Things were not supposed to turn this way! After all, Deion Sanders and Colorado Buffaloes were expected to rage the field on Saturday, October 19. While they did, it came with a cost. This time again, the Buffs’ dual-threat Travis Hunter fell prey to an injury. Well, till now, Colorado HC Deion Sanders had this strong belief that no matter what happens, his favorite Buff is going to fight it back. Sadly, now even Coach Prime isn’t quite sure about the two-way star. Meanwhile, what might be going wrong now that Hunter is getting sidelined so often by injuries?    

Deion and his army made the most use of Saturday’s match to get rid of the sorrow brought about by the loss against Kansas State on Week 7. And they have been lucky enough to flip their luck for the good. The Buffs crushed the Wildcats 34-7 at the Arizona Stadium in Tuscon. But the victory came with a serving of bad luck—the Buffs’ two-way sensation missing out on the second half of Saturday’s game. Hunter’s shoulder injury that he suffered during his play against Kansas State got aggravated. And guess what’s more sad? Now, even Deion’s hope tank is running empty. Post-game, Coach Prime said, “Sore and banged up. Travis wanted to play. I don’t know if he was quite 100 percent ready but half of Travis is a whole of somebody.”

He further added, “The first fade we threw to him, he couldn’t extend, go get it & he reacted late, that’s not Travis.” Deion turning away from Hunter? Oh no! God knows what more this 2024 season has to offer. 

While it sounds unbelievable, Hunter did put up one of his most embarrassing plays of the year. On first-and-25 from the Colorado 37-yard line, the Wildcats QB Noah Fifita rolled to his left attempting to make a pass. Hunter then came straight at him, only to get hit by the QB with a pump fake that reportedly broke the Buffs’ dual-threat’s ankles. As we wait for the injury updates, losing Deion’s trust has already shaken up Hunter’s Heisman hopes. 

Travis Hunter’s two-week decline

This is not the Hunter that the Buffs are used to seeing. Well, it was the 2nd straight week that he couldn’t finish the game. While he delivered two catches for 17 yards and a solo tackle on defense, USA Today’s Craigh Meyer chalked out his chart. Hunter’s production power and his rare ability to excel on both sides of the ball gave him easy access to the top of the Heisman Trophy favorite list. But not anymore.

As Meyer anticipates, “His lack of snaps the past two weeks, however, will likely put him further behind Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty.” Jeanty comes off with 1,248 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns in his team’s first six games this season. Even though Hunter might have an edge now that Boise State had their bye week, the Heisman voters are likely to have already been turned off by the Buffs’ dual-threat’s attitude. 

Travis Hunter also came off as pretty arrogant, lashing out at Ashton Jeanty on the Outta Pocket with RGIII podcast, despite his compromised position. “I mean y’all see Ashton Jeanty, it’s not like we haven’t seen a running back that’s good. We haven’t seen a player that plays both ways and I’m gonna keep saying that,” commented Hunter. Well, maybe he is upset about his injuries or it’s the sheer attitude of being at the top for a long time. Whatever it might be, he is probably going to be more bitter learning about his Heisman hopes to crash. 

Meanwhile, some important updates about NIL and the NFL await you. Go check out the latest episode of the Think Tank podcast.