Travis Hunter, a two-way sensation from Colorado, missed the second half of the Buffaloes’ 34-7 win over Arizona on Saturday. He was dressed in street clothes as the team emerged from the locker room after halftime.
He said Hunter aggravated the right shoulder injury he suffered against Kansas State last week Fox Sports reporter Allison Williams. However, Williams indicated that the decision to rest Hunter was more of a precaution, as Colorado went into halftime with a 28-7 lead.
Hunter entered the game as the No. 3 favorite for the Heisman Trophy after putting in big performances on both sides of the ball all season.
He was limited defensively on Saturday before leaving the game for good. Hunter had just one tackle in 13 plays on defense, while recording two catches for 17 yards in 41 plays on offense. Through seven games, he has 51 receptions for 604 yards with 19 tackles, two interceptions and one tackle for loss.
The Buffaloes will need him healthy in the coming weeks if they want to get into the Big 12 title race, as they face Cincinnati, Texas Tech and Utah in the coming weeks before finishing with Kansas and Oklahoma State.
Arizona gave Colorado a gift on the opening kickoff
Arizona and head coach Brent Brennan apparently thought they could catch Colorado off guard on the opening kickoff by attempting an onside kick. The decision backfired and set the Buffaloes on the path to a big win on Saturday.
Colorado recovered what turned out to be an 11-yard punt, allowing the Buffaloes to start their first possession at the Wildcats’ 46-yard line. It didn’t take long before they scored. Shedeur Sanders hit ahead of LaJohntay Wester a pass of 46 meters and Isaiah Augustave ran the ball in for a touchdown less than three minutes into the game.
The Wildcats quickly fell behind 14-0 in Colorado’s second offensive series. Wester caught two passes for 32 yards and then drew a pass interference penalty on Jack Lutrell to give Colorado first and goal at the 2-yard line. Sanders caught his first TD pass on a shovel throw to Drelon Miller.
Arizona closed the deficit to 14-7 on the next series, leading 75 yards in 10 plays. The ride was highlighted by a 24-yard run from QB Noah Fifitacausing Hunter to spin around on a left turn.
The Buffaloes pulled away with two touchdowns in the second quarter to take a 28-7 lead.
The first score came on a 16-yard pass to Will Sheppard, in which the senior receiver made a one-handed catch against tight coverage from cornerback Jai-Ayviauynn Celestine. Sheppard planted his left foot in the end zone before going out of bounds.
On their next possession, after a 36-yard punt from Michael Salgado-Medina and a 16-yard return from Jimmy Horn Jr, the Buffaloes only had to drive 31 yards for another score that came on a 6-yard run by Sanders.
Sanders finished with 250 yards passing and completed 23 of 33 throws with two TDS and two picks. Wester had eight receptions for 127 yards, while Augustave rushed for 53 yards and a score on 14 carries.
With the win, Colorado improved to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the Big 12. That ties them with Cincinnati for fourth place in the conference.
