In a game that was supposed to be an easy rebound for the heavily favored Colorado Buffaloes, they were upset with a last second field goal by the Sacramento State Hornets to lose, 30-28.
It was Colorado that started strong with a 64-yard touchdown by running back Christian Powell just 72 seconds into the game. Six minutes later Powell found the end zone again and the Buffaloes were out to a 14-0 lead.
However, 21 unanswered points by the Hornets left the Buffaloes scrambling and down 24-21 at halftime. A one-yard touchdown by Powell in the third quarter gave Colorado the lead back and they were able to do just enough to hold Sacramento State off until the waning seconds.
With under five minutes remaining, the Hornets took over on their own 15-yard line and maintained a drive to the Colorado 13-yard line. A timeout with one second remaining set up a field goal opportunity for Edgar Castaneda which he knocked through from 30-yards out to give Sacramento State the upset victory.
The Hornets defeated the Oregon St. Beavers, also of the Pac-12, to open the 2011 season.
Box Score Hero: Sacramento State quarterback Garrett Safron finished 25-of-37 passing for 312 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. The Colorado offense altogether managed 341 total yards.
But Did They Cover? No. Colorado entered the game as 21.5 favorites to beat Sacramento State.
For More On This Game: For more on the Buffs, be sure to visit The Ralphie Report. And, for additional college pigskin coverage, head over to SB Nation's NCAA Football hub.
Next Week's Schedule:
Colorado at Fresno State, 6 p.m. MT, Saturday, Sept. 15
Northern Colorado at Sacramento State, 3:05 p.m. MT, Saturday, Sept. 15
