CNN
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Head coach Deion Sanders and his Colorado Buffaloes narrowly avoided a surprise season-ending defeat on Thursday, coming from behind to defeat the North Dakota State (NDSU) Bison 31-26.

Colorado trailed 20-17 at halftime, but scored 14 points in the second half to regain the lead.

But the ending was dramatic at Folsom Field in Boulder, when NDSU quarterback Cam Miller made a 20-yard touchdown run with 2:19 left. The Bisons got the ball back on their 8-yard line with 31 seconds left, trailing by five points.

After advancing the ball to midfield, NDSU attempted a Hail Mary in the final seconds of the game. Much to the chagrin of the visitors, the pass was completed four yards short of the goal line, meaning Colorado secured the victory in the season opener.

Despite the win – the team’s first since last October – Sanders said it wasn’t time to claim victory yet.

“Have you ever had that feeling that you’ve won and you haven’t won?” Coach Prime said, according to the Buffaloes’ website. “Giving away the last touchdown on the run, that bothered me because we pride ourselves on getting the quarterback, and we have a lot of young guys that can get the quarterback, and we didn’t do that.

“But I’m grateful. I think there were 31 NFL scouts out there tonight and I think they saw what they came to see. So let’s just stop there. I’m going to do my best to hold back my anger, but we got the W, so I’m happy.”

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders was the star of the show on Thursday, throwing for 445 yards and scoring four touchdowns against NDSU.

Three of those scores went to Travis Hunter, the team’s hybrid wide receiver and cornerback, who also finished with seven total catches and 132 yards. Jimmy Horn Jr. also caught seven passes for 198 yards and a touchdown.

After the win, Sanders, the youngest son of the team’s head coach, paid tribute to his bond with Hunter, recalling their time together at Jackson State University.

“Years and years and years of connections, years of talking about different things,” the 22-year-old said. “He plays defensive back, so he understands positioning, he understands a lot of things that a lot of receivers don’t understand.

“So that’s the advantage of having him there. He goes there and he takes care of his business. We’re just mentally stuck.”

The next game in Colorado is a game at Lincoln’s Memorial Stadium against the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday, September 7.