Colorado Buffaloes vs North Dakota State LIVE - Aug 29 - NCAA College Football 2024 Season

impeachable gravity a sellout crowd here at fulam Field North Dakota State the visitors this evening as we welcome you back to another exciting season a lot of new looks in college football Mark Jones Rody Jones Quinn kesik down on the field joining us in just a moment Rod you feel the energy here we were down on the field it's tangible it's palpable what does it mean for the home team Colorado coming off a 4 and8 season well every game here is an absolute movie with an iconic entrance and an icon as his head coach but the energy on the field comes from 42 new transfers and the hope that a revamped offensive line a revamp defensive line will help the Stars shador Sanders and Travis Hunter shine as bright as the head coach Deion S two of the best players in all of college football on the field tonight in Hunter and shadur Sanders meanwhile North Dakota State they are unfazed they have nine FCF titles in their trophy case at home they know exactly who they are an established culture even though there's a new head coach and this week when we spoke to him they spoke in absolutes they said we will play physical we will tackle well and we will give Colorado all they can handle it's a team that's used to winning and they expect two today the buffalo's building a culture hey when we come back he's part of the culture number 12 Quin Kess has more on one of the most enduring and special players in all the college football kick kickoff is next after these messages from Nissan Premier partner of the Heisman Trophy driving the Nissan road with Google built in is like Hey Google turn on Rocky's food it's like the ultimate connection see why it's been awarded a consumer guide Best Buy and recommended by Consumer Reports Drive the Nissan road today get 2 9% financing for 60 months or get up to5 200 total savings on remaining select 2024 Rogue Platinum trims people always say it is what it is until it isn't remember before AI when you had to type to search and when you couldn't ask 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Nissan pregame drive Nissan Premier partner of the Heisman Trophy you're watching college football on ESPN presented by Twisted T this is the Big 12 on E ESPN in the shadows of the rugged rounded shoulders of the Rocky Mountains North theota state has traveled extremely well their colors have been all over Boulder throughout the course of the last several days Colorado winning the toss deferring to the second half so we'll get a look at the Bison first on offense and their quarterback cam Miller [Applause] season two for Coach Dion Sanders and the Colorado buffalos tow meets leather and we're underway and the Bison will take it first and 10 from their own 25 yd line let's go downstairs Quint we get a look at Hunter on defense first Travis Hunter is a unicorn he is a true throwback a two-way player in an age of specialization you're going to see him first on defense today but as a wide receiver this guy's got 57 receptions last season a handful of touchdowns and he specializes in contested and one-handed catches prior to this game he was working with Terrell Owens working on his craft he's a first round draft choice on both sides of the football 31 NFL Scouts are here Mark to watch him play as he begins his hunt for the Heisman pison are going to keep it on the ground Q on the first play of the football game TK Marshall starting tailback 6o senior out of Minneapolis with the carry picks up a couple of yards Buffalo's trying to maintain there was a fumble but they blew it dead first going to be interesting to watch how the buffalo's slow the run if they can but the quarterback for the Bison cam Miller completed 72% of his passes a season ago he's an absolute winner 31 career wins and 38 starts not only is he accurate in the short game but he's a great Runner as well they come out in a trips right formation three receivers out to the top of your screen on second down Miller Ser finds a man underneath wide open Marshall with real estate ahead of him caught from behind and dragged down at the 20 yd line by DJ McKenna but a huge gain all the way down to the 23 yd line for North Dakota State a pickup of 49 Rody well it's a matchup against Trevor Woods 43 the converted safety and it's just a little Texas route an angle route by the running back dumped off to TK Marshall in a big game for North Dakota state to start this one he'll come out of the ball game Brown comes in for him number 25 North Dakota State team with great lineage at the FCS level went to the semi-finals a season ago on First and 10 they gash the front and pick up about five or six yards Shamar Brown that time on the carry picks up five on the play stopping the run is going to be key for Colorado today this was the worst defense in terms of stopping the run and all of football all of FBS football last season they revamped the defensive line but this North Dakota State offense is about being physical up front that time able to open a hole and physical run in the secondary to get extra yards after that first Contact second down coming up five to go Miller out of the shotgun they send a Man in Motion tipped away and incomplete intended for stole number 82 Preston Hodge was right there to knock it away so it sets up a third down and five alluding to the Buffalo defense last year which was very porous thus a new defensive coordinator on the job that's Robert Livingston you saw a moment ago former NFL coach with the Cincinnati Bengals he had their secondary and the key is going to be that defensive line up front protecting those linebackers and in situations like this third and five you got to be able to get off the field they're really excited about this revamp pass rush let's see it Miller's going to hand it off and nowhere to go so they do pick up a couple of yards on the play but not enough for the first down that time wano and Coes coming up big and Levante Bentley in the middle just sort of slices through but it's a nice job up front taking up double teams occupying space to allow the middle linebacker to tackle the ball short of the line to gain and force a field goal this is going to come from 36 yds out Griffin crosa the senior from the left half and he knocks it through early in the season so many times we see special teams go the wrong way but not that time so the Bison March it down the field and cash out with a field goal 1212 to go in the opening quarter actually think you have to count that as a win for Colorado you give up the big play on the pass to the running back but after that you don't allow another first down you force a field goal and we saw some of that some of that stoutness up front that we expected on third down so they'll go back and they'll fix the mistake that happened on the long pass but really solid job after that North Dakota State comes in unflappable they have tremendous Championship lineage and they have several leaders that return from last year's Squad as I mentioned earlier nine FCF national championships you look at their record over the last five seasons really impeccable and they've well that's the one they've won six of their last seven against FBS squads which include Minnesota Kansas and Kansas State and it's a team that's hungry coming into this season there's only a few jobs where it's a national championship or the seasons of failure North Dakota state is one of those and they haven't won the last two haven't won one since 2021 they are hungry and their new head coach Tim POC knows what it takes to get back to the top when they mentioned that they hadn't won a championship in a couple of years you got the feeling that their fan base was saying the sky was falling it it must feel theyve won nine through the through the teens so it must feel like that for that Crew looking into the helmet of Jimmy horn right there back for the kickoff return horn a rury from last year for Coach Dion Sanders will watch this one go over his head and out the back of the end zone it'll be first and 10 from the 25 for one of the best quarterbacks in the country shador Sanders completed 69% of his passes a season ago he has all kinds of secret sauce and coach poek of North Dakota state was eoent in his praise for shadur earlier this week and you can see why it's easy to get caught up in the Flash in all the things off the field and the noise around shador Sanders but when you turn on the film you see a Bonafide NFL quarterback and he is a guy that if you can keep him upright could have a special special season Travis Hunter lining up to the bottom of your screen in the three by one out of the backfield it's complete and a nice gain to drayan Miller a Debo Samuels type a freshman making the First Catch of the ball game for the buffalos let's take a look at our impact players built by the Home Depot on Colorado side lante Wester caught 100 108 balls at FAU last year coming in expect a big year and Eli mostart the best player on defense for North Dakota State nice run here by Miller with his second touch of the ball game how surprised that a freshman gets the first two Touches for Colorado and they start in five wide we were told to be the first time in school history if they started in five wide that that that had been the formation now you finally get a running back in in the game for a third and short but Travis Hunter lined up to the bottom of your screen he was the Target of shador last year there he is number 12 Charlie offerall the lone back on third down and four trying to stay on the field a gaping hole up the middle and offred doall picks up the first down and moves the chains and kubit making the tackle on the play offeral with the carry of five watch the combination here in the middle there is a wide open hole it's a revamped offensive line five new starters essentially Hank Zink zalinski is the one guy that started for Colorado last year on this offensive line does a great job opening up a hole on third down horn in motion Sanders gets it out to Horn on the edge and a nice gain of about eight maybe nine on the play exploiting their speed a little bit there Rody and that's the that's what Colorado has to do that's where they have the biggest Advantage Jimmy horn the fastest receiver for this Colorado offense getting him out of in space against the safety really test these North Dakota defensive backs second down and short one to go Sanders gets it out quick complete wster stays on his feet and gave them a little bit of important Yak yards after the contact Ryan Jones put his hat down and couldn't bring him down alone the leading receiver in the spring game was Leon Wester and the great ball placement allows Wester to cut up the field how about the physicality by the slot receiver on the back end too Pat Shermer the new offensive coordinator for Colorado pressure coming shur gets out of Dart complete to Hunter on the Move showing him his shoe bottoms Buffalo's kbit touchdown Hunter with his six touchdown catch at Colorado his 10th overall and the buffalo's taking a 7 to three [Applause] lead Quin kesik told us he was a unicorn he looked like one right there one of the most special players in the country with the ball in his hands you get him in a one-on-one situation makes the corner Miss safety takes a bad angle and the movie starts with an absolute stunner from Travis Hunter taking it to the house in the words of boss man dowo on the sidelines Colorado Pockets full of cheese and fresher than for Breeze right now off to a great start back after [Music] this Gatorade the world's most Superior sports drink designed to rehydrate replenish and refuel it fuels the best because it is the best Gatorade is it in you in every generation there are those who question the status quo questions like why can't chicken be slow roasted why can't I have shredded purple cabbage why can't my Killa have cheese inside and out and where's my avocado Rota salsa