Injured Heisman Candidate Set to Return on Saturday Against Arizona Wildcats
The Arizona Wildcats' path back to the win column may be more challenging than they anticipated this coming Saturday.
After a disappointing loss to the BYU Cougars last weekend, the Wildcats will now turn their attention to another Big 12 rival, the Colorado Buffaloes. The team from Boulder is also coming off a loss on Saturday, falling to the Kansas State Wildcats in a close 31-28 game.
Colorado’s star player on both sides of the football, Travis Hunter, left the contest in the middle of the second quarter after taking a hard hit. It was later reported he was dealing with a shoulder injury and did not return to the game. Hunter was one of three Colorado receivers who left the contest against Kansas State last week.
However, it appears the Heisman contender will be back in action this week at Arizona Stadium. According to Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders, Hunter “should play, for certain” in Week 8 against the Wildcats.
The two-way player currently leads Colorado in receiving with 587 yards on 49 receptions and six touchdowns. He is also tied for the lead on the other side of the football with two interceptions while acting as the team’s top cornerback.
Nobody else in college football is doing what Hunter does, especially at such a high level. He is an impact player who completely changes how Colorado should be schemed against if he is on the field.
Before his shoulder injury last Saturday, Hunter had been on the field for 92% of the Buffaloes' plays on both offense and defense. He has played 663 snaps so far this season.
For context, no other player in FBS has played more than 500 snaps on the year.
With Hunter on the field, Arizona can expect a "primetime" matchup between two future first-round picks in next year’s NFL draft.
Wildcats wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan will surely be forced to line up head-to-head against the Colorado star for the majority of the contest. Hunter has yet to allow a touchdown pass when in coverage this season.
The Wildcats (3-3, 1-2) will host the Buffs for their first conference game against each other as Big 12 members at 4 pm ET.
Arizona is 4-2 against Colorado inside their home stadium.
