"Colorado's Travis Hunter suffered a shoulder injury during the game against Kansas State."

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

Hunter, a leading Heisman Trophy contender, appeared to get hurt after a hard hit from Kansas State safety Daniel Cobbs following a 14-yard reception in the second quarter. He headed to the locker room for evaluation and returned to the sideline early in the third quarter, though he didn’t re-enter the game.

Afterward, head coach Deion Sanders provided no update on Hunter’s injury and said there was no discussion of Hunter returning to play in the second half.

Hunter, a preseason All-American and projected first-round NFL draft pick, has been a standout for Colorado, leading the team with 587 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 49 receptions. Defensively, he has 17 tackles, three pass breakups, and two interceptions. Before his exit, he played 23 snaps on offense and 21 on defense, catching three passes for 26 yards and recording one tackle.

The Buffaloes suffered multiple injuries at the wide receiver position, with three other receivers leaving the game. Jimmy Horn Jr., Colorado's second-leading receiver with 347 yards this season, exited in the second quarter with an unspecified injury. Omarion Miller, who led the team with 145 receiving yards on eight catches, also left due to injury, as did Terrell Timmons Jr.

"Losing Travis, Jimmy, and the others was a huge blow. They're vital to our team and our identity," Sanders said. "It took a lot out of us."

Despite these setbacks, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders delivered a stellar performance, throwing for 388 yards and three touchdowns while completing 34-of-40 passes. He led two fourth-quarter touchdown drives, rallying the Buffaloes from a 10-point deficit and positioning them for their first home win over a ranked team since 2019.

Redshirt freshman Colton Hood stepped in at cornerback for Hunter and made a key play late in the fourth quarter. With Kansas State up by three and facing a fourth-and-6 from Colorado's 31-yard line, Hood intercepted Avery Johnson’s deflected pass and returned it 59 yards. Shedeur Sanders capitalized on the turnover by connecting with LaJohntay Wester for an 11-yard touchdown, giving Colorado the lead.

However, Kansas State quickly regained control, scoring in just three plays, highlighted by a 50-yard touchdown pass from Johnson to Jayce Brown. Kansas State running back DJ Giddens was a major factor, accumulating 220 yards from scrimmage.

Shedeur Sanders had one last chance to lead a game-winning drive, but his deep pass to Will Sheppard fell incomplete on fourth down, with no defensive pass interference called.

"I’m not sure what happened at the end. It looked like pass interference to me," Deion Sanders said. "But that’s football."

Sanders expressed hope that Hunter and the injured players would return soon but emphasized he would not rush their recoveries. The 4-2 Buffaloes face a road test against 3-3 Arizona next week.

"Sometimes in life, you lose, and you just have to take it," Sanders said. "But sometimes you lose and think, ‘We should’ve had that one.’ This was one of those games. Credit to Kansas State—they played their hearts out and deserved the win, but we felt like we let it slip away."