BOULDER – You could accuse Coach Prime of running CU football the way your fraternity brother runs his Dynasty mode on EA Sports’ College Football 25.

But can you blame the guy who is on the cover of the video game?

Travis Hunter 38, Baylor 31.

Feed 12.

Trust 12.

Find 12.

The bears couldn’t.

Travis Hunter 38, Baylor 31.

Hunter’s game-ending forced fumble gave CU a win in its first Big 12 game in 14 years, and sent the homecoming crowd streaming onto Folsom Field before the inevitable happened.

“The game is not over yet!” shouted the stadium announcer.

“The piece is being examined!”

“Please stop jumping around on the field!”

They didn’t.

And the party had just begun.

Baylor gave up an inch. CU quarterback Shedeur Sanders picked up a mile.

Travis Hunter 38, Baylor 31.

Hunter (seven catches, 130 yards) begged, no, screamed, for the Buffs to pass him the ball. Sanders complied with his request.

The Bears had about three chances to beat CU for good. Baylor returned a Mark Vassett punt to the hosts’ 26-yard line with 4 minutes left, leading 31-24. The CU defense held firm and the football gods smiled on Coach Prime. On a wet field with a wet ball, Bears kicker Isaiah Hankins fired a 46-yard field goal attempt with 2:19 left that would have put the Hunter and Shedeur Magic Show within a 10-point deficit. Wide right.

After two disappointing – to put it kindly – drives in which they managed a total of 27 yards on 13 plays, the Buffs went back to work. Shedeur Sanders recovered a potential sack fumble on first down at his own 45-yard line with 1:48 left. Then he ran 17 yards on second-and-24 from his own 31-yard line. On third-and-10 from the Baylor 43-yard line, the coach’s son rolled left and threw a prayer to Wester, who picked up the ball in the end zone.

Who leaves La’Johntay Wester in 1-on-1 coverage on a Hail Mary?

Where would the Buffs be without Hunter, who almost single-handedly brought CU back into the lead in the second half?

Offensive Line? Coach Deion Sanders changed his starting lineup in the game to find a combination that wouldn’t make his son run for his life.

Special teams? The Buffs allowed a 54-yard punt return in the first quarter. And a 100-yard kick return in the second quarter that resulted in a point.

Defense? CU D held off Baylor on its first two possessions of the second half and held on the entire time.

After putting the Buffs under pressure in the first quarter, Baylor coach Dave Aranda didn’t let up. On fourth-and-2 at the CU 45 with 4:19 left before halftime, the Bears, leading 17-10, threw caution to the wind and let speedy QB Sawyer Robertson keep the game. He found a gap behind the left guard and spun forward for the first down, which was bad enough. Suddenly, all the ghosts of the 2023 CU defense, your least welcome homecoming guests, returned on one play. A Buffs safety, Carter Stoutmire, charged in but somehow managed to completely throw both himself and another safety, Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig, out of the game with one leap. Inside linebacker Nakhai Hill-Green rowed as Robertson raced by, but couldn’t win the race, and a short gain turned into a 45-yard touchdown run that thrilled the crowd. And a 23-10 lead for Baylor.

Meanwhile, Shedeur Sanders was performing Houdini tricks all night long. On second-and-11 from his own 21-yard line with 1:54 left in the second quarter, No. 2 escaped a sure sack on the right side, turned into daylight, cut back to the left, ran diagonally to the left boundary and somehow turned a sure 8-yard loss into a 14-yard run.

Three players later, the Buffs signal-caller pulled out the Harry Porter wand again. On a third-and-3 attempt at the CU 42, the younger Sanders spun out of a reach-in-arm tackle by Baylor linebacker Steve Linton, ran backwards to the right to create space, then lined up and fired a laser at wideout Omarion Miller, who secured the ball at the Baylor 35. Eight times out of 10, the play would have ended there. But Miller’s knees and shins didn’t appear to touch the ground on the tackle by Bears defensive lineman Corey Gordon Jr., so the Buffs wideout kept his legs moving, got up and sprinted the rest of the way to the end zone to bring the hosts within one point. A replay review confirmed Miller’s decision to keep the play going.