Colorado’s two-way star Travis Hunter signed off the regular season in style with a dominant performance on both sides of the ball as the Buffaloes demolished the Oklahoma State Cowboys 52-0 in Week 14 of college football action. Hunter registered 116 yards on 10 receptions and three touchdowns, adding one tackle, one interception, and two pass breakups on the defensive side of the ball.
Before the Denver Broncos defeated the Cleveland Browns 41-32, cornerback Pat Surtain II wore a “He12man” T-shirt with Hunter striking the Heisman pose during warmups, boldly campaigning for the Buffs star.
NFL Star Roots for Travis Hunter To Win the Heisman Trophy
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Joining Pat Surtain II in wearing the Travis Hunter “He12man” T-shirts was Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton who explained during his postgame news conference why he was rooting for the Colorado star to win the award.
“To see Travis Hunter doing what he’s been doing at Colorado, I mean, the kid is special,” Sutton said. “He is the epitome of an athlete. Shoot, he goes out there and plays 120 snaps a game offensively and defensively and he thrives on both sides of the ball. It’s fun to watch him play. Whenever they play, it’s like, ‘Alright, what did Travis Hunter do today? How many touchdowns did he have? How many interceptions did he have?”
Hunter was dominant on both sides of the ball and finished the regular season with 1,152 yards on 92 receptions resulting in 14 touchdowns, the most by a Colorado wide receiver in the program’s history. On the defensive side of the ball, he tallied 20 solo tackles, 11 passes defended, one forced fumble, and four interceptions.
Sutton further revealed that NFL players were quite invested in the Heisman Trophy race. “We have debates about this all the time in the locker room: Who’s going to win the Heisman? It’s just really hard to take it away from a guy who has been dominant — not just playing both sides of the ball, but has been dominant on both sides of the ball,” Sutton said.
“It’ll be a shame if the Heisman committee doesn’t take that into account. Not taking anything away from the other people who will be nominated, but it’s really hard to do what he’s been doing at a high level and knowing that teams are looking for him. Offensively, they’re trying to go out there to stop him at receiver and defensively, they’re like, ‘Alright, man, we can’t throw the ball at him’ and he’s still making plays.”
Hunter and the Buffaloes missed out on the Big 12 Championship Game despite a four-way tie at the top of the conference standings, and he will not get another chance to sway voters to his Heisman campaign. His main rival for the trophy, Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty, still has the Mountain West Conference Championship Game against the UNLV Rebels to sway a few more voters to his cause.