Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter did not play in the second half of Saturday's 34-7 victory over Arizona as a preventative measure.
The Heisman Trophy contender sustained a shoulder injury against Kansas State last Saturday and sat out the second half of the Buffaloes' 31-28 loss. Hunter caught two passes for 17 yards at wide receiver and recorded one tackle at cornerback in the first half against Arizona, playing 41 snaps on offense but only 13 on defense.
"Sore and banged up," coach Deion Sanders said after the game of Hunter. "Travis wanted to play. I don't know if he was quite 100-percent ready, but a half of Travis is a whole of somebody. So you got to understand, it affects us on two sides of the ball. But he went out there and showed face and tried his best to do what he's capable of doing."
After Colorado took a 28-7 lead into halftime in Tucson, Hunter emerged from the locker room in street clothes to start the second half.
Sanders said Hunter couldn't extend his body to reach the first fade pass thrown to him during the game, so the team decided to exercise caution.
"I said, 'Man, that's not you. What are you doing? Are you OK?'" Sanders said. "And he didn't want to come off the field, you know how he is. But I'm proud of him. The kid is phenomenal. He's a competitor and he just wanted to play."
Sanders said Hunter did not practice "much or if any" during the week.
Hunter leads all FBS players in snaps played this season and ranked third in the Big 12 in receiving yards entering Saturday, with 49 receptions for 587 yards and six touchdowns.