Colorado two-way superstar Travis Hunter is likely to play Saturday at Arizona despite getting knocked out of his last game with a right shoulder injury against Kansas State, Colorado football coach Deion Sanders said Tuesday
‘Travis should play for certain on Saturday,’ Sanders said at his weekly news conference in Boulder.
The news is a big boost not just for the Buffaloes (4-2) but also the Heisman Trophy candidacy of Hunter. He is considered one of the best players in college football and had been ranked as one of the top two favorites to win the award before the injury, according BetMGM.
Hunter suffered the injury in the second quarter of Colorado’s 31-28 loss Saturday night at home against Kansas State. It came when he caught a 14-yard pass as a receiver and got hit on the right shoulder by the helmet of Kansas State safety Daniel Cobbs.
Colorado’s other wide receiver injuries
Sanders also gave an update on other players who were injured against Kansas State, all receivers, but didn’t specify the nature of their injuries or Hunter’s.
∎ Receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. is likely to play at Arizona (3-3). He is Colorado’s second-leading receiver behind Hunter with 26 catches for 347 yards.
∎ Receiver Omarion Miller appears to be out for the season after being helped off the field in the fourth quarter against Kansas State. Sanders indicated he had surgery recently and said he was proud of him. Miller is essentially Colorado’s fifth receiver and has 10 catches for 216 yards.
∎ Another receiver, Terrell Timmons, a transfer from North Carolina State, is probably out, Sanders said.
In their absence, two other transfer players are expected to have even bigger roles at receiver: Will Sheppard (Vanderbilt) and LaJohntay Wester (Florida Atlantic).
Hunter leads the team with 49 catches for 587 yards. His absence Saturday was huge for Colorado. After getting hit on the shoulder, Hunter took himself out of the game and never returned as Kansas State mounted three straight scoring drives without him playing cornerback on defense.
‘When you lose Travis, you lose two players,’ Colorado safety Shilo Sanders said Tuesday.
Shilo Sanders addresses his game Saturday
Hunter’s return comes as Colorado prepares to face one of the nation’s top receivers: Tetairoa McMillan of Arizona, who ranks third nationally in receiving yards per game with 123.7. To keep him bottled up, the Buffaloes also will need better play from Shilo Sanders, who was criticized by his father and coach last Saturday for his ‘horrible’ play against Kansas State.
Shilo Sanders missed tackles and slipped at times against the Wildcats but was playing with a broken forearm and hadn’t played in the previous three games because of the injury. Shilo, a graduate student, is playing his last year of college eligibility after leading the team in tackles last year.
‘This is my last season, so … this has to be my biggest season,’ Shilo Sanders said.
He said he worked to get back from the injury and then ‘you have the worst game of your life.’ He acknowledged he played ‘horrible.’
‘It’s really disappointing for me, especially the fans,’ Shilo Sanders said. ‘I’ve been seeing everybody turn on me and stuff like that, but I’m not really worried about none of that.’
Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com
