BOULDER, Colo. (AP) – Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter left the Buffaloes’ 31-28 loss to No. 18 Kansas State late in the second quarter Saturday night after injuring his right shoulder on a 14-yard reception.

Three other Buffs receivers were injured during the game: speedster Jimmy Horn Jr. (apparent ankle), Omarion Miller (left ankle) and Terrell Timmons Jr. (not specified).

Coach Deion Sanders had no update on any of the four after the game, other than Miller was in walking boots.

“But I haven’t gotten an update on those young men,” Sanders said. “Hopefully they can get back into it, but we’re not going to rush them. Their safety and their health are much more important than this game.”

The impact of their injuries was enormous in such a close match.

“The loss of Travis, Jimmy and the others was certainly huge,” Sanders said. “Because they are an essential part of our team, an essential part of our identity, they are an essential part of who we are. That asked a lot of us. But other guys had the opportunity to take it a step further and they did.”

Shedeur Sanders still threw for 388 yards and three touchdowns with one interception on 34-of-40 passing.

“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 just have to get on with it and do what we have to do next week.

The Buffaloes (4-2, 2-1 Big 12) missed Henry more on defense than on offense.

The Buffaloes allowed two touchdowns and a field goal in their first three defensive series without their superstar defensive back, falling behind 24-14. With Hunter back on the sideline for the second half in support of his teammates, Colorado rallied for a 28-24 tie with 3:12 to go, only to give up a 50-yard touchdown less than a minute later. Then their offense turned the ball over on downs.

Before suffering the shoulder injury, Hunter was on pace for his usual workload – as many as 124 snaps per game – while being on the field for all but one of Colorado’s first 45 combined offensive and defensive snaps.

Injured on the play, Hunter hauled in Shedeur Sanders’ pass on a crossing pattern for a 14-yard gain at midfield and ran at full speed toward safety Daniel Cobbs. He held the ball, but signaled on the sideline that he needed a substitution. During the broadcast, ESPN said the medical team was evaluating Hunter’s right shoulder.

Last season, Hunter missed three games with a lacerated liver after taking a hard hit against Colorado State. But Hunter has rarely performed well this season and is in the thick of the Heisman Trophy race.

Hunter had three catches for 26 yards and one tackle before leaving on Saturday night. That gave him 49 receptions for 587 yards and two touchdowns on the season, along with 16 tackles, two interceptions and a forced fumble on defense.

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