Colorado coach Deion Sanders said defensive back/wide receiver Travis Hunter should play more against Cincinnati than against Arizona.
Hunter only played the first half for the second straight week after suffering a right shoulder injury against Kansas State. Hunter did not return for the second half of the game against K-State after the hit, and did not dress for the second half of Colorado’s win over Arizona in Week 8 after aggravating the injury in the first half.
“Travis is better than last week,” Sanders said. “I think he will be more productive because he feels much better than last week. You can just see it in his little giddy and the way he goes through life. A little more pep in his step today. I think he did some conditioning today to make sure he’s on top of his fitness because he never gets tired and we want to keep that the way it is. But I think he will definitely contribute a lot more than he did a week ago because he is healthier.”
Hunter played just 13 defensive snaps in the first half against Arizona as Colorado appeared to limit his playing time. He appeared in 41 offensive snaps and had two catches for 17 yards.
Hunter’s ability to be Colorado’s best player on both offense and defense is a big reason why he is still the No. 4 favorite for the Heisman Trophy despite only starting in two of Colorado’s last two games. played halves of football. However, if he is limited by the shoulder injury for the foreseeable future, his Heisman chances will continue to decline. Hunter is still Colorado’s leading receiver with 51 catches for 604 yards and six touchdowns. He also has 18 total tackles with two interceptions and three passes defended.
Cincinnati and Colorado enter Saturday night’s game in a four-way tie for third place in the Big 12 at 3-1 in the conference. BYU and Iowa State are 4-0 atop the Big 12 and Kansas State, Texas Tech, Cincinnati and Colorado are all a game back.
