According to the ESPN broadcast, Colorado's two-way star Travis Hunter was rushed to a nearby hospital during the Buffaloes' 43-35 victory over Colorado State on Saturday night. Following first-year coach Deion Sanders from Jackson State, Hunter, a wide receiver and cornerback for the No. 18 Buffs, made an early impression on the Heisman Trophy race with his performance in the season's first two games.
In the first quarter of the game, Colorado State safety Henry Blackburn hit Hunter hard while he was playing wide receiver. Hunter stayed down on the field to receive treatment from trainers. Blackburn received a point for unneeded roughness. After the hit, Hunter eventually came back into the game and made a tackle in the second quarter before permanently exiting.
Although it was unclear right away whether Blackburn's hit was to blame for Hunter's withdrawal, it provided an early flashpoint in a match that was already tense. Shedeur Sanders, the quarterback for Colorado, confronted Blackburn after the collision to defend Hunter.
Hunter, the top overall talent in the Class of 2022, shocked the college football world by selecting Jackson State and Sanders over Florida State, breaking a long-standing commitment. Sanders, who played both offense and defense during his collegiate football career, and he have grown close.
While Sanders has emphasized that he is particularly well-suited to manage Hunter's workload given his expertise in a similar role, Hunter's endurance as a two-way player who logs 100 or more snaps per game has come into doubt.
Hunter left the game and sought medical attention, but it wasn't immediately clear if Blackburn's hit was to blame. Nevertheless, the play was one of many that demonstrated how intense the intrastate rivalry game was, with Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders confronting Blackburn to defend his teammate.
When Colorado signed Deion Sanders as its head coach, Hunter was one of the important players the school added to the transfer portal. He chose to follow the coach to the Buffaloes for this season after pledging to Sanders as a five-star, top-ranked cornerback prospect at Jackson State.
