The Colorado Buffaloes have been placed in the national spotlight, and wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter has been a huge reason why. He has been a star playing on both sides of the ball and has gotten some Heisman Trophy consideration, but will be forced to miss some time.
Coach Deion Sanders tells me that Travis Hunter will be out for 3 weeks.
— Carl Reed Jr. (@CoachReedLive) September 18, 2023
Hunter was injured in the first half of the game on Saturday night against the Colorado State Rams, where he was hit by a Rams safety Henry Blackburn, after the play. He returned to the game later before being transported to a hospital, but the specific injury was not announced.
This is going to essentially knock Hunter out of the Heisman race, as that is a significant amount of time to miss and still put up numbers. It will be interesting to see if Deion Sanders holds him out for a little while or limits him from playing both sides of the football going forward.
How will the Colorado Buffaloes play without Travis Hunter?
This Colorado Buffaloes team is currently ranked 19th in the nation with a 3-0 record. They begin their Pac-12 Conference schedule this week, and they face tough opponents with Hunter not in the lineup. The three games without Hunter will be on the road against the 10th-ranked Oregon Ducks, home against the fifth-ranked USC Trojans, and on the road against the Arizona State Sun Devils.
These teams are a combined 7-2 this season and will be difficult to deal with without one of the top players in the entire nation. Travis Hunter has one interception, two pass deflections, and nine total tackles defensively while having 16 receptions for 213 yards (13.3 yards per catch) as a receiver.
The Buffaloes do have other talented receivers, notably Xavier Weaver and Jimmy Horn Jr. The issue will be more on the defensive side of the football, as Hunter is their top cornerback on the roster. The defensive minds of head coach Deion Sanders and defensive coordinator Charles Kelly will need to figure out schemes to dominate against some of the toughest offenses in college football going forward with a top playmaker.
Expect the Buffaloes to go 1-2 in these games, as they are going to struggle against both USC and Oregon but should easily handle Arizona State. Colorado is good, but not beating the top 10 programs good as currently constructed.
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