Colorado place kicker Kevin Eberhart’s game-tying field goals were far enough and accurate enough. The only problem was neither of them counted.

Trailing by three, Colorado’s final drive was stopped in bounds with less than 10 seconds remaining on the Cyclones’ 33-yard line. The Buffaloes rushed their field goal unit on the field in hopes of a last-second field goal.

“Their kicker did a great job of trying to get that thing through,” said Cyclone coach Gene Chizik . “They did a good job of getting their field goal unit out there.”

What they didn’t do was get either of the snaps off correctly. With one second remaining, Eberhart drilled a 50-yard field goal through the uprights that would have sent the game into overtime.

After officials met on the field, the clock was stopped and Colorado was penalized for a delay of game. Referee Clete Blakeman said the delay of game was called on the Buffaloes for snapping the ball before they were ready to place it, taking them back five yards.

Colorado players scrapped together to get off another attempt, and center Justin Drescher snapped the ball after the whistle blew signaling the end of the game, as Eberhart connected on another field goal from 55-yards.

“The whistle was blown, I started the clock, and Colorado did not get the snap off prior to the clock expiring, because they only had one second,” Blakeman said.

That one second of confusion stemmed from the Buffaloes’ late-fourth-quarter drive down the field. Quarterback Cody Hawkins completed an 8-yard pass to tight end Tyson DeVree, who got out of bounds. Hawkins found DeVree again for a 1-yard pass but was unable to get out of bounds when Cyclones’ sophomore strong safety James Smith tackled him on Iowa State’s 33-yard line – which kept the clock going, starting the mayhem.

“We talk about we’ve got to keep him in bounds, try to get up as slow as we can, make sure we take time off the clock,” Smith said. “And that’s what we ended up doing.”

One play later, amid a clock running on its final ticks, Eberhart was lining up for his field-goal attempts. Chizik said he didn’t know whether to watch the clock or the snap.

“I knew the clock was ticking down and it was just one of those things I was hoping the clock would be out,” Chizik said. “Be gone.”

While the clock was completely off, players and coaches were trying to figure out the confusion. Sophomore defensive end Allen Bell said he even tried persuading Blakeman’s crew the game was over.

“I was yelling, ‘The game’s over, it’s over,’ trying to put my little two cents’ worth in,” Bell said. “Hopefully they were listening. That whole thing was super crazy at the end.”

After the game, Colorado coach Dan Hawkins said he was searching for answers to what happened in the final drive.

“I don’t know if I do have an understanding of what transpired at the end,” Hawkins said. “I will seek an explanation, but I don’t know right now. I’ve seen a lot of bizarre games, this might be close to the top.”

Top or not, Chizik said it was a game all 45,487 fans in attendance should have enjoyed.

“The fans stayed, and I think they got their money’s worth today,” Chizik said.