Colorado’s star cornerback and wide receiver Travis Hunter left the Buffaloes’ game against Kansas State before halftime with a shoulder injury and watched from the sideline without a helmet as the Buffaloes suffered their first Big 12 loss, 31-28.

Hunter appeared to have sustained the injury on offense after Wildcats safety Daniel Cobbs hit him in the right shoulder. Hunter went to the locker room and returned to the sideline in uniform, but did not play the rest of the night. Head coach Deion Sanders told reporters that Hunter was “just there to support his team” in the second half and never thought about returning to the field. Sanders did not provide an update on Hunter’s condition during his postgame press conference.

The dual-threat standout finished his night with three receptions for 26 yards and a tackle on defense. Hunter, widely considered a Heisman favorite alongside Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, has 587 receiving yards and six touchdowns this year, along with 16 tackles and a forced fumble, and has remained healthy through the first five games of the season despite suffering an unprecedented shoulder loss Workload. He had played 44 of the game’s first 45 snaps before exiting with the injury: 21 on defense and 23 on offense.

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Travis Hunter tracker: An injury knocks the Colorado star out of the game against Kansas State early

Colorado pushed No. 18 Kansas State to its limits despite losing Hunter and two other key receivers, Jimmy Horn and Omarion Miller. The latter had eight catches for 145 yards before exiting in the fourth quarter with an apparent leg injury. The Buffs rallied from a 21-7 deficit in the third quarter to take their first lead of the second half with 3:12 to play after Colton Hood’s long interception return against Wildcats quarterback Avery Johnson put Colorado in the red zone. But on the ensuing drive, Johnson recovered by throwing Jayce Brown over the top of the Colorado defense for a 50-yard touchdown.

The Buffaloes (4-2, 2-1) travel to Arizona next week and then host Cincinnati in October.

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(Photo: Christopher Hanewinckel / USA Today)