Colorado Buffaloes two-way superstar Travis Hunter returned from injury in Colorado’s stunning loss to Stanford in double overtime. Hunter had missed the last three games for Colorado after suffering a hit that gave him a lacerated liver in the Buffaloes win over Colorado State.
However, Hunter’s return proved to be a double-edged sword for Colorado in their loss to Stanford.
Did Travis Hunter Return To Play Too Soon?
Hunter’s ability to play both wide receiver and cornerback at a high level is nothing short of astounding. He is an electrifying talent on both sides of the ball, and as a receiver, he diced up Stanford all game.
MORE: When Is Travis Hunter Eligible for the NFL Draft
Hunter finished with 13 catches for 140 yards and two touchdowns on the day. Head coach Deion Sanders said after the game that “the plays he [Hunter] made kept us in the game.”
As good as Hunter’s offensive performance was against Colorado, his defensive performance was a letdown in comparison. This came as a shock for many, as defensive back has been his best position so far this season.
Yet, against Stanford, Hunter was charged with allowing 11 catches for 158 yards and two touchdowns. Against Stanford wide receiver Elic Ayomanor, Hunter allowed 133 yards and two touchdowns. Those two touchdowns were the first he had allowed since the season-opener against TCU — giving him just three touchdowns allowed this season.
Hunter was in coverage on the touchdown that sent the game to its second overtime, where Ayomanor caught the touchdown pass on top of Hunter (no, really, on top of Hunter).
Hunter had also only ever allowed one 100-yard game in his career prior to last night. He had never allowed a multi-touchdown game before in college.
This begs the question: Did Hunter come back too soon? Lacerated livers can take months to heal from, depending on the severity of the injury. It was an uncharacteristic performance defensively from Hunter in his first game back.
MORE: FREE Mock Draft Simulator With Trades
However, Hunter might have also just been on the receiving end of one of the best single-game performances in recent memory — Ayomanor finished the game with 13 catches for 294 yards and three scores.
I am willing to grant that Ayomanor played an excellent game. He and Stanford quarterback Ashton Daniels were totally in sync and virtually unstoppable that game, and Ayomanor set the Stanford record for receiving yards in a game. On a late Friday night kickoff, I am more than willing to say it could have just been the magic of a Pac-12 After Dark game, and Hunter got the short end of that stick.
His offensive performance was great, even with the injury noted above. There was zero cause for concern on that side, which was partly why I was willing to grant him a pass on the day. Hunter also only allowed 28 yards to his other four matchups in that game on seven targets, highlighting Ayomanor’s performance even further.
Yet, Hunter also had his first missed tackles of the season with three. If you can believe it, last night was the first time Hunter had been charged with a missed tackle in his career, and he missed three of them. That’s where the cause for concern pops up.
Colorado entered the game 4-2 with two wins needed for a bowl game and a week before their bye week. Hunter’s desire to play is well-documented, and it’s hard to fault a player for wanting to play. However, with the bye week coming up, why rush him out for Stanford and then have him combine for over 100 snaps on both sides of the ball fresh off an injury?
Hunter might have been healthy enough to play, but we know what he looks like playing at 100 percent. That wasn’t what we saw out of Hunter against Stanford. As talented as he is as a receiver, Colorado needs him as a lockdown corner this season if they want to make a bowl game. Is this defensive performance just a one-game fluke or a cause for concern moving forward for Colorado? We’ll find out.