Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter leaves the game against Kansas State with an apparent shoulder injury

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter left the Buffaloes' 31-28 loss to No. 18 Kansas State on Saturday night late in the second quarter after injuring his right shoulder on a 14-yarder -Reception too.

Three other Buffs receivers were injured in the game: speedster Jimmy Horn Jr. (apparent ankle), Omarion Miller (left ankle) and Terrell Timmons Jr. (unspecified).

Coach Deion Sanders didn't have an update on any of the four after the game, other than Miller was wearing a walking boot.

“But I didn’t learn anything about these young men,” Sanders said. “Hopefully they can do it again, but we won’t rush them. Their safety and their health are much more important than this game.”

The impact of their injuries was huge in such a close game.

“The loss of Travis, Jimmy and the others was certainly tremendous,” Sanders said. “Because they are an important part of our team, an important part of our identity, they are an important part of who we are. That demanded a lot from us. But other guys had the opportunity to step up and they did.”

Shedeur Sanders still threw for 388 yards and three touchdowns with one interception on 34 of 40 passing.

“I never thought four receivers would get hurt in one game. That’s just ridiculous,” the quarterback said. “But things happen. Life happens. So we’ve just got to go ahead and do what we need to do next week.”

The Buffaloes (4-2, 2-1 Big 12) missed Henry more on defense than offense.

The Buffaloes allowed two touchdowns and a field goal on their first three defensive series without their superstar defensive back and fell behind 24-14. With Hunter back on the sideline to support his teammates in the second half, Colorado rallied to take a 28-24 lead with 3:12 left, but then gave up a 50-yard touchdown less than a minute later . After that, their offense turned the ball over on downs.

Before suffering the shoulder injury, Hunter was on pace to get to his usual workload – a whopping 124 snaps per game – as he was on the field for all but one of Colorado's first 45 combined offensive and defensive snaps.

Injured during the play, Hunter picked off Shedeur Sanders' pass on a cross pattern for a 14-yard gain at midfield and ran at full speed to safety Daniel Cobbs. He kept the ball but signaled to the sideline that he needed a replacement. On the broadcast, ESPN said the medical team is examining Hunter's right shoulder.

Last season, Hunter missed three games with a ruptured liver after suffering a serious blow against Colorado State. But Hunter has rarely taken a snap this season and is in the thick of the Heisman Trophy race.

Hunter had three catches for 26 yards and a tackle Saturday night before his departure. That gave him 49 receptions for 587 yards and two touchdowns this season, as well as 16 tackles, two interceptions and a forced fumble on defense.

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