Colorado’s Travis Hunter will be out 3 weeks after taking an illegal hit against Colorado State

Colorado star Travis Hunter will be out three weeks after taking a hit in Saturday’s win over Colorado State, Buffaloes coach Deion Sanders said. told 247 Sports Monday. Here’s what you need to know:

• Hunter left the game after receiving a late hit from Colorado State defensive back Henry Blackburn in the first quarter.
• Hunter initially stayed on the field and received attention from the coaches. He was then transported to hospital for further evaluation.
• Over the next three weeks, Colorado will face Oregon, USC and Arizona State.

Henry Blackburn was assessed a personal foul after this late hit against Travis Hunter. pic.twitter.com/0avKi1erLU

–ESPN (@espn) September 17, 2023

AthleticismInstant analysis of:

Colorado’s offense can continue without Hunter

Colorado’s offense can withstand the blow of losing Hunter, thanks to a deep and fast group of wide receivers who can pick up the slack and did so against Colorado State. USF transfers Xavier Weaver and Jimmy Horn Jr. thrived in Colorado’s offense this season and the Buffaloes were the first team since UCF in 1998 to have four players accumulate 140 receiving yards each during their first two matches.

Hunter was among them, but quarterback Shedeur Sanders spread the ball around and didn’t rely heavily on any one receiver. Hunter was the most talented of the group, but Colorado’s receivers have shown the ability to get open under and over defenses through three games, and even without Hunter’s production, the passing offense still ranks in the top 15 nationally. -Ubben

But will the defense struggle without him?

This is the worst possible time for Colorado’s defense to be without its best corner. He struggled to slow down Colorado State and TCU’s offenses, even with Hunter, and now faces two offenses that rank in the top five in passing yards per game over the next two weeks: at Oregon and at home against USC.

USC, led by Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, ranks sixth nationally in yards per attempt (11.3) and Oregon’s Bo Nix leads the nation’s No. 2 offense. No. 1? It’s USC.

Only 10 teams have allowed more passing touchdowns than the Buffaloes this season and they rank 109th nationally in yards per play allowed. Now, the defense finds itself without its best player. Colorado’s offense will need to score big points to beat or even stay competitive against USC and Oregon, two of the favorites to win the Pac-12 this season. -Ubben

Pass

Hunter plays both wide receiver and cornerback for the Buffs. He followed Deion Sanders from Jackson State to Colorado this winter.

After Colorado’s 43-35 double-overtime victory, Sanders told reporters that Hunter would be out “for a few weeks.”

“We’re going to do what we have to do to take care of him,” Sanders said during his news conference. “So I know Travis like a book, he’ll probably want to be out for two weeks, but we have to make sure his health is more important than this game.”

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(Photo: Ron Chenoy / USA Today)