Colorado’s star cornerback and wide receiver Travis Hunter left the Buffaloes’ game against Kansas State before halftime with a shoulder injury and watched from the sideline without a helmet as the Buffaloes suffered their first Big 12 loss, 31-28.

Hunter appeared to suffer the injury on offense, following a hit to his right shoulder by Wildcats safety Daniel Cobbs. Hunter entered the locker room and returned to the sideline in uniform, but did not play the rest of the evening. Head coach Deion Sanders told reporters that Hunter was “just there to support his team” in the second half and that his return to the field was never considered. Sanders did not provide an update on Hunter’s condition during his post-game press conference.

The dual-threat standout finished his night with three receptions for 26 yards plus a tackle on defense. Widely considered a Heisman favorite alongside Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, Hunter has 587 receiving yards and six touchdowns on the year, along with 16 tackles and a forced fumble, and had remained healthy through the first five games of the season despite his shoulder problems. an unprecedented workload. He had played 44 of the game’s first 45 snaps before leaving with the injury: 21 on defense and 23 on offense.

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Travis Hunter tracker: Injury pushes Colorado star out of Kansas State game early

Colorado pushed No. 18 Kansas State to the limit despite losing Hunter and two other key receivers, Jimmy Horn and Omarion Miller, the latter of whom had eight catches for 145 yards before leaving in the fourth quarter with an apparent leg injury. The Buffs fought back from a 21-7 deficit in the third quarter and took their first lead of the second half with 3:12 to play after Colton Hood’s long interception return to Wildcats quarterback Avery Johnson put Colorado in the red zone. But Johnson bounced back on the ensuing drive by finding Jayce Brown over the top of the Colorado defense for a 50-yard touchdown.

The Buffaloes (4-2, 2-1) travel to Arizona next week and host Cincinnati to close out October.

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(Photo: Christopher Hanewinckel / USA Today)