12th man: Refs totally saved Colorado from North Dakota State upset

It wouldn't be the start of a college football season if the Colorado Buffaloes weren't involved in a thrilling game with a dramatic ending.

The Buffaloes survived a late surge from the North Dakota State Bison to win 31-26. Depending on who you ask, they had some help from a very influential 12th man to do it.

Just have a look at this play and ask yourself if a flag should have flown for targeting?

Colorado can thank the refs for helping them avoid an embarrassing upset

Bison quarterback Cam Miller hit Braylon Henderson for a 19-yard gain to the NDSU 47-yard line as the clock ticked down. Henderson took a shot to the helmet, but the refs kept the flag in their pocket.

If laundry had flown, the Bison would have moved up 32-yard line with time on the clock to take some shots into the endzone.

Even then, the clock operator might have been a 13th man because the clock started early following that first down gain, before the ball was spotted. NDSU lost a handful of valuable seconds. Those only looked more important as Miller completed a pass to the 4-yard line as time expired.

Deion Sanders and company got away with one on Thursday night. They were ripe for the taking and barely got out with the W.

To be fair, both sides will have their complaints about the referees in this one. Some felt Shedeur Sanders was hit in the helmet on an early play. There was also suspicion of a missed false start on a key Colorado third down.

It's unfortunate the refs had any role to play in this one, but that's the sad fact of college football (and all sports really). The refs get it wrong sometimes and one team or another pays for it.

The Buffaloes won their first game since October of last year by surviving the Bison. After struggling to put an FCS team away, they'll have to be on alert next week when they take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Lincoln.