3-for-3 for 45 yards on an eight-play, 61-yard drive, capping it with a perfect 24-yard touchdown strike to Presley that gave the Bears the lead with 5:43 left in the game.
"I think offensively, there's really good things," Aranda said. "The run game took a little bit to get going. But when it got going, I think it really helped us late in the game. And then, I thought Sawyer played heart wide open, as I would expect him to. A lot of positives there, but it's hard to see them right now."
Special teams played a huge role in the first half, with Cameron setting up the first score with a 54-yard punt return and then Nevada transfer Jamaal Bell scoring on a 100-yard kickoff return that gave the Bears a 17-10 lead after the Buffs had knotted the score with a 43-yard field goal by Alejandro Mata.
Robertson had a solid first half, completing 8-of-12 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown and also scoring on a 45-yard TD run that gave BU a 24-10 lead with 4:19 left.
But with a chance to pad that lead, Robertson threw a perfect pass that was dropped by Ashtyn Hawkins and then he missed tight end Michael Trigg on a third-down pass.
Kept quiet for most of the half by a swarming Baylor defense, Sanders got the Buffaloes back in it with a 58-yard touchdown pass to Omarion Miller. Safety Corey Gordon Jr. appeared to drop Miller around the Bears' 35-yard line, but a review confirmed the call on the field that the sophomore receiver's knee never touched.
The Baylor offense provided its own highlight reel, with Monaray Baldwin making a beautiful diving catch on a 30-yard TD pass from Robertson.
On Bell's kickoff return for a touchdown, which was Baylor's first since Richard Reese versus West Virginia last season, safety Michael Allen had the clearing block that set Bell free as he ran the last 70 yards all by himself.
Led by Robertson, with 82 yards on nine attempts, Baylor finished with 165 yards on the ground and 313 yards total offense. With the sacks added in, Colorado was held to 91 yards rushing on 42 carries for a 2.2-yard average.
Steve Linton and Keaton Thomas had two sacks apiece for the Bears, while Matt Jones had nine solo tackles, 10 total and one sack.
"We had eight sacks in this game. We should have had really double that, to be honest," Aranda said. "The rush was flushing him, but we just couldn't tackle him. We struggled to contain him while he was running around. . . . That's really the name of the game. You look at the passing yards, and so many of it we were chasing the guy, he's running for his life and throws it up. And we just didn't come down with it. I just think there's a lot to improve there."
Returning home, Baylor will host 22nd-ranked BYU (4-0, 1-0) at 11 a.m. next Saturday at McLane Stadium in a game that will be televised by FS1. The Cougars knocked off previously 13th-ranked Kansas State, 38-9, Saturday night in Provo.
Baylor Bear Insider
BOULDER, Colo. – Dave Aranda was an 18-year-old senior at Redlands (California) High School when Colorado quarterback Kordell Stewart threw a 64-yard Hail Mary pass to Michael Westbrook in a 27-26 "Miracle at Michigan" victory in 1994.
But the fifth-year Baylor head coach had never "been a part of something like that."
Until Saturday night.
With the Bears in firm grasp of what would have been a huge road victory in the Big 12 opener, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders connected with LaJohntay Wester with a 43-yard Hail Mary on the last play of regulation as the Buffaloes (3-1, 1-0) pulled out a 38-31 overtime victory before a homecoming crowd of 52,794 at Folsom Field.
"Really tough and just a heart-wrenching loss," said Aranda, whose team fell to 2-2 overall and 0-1 in the Big 12. "Haven't really been a part of something like that, especially down to the last play of overtime or last play of overtime, how that went. Very hard to take. Team is very gutted right now and so frustrated. We're probably going to be hurting all the way back to Waco."
Baylor had a chance to answer after freshman running back Micah Welch scored from a yard out in the first overtime to give Colorado its first lead since the opening quarter. But Baylor running back Dominic Richardson fumbled the ball into the end zone on a hit by cornerback Travis Hunter at the 1-yard line, setting off a crowd-storming celebration that was put on hold until the call on the field was reviewed and upheld.
Game over.
"Just so hard, man," linebacker Kyler Jordan said. "You put so much into it, and to have it in your hands and throw it away, it just hurts. The pain in the locker room, it's terrible. You want to remember the good, but it's hard to remember the good when it turns out the way it did."
That's the thing, there were about 59 minutes and 58 seconds of good that were wiped away in a couple painfully bad moments.
"A lot of hurt," said wide receiver/punt returner Josh Cameron, who had 91 yards on three punt returns, including a 54-yarder to set up the Bears' first score. "Only one way to go now, and that's up. (Coach Aranda) was talking about the errors that we made and can't be made if we want to beat good teams like that."
Cameron actually gave the Bears a chance to put it away with a 20-yard punt return to the Buffs' 26 after the defense recorded back-to-back sacks that had Colorado's punter kicking from near the back of the end zone.
That followed Sawyer Robertson's 24-yard TD pass to Hal Presley that put Baylor back on top, 31-24. Making his second-straight start and sixth over the last two seasons, Robertson was 11-of-21 for 148 yards and two touchdowns and also scored on a 45-yard TD run.
But with a chance to ice it with a couple first downs or a score, the Bears went backwards on three plays before Isaiah Hankins missed wide right on a 45-yard field goal attempt that would have made it a two-digit lead with just over two minutes to play.
Even on Colorado's last series of regulation, Sanders was sacked twice by a Baylor defense that pressured him all night. But he overcame a second-and-24 from his own 31 with a 17-yard scramble, a six-yard pass to Wester and a one-yard keeper on fourth-and-one.
After Will Sheppard dropped a pass at around the 5-yard line that would have likely ended the game – Colorado had no timeouts left – Sanders pulled off the miracle. Rolling to his left, and under pressure, he heaved a throw into the end zone that Wester caught between two Baylor defensive backs for the gut-punch touchdown that tied it up.
With JACK linebacker Garmon Randolph out of the game with an injury, the Bears' five-man rush made a tactical mistake when the "backup at one of the positions" that was supposed to contain the outside went "up and under," Aranda said.
"That's a shame, because he's contained," said Aranda, who called a timeout before that play to draw it up on the sidelines. "I've never seen that. I take full responsibility for that. I have to find a way to coach that better."
Obviously gassed after an 11-play drive (including penalties), the defense gave up a seven-play scoring drive in OT that was done mostly on the ground. From the 5-yard line, Sanders picked up three yards, Jordan stopped Isaiah Augustave at the 1, and then Welch bulled into the end zone to put the Buffs on top, 38-31.
Jordan said the Bears' attitude going into the overtime period was, "Let's go!"
"We got ourselves in this situation, let's get ourselves out. Just more football," he said.
Seemingly poised to play even more football after Robertson picked up 13 yards on a run down to the 2, the game ended in even more frustration on Richardson's fumble that rolled out of the back of the end zone.
"Still kind of feeling that," Cameron said, "just anger and disappointment, really."
Hounded all night by a relentless Baylor pressure, Sanders was sacked eight times – the Bears' most since 10 in the Sugar Bowl win over Ole Miss three years ago. But he threw for 341 yards and two touchdowns and also scored the Buffs' first touchdown on a two-yard TD run.
After going 0-for-6 in the third quarter, Robertson was 3-for-3 for 45 yards on an eight-play, 61-yard drive, capping it with a perfect 24-yard touchdown strike to Presley that gave the Bears the lead with 5:43 left in the game.
"I think offensively, there's really good things," Aranda said. "The run game took a little bit to get going. But when it got going, I think it really helped us late in the game. And then, I thought Sawyer played heart wide open, as I would expect him to. A lot of positives there, but it's hard to see them right now."
Special teams played a huge role in the first half, with Cameron setting up the first score with a 54-yard punt return and then Nevada transfer Jamaal Bell scoring on a 100-yard kickoff return that gave the Bears a 17-10 lead after the Buffs had knotted the score with a 43-yard field goal by Alejandro Mata.
Robertson had a solid first half, completing 8-of-12 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown and also scoring on a 45-yard TD run that gave BU a 24-10 lead with 4:19 left.
But with a chance to pad that lead, Robertson threw a perfect pass that was dropped by Ashtyn Hawkins and then he missed tight end Michael Trigg on a third-down pass.
Kept quiet for most of the half by a swarming Baylor defense, Sanders got the Buffaloes back in it with a 58-yard touchdown pass to Omarion Miller. Safety Corey Gordon Jr. appeared to drop Miller around the Bears' 35-yard line, but a review confirmed the call on the field that the sophomore receiver's knee never touched.
The Baylor offense provided its own highlight reel, with Monaray Baldwin making a beautiful diving catch on a 30-yard TD pass from Robertson.
On Bell's kickoff return for a touchdown, which was Baylor's first since Richard Reese versus West Virginia last season, safety Michael Allen had the clearing block that set Bell free as he ran the last 70 yards all by himself.
Led by Robertson, with 82 yards on nine attempts, Baylor finished with 165 yards on the ground and 313 yards total offense. With the sacks added in, Colorado was held to 91 yards rushing on 42 carries for a 2.2-yard average.
Steve Linton and Keaton Thomas had two sacks apiece for the Bears, while Matt Jones had nine solo tackles, 10 total and one sack.
"We had eight sacks in this game. We should have had really double that, to be honest," Aranda said. "The rush was flushing him, but we just couldn't tackle him. We struggled to contain him while he was running around. . . . That's really the name of the game. You look at the passing yards, and so many of it we were chasing the guy, he's running for his life and throws it up. And we just didn't come down with it. I just think there's a lot to improve there."
Returning home, Baylor will host 22nd-ranked BYU (4-0, 1-0) at 11 a.m. next Saturday at McLane Stadium in a game that will be televised by FS1. The Cougars knocked off previously 13th-ranked Kansas State, 38-9, Saturday night in Provo.
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