Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter help Colorado hold off NDSU 31-26 to start Year 2 under Deion Sanders

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Shedeur Sanders was just trying to be the nice guy and get his teammate a late touchdown. It nearly backfired.

Sanders threw for 445 yards and four touchdowns — three to Travis Hunter — and Colorado began Year 2 under Deion Sanders by holding off FCS power North Dakota State 31-26 on Thursday night.

But it was the pass Shedeur Sanders didn't need to throw that raised some eyebrows.

With 1:41 remaining and a couple of run plays all that were necessary to run down the clock, Sanders tried to connect deep with LaJohntay Wester. He underthrew the pass and it wound up incomplete to stop the clock.

Deion Sanders' fatherly advice: No more Mr. Nice Guy.

“Shedeur's such a good kid, sometimes it costs him,” the coach said. “That’s his character. I’m like, ‘Come on, Dawg, not right now. It’s not time to be the good guy right now. It’s time to put this game away.'”

North Dakota State got the ball back with 31 seconds remaining. Cam Miller launched a pass from his own 47 as time expired that was caught by Tyler Terhark 4 yards short of the end zone.

“You ever feel like you won but you didn’t win,” said Deion Sanders, whose team was a 10 1/2-point favorite. "Let’s move on from that. I’m going to try my best to hold back my anger. But we got a ‘W’ so I’m happy.”

The methodical play of the Bison in the first half helped keep Heisman Trophy hopeful Sanders and the Colorado offense on the sideline. But once Sanders got out there, he went to work.

Jimmy Horn Jr. had seven catches for 198 yards and a score while Hunter hauled in seven passes for 132 yards.

Hunter's acrobatic, 3-yard TD with a defensive back draped all over him gave Colorado a 31-20 lead with 7:57 left. He celebrated by spinning the ball and going into a dance. Hunter still had that much energy despite playing all night at cornerback, too.

The play of Hunter caught the attention of NBA great LeBron James, who wrote on social media: “MAN TRAVIS HUNTER IS RIDICULOUS!!!!! WOW.”

Like Sanders, Hunter's mentioned in Heisman conversations.

Sanders finished 26 of 34 with an interception and a passer rating of 219.4. He's now thrown for 955 yards and eight TDs in two openers at Colorado (he had 510 yards last season at TCU).

“It was cool,” Sanders said about his big night. “But every incompletion, it hurts me inside a little bit. I’m excited for the win, but (there are) definitely situations in that game I personally could’ve handled better.”

This version of the Buffaloes offense looked a whole lot like last season — terrifying passing game with virtually no ground attack (they were out-rushed 157-59). The overhauled offensive line allowed only one sack, but Sanders spent quite a bit of time scrambling around.

The Colorado defense remains a work in progress under new defensive coordinator Robert Livingston. Miller scored on a 20-yard scramble to make it 31-26 with 2:19. His pass on the two-point conversion was incomplete.

“There's nothing good about losing,” Miller said. “But I do feel like offensively and defensively, this is going to give us a lot of confidence.”

New North Dakota State coach Tim Polasek had his team on the cusp of an upset. The Bison led 20-17 at halftime with Miller orchestrating the offense to near perfection. He finished with two rushing TDs and threw for another. The Bison showed a national audience precisely why they are ranked No. 2 in the FCS preseason polls.

“The difference in the game comes down to they made a few more plays than we did,” Polasek said. “I really believe that.”

THE TAKEAWAY

North Dakota State: The Bison dropped to 9-5 against FBS opponents, including 3-2 against teams in the Big 12.

Colorado: The season finally arrived after an eventful summer for the Buffaloes that included Deion Sanders banning a Denver Post columnist indefinitely from asking questions.

UP NEXT

North Dakota State: Hosts Tennessee State a week from Saturday.

Colorado: At Nebraska next Saturday.

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

North Dakota State quarterback Cam Miller (7) celebrates a touchdown with tight end Joe Stoffel (82) against Colorado during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, in Boulder, Colo. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — If it seems like the Emmys just happened, you're not wrong.

The 76th Emmy Awards are Sunday, roughly nine months after the last celebration of the best television. Last year's Hollywood strikes delayed the show's 75th edition until January, when “Succession” and “The Bear” dominated the show.

“The Bear” will factor heavily in this weekend's show, but January's “Succession” celebration was for its final season, clearing the way for a new drama series winner.

Enter “Shogun.” The FX series about feudal Japan enters the show with 14 wins thanks to the Creative Arts Emmy ceremony last weekend. That makes it the record-holder for most wins for a single season, and it will likely extend that lead.

Here’s what you need to know about Sunday's Emmys, including how to watch and stream the red carpet and show, and who’s nominated.

The show begins at 8 p.m. Eastern and is being shown live on ABC, which is available with an antenna or through cable and satellite providers.

The Emmys can be streamed live through live TV streaming services that include ABC in their lineup, like Hulu+ Live TV, YouTube TV and FuboTV.

For those without the service, the show will be streaming Monday on Hulu.

Lots of folks from “Shogun,” including actor Néstor Carbonell. Maya Rudolph also won a trophy for her work on “Big Mouth,” and Jamie Lee Curtis claimed her first Emmy for her guest appearance on “The Bear.”

The Creative Arts Emmys honor many of the craft workers who make shows work, leaving the top prizes for Sunday's ceremony, which will be hosted by actors Eugene and Dan Levy.

The Emmys are watchable in dozens of countries. The Television Academy website has a handy list of broadcasters and in some instances, air times. You can access that at https://www.emmys.com/watch.

“Live from E!” will begin airing its red carpet coverage at 6 p.m. Eastern on the cable network E!. Laverne Cox, the first transgender person to receive an Emmy nomination, will host the coverage along with comedian Heather McMahan and E! News' Keltie Knight.

People magazine and Entertainment Weekly will also host a live red carpet show on their websites and YouTube, also starting at 6 p.m.

“Shogun” is the leading nominee with 25, while “The Bear” has 23, including best comedy series and best actor in a comedy series for Jeremy Allen White — both awards it won at January’s strike-delayed ceremony. Ayo Edebiri, who won best supporting actress in January, is nominated in the best comedy actress field this time.

“The Crown” with 19 nominations and “Hacks” with 16 each return to the Emmys after their own years off. Elizabeth Debicki is nominated for best supporting actress in a drama for playing Princess Diana, while Imelda Staunton is nominated for playing Queen Elizabeth II.

Two-time Academy Award winner Jodie Foster is a good bet to win her first Emmy as best actress in a limited or anthology series or TV movie for her role in “True Detective: Night Country.”

Reigning best supporting actor Oscar winner Robert Downey Jr. could also become a first-time Emmy winner. He’s up for best supporting actor in the limited series category for playing five different roles in “The Sympathizer.”

For a list of key Emmy nominees, check out the AP's list.

For more on this year’s Emmy Awards, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/emmy-awards

Nestor Carbonell with the award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for Shogun attends night two of the Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

This image released by FX shows Hiroyuki Sanada in a scene from "Shogun." (Katie Yu/FX via AP)

FILE - Eugene Levy, left, and Dan Levy appear at the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on Sept. 22, 2019. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - A crew member sweeps the stage during Press Preview Day for the 71st Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on Sept. 19, 2019. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)