BOULDER, Colo. – Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter exited the Buffaloes’ 31-28 loss to No. 18 Kansas State on Saturday night due to a right shoulder injury and did not return.

Hunter, a Heisman Trophy contender, appeared to suffer the injury on a hit by Kansas State safety Daniel Cobbs after hauling in a 14-yard reception in the second quarter. Hunter went to the locker room to have the injury evaluated and returned to the sideline early in the third quarter.

Head coach Deion Sanders had no update on Hunter’s injury afterward, saying there was no discussion during the second half about Hunter’s return to the game.

Hunter, a preseason All-American and projected first-round NFL draft pick, leads the Buffaloes with 587 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 49 catches. He also has 17 tackles, three pass breakups and two interceptions on defense. He played 23 snaps on offense and 21 on defense in the first half, recording three catches for 26 yards plus one tackle.

Hunter was one of four Buffs wide receivers to go down with an injury on Saturday. Jimmy Horn Jr., the team’s second-leading receiver with 347 yards this season, left the game in the second quarter due to an unspecified injury. Omarion Miller posted a team-high 145 receiving yards on eight catches, but also left due to injury, as did Terrell Timmons Jr.

“Certainly, losing Travis and Jimmy and others was huge because they are an essential part of our team, an essential part of our identity,” Sanders said. “They are an essential part of who we are. So that took a blow. That took a lot out of us.”

Despite these setbacks, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders threw for 388 yards and three touchdowns on 34 of 40 passing and led two touchdown drives in the fourth quarter to rally the Buffs from a 10-point fourth quarter deficit and put them in position for the program’s first home win over an AP Top 25 opponent since 2019.

Redshirt freshman backup Colton Hood replaced Hunter at cornerback and made a game-changing play late in the fourth quarter. Kansas State, leading by three with 4:07 to go, opted to go for it on fourth-and-6 from Colorado’s 31-yard line. Avery Johnson’s pass was deflected and intercepted by Hood, who returned it 59 yards. Two plays later, Shedeur Sanders connected with LaJohntay Wester for an 11-yard touchdown to seize the lead.

Kansas State took back the lead in just three plays, with a 34-yard catch and run by DJ Giddens, immediately followed by a 50-yard touchdown from Johnson to Jayce Brown. Giddens was responsible for 220 yards from scrimmage.

Shedeur Sanders had another chance to lead a winning drive, but was stopped on fourth down when a deep pass to Will Sheppard fell incomplete and the officials did not call defensive pass interference.

“I don’t know what ended up happening,” Deion Sanders said. “It looked like it was pass interference to me. But it was tough. I didn’t want to end up like that.”

Deion Sanders said he hoped to have Hunter and the Buffaloes’ injured players back soon, but wouldn’t rush them. The 4-2 Buffaloes hit the road next Saturday to take on 3-3 Arizona.

“Sometimes when you lose in life, it hits you and you just have to accept it,” he said. “But sometimes you lose and you say, ‘Damn, we should have won that. We should have had that.’ And that was one of those types of games. That doesn’t take anything away from our opponent, because they played their asses off and they are now in the locker room celebrating and having a good time. But for us, we just deserved it the feeling that we had let it slip.”