Colorado star Travis Hunter left the Buffaloes’ 31-28 loss to No. 18 Kansas State late in the second quarter on Saturday night after injuring his right shoulder while making a 14-yard catch.
Three other Colorado receivers also got hurt during the game: speedy Jimmy Horn Jr. (suspected ankle injury), Omarion Miller (left ankle), and Terrell Timmons Jr. (injury not specified).
Coach Deion Sanders did not have updates on any of the four players after the game, except to mention that Miller was wearing a walking boot.
“But I haven’t gotten an update on those young men,” Sanders said. “Hopefully they can get back at it, but we’re not going to rush them. Their safety and their health is much more important than this game.”
The injuries had a big effect in such a close match.
“Certainly losing Travis and Jimmy and the others was tremendous,” Sanders said. “Because they’re a vital part of our team, a vital part of our identity, they’re a vital part of who we are. That took a lot out of us. But other guys had the opportunity to step up, and they did.”
Shedeur Sanders still managed to throw for 388 yards and three touchdowns with one interception, completing 34 of 40 passes.
“I never thought four receivers would get hurt in one game. That’s just ridiculous,” the quarterback said. “But things happen. Life happens. So, we’ve just got to roll with it and do what we’ve got to do for next week.”
The Buffaloes (4-2, 2-1 Big 12) missed Hunter more on defense than on offense.
Without their star defensive back, Colorado allowed two touchdowns and a field goal on their first three defensive series, falling behind 24-14. With Hunter supporting his teammates from the sideline in the second half, Colorado managed to take a 28-24 lead with 3:12 left but then gave up a 50-yard touchdown less than a minute later. After that, their offense turned the ball over on downs.
Before his shoulder injury, Hunter was set for his usual heavy workload—around 124 snaps per game—having been on the field for all but one of Colorado’s first 45 combined offensive and defensive plays.
