This story was originally published by Dead Spin
After defeating North Dakota State 31-26 on Thursday night, the Colorado Buffaloes were partying in the locker room with rapper BigXthaPlug.
But they should have been quietly gathering around star receiver and cornerback Travis Hunter, thanking him for his services.
It was a messy start for Colorado, to say the least. Penalties, a Shedeur Sanders injury scare, dirty hits, turnovers and boneheaded plays gave NDSU life throughout the first half. In fact, they looked like the better team for most of the game.
But Hunter was the most talented player on the field. A man amongst boys. He literally willed them to victory against a team that had upset on their minds.Â
A social media post called him the Shohei Ohtani of football due to his unique ability to be a lockdown cornerback and a stud receiver. That post might not be too far off.Â
He had seven receptions for 132 yards and three touchdowns. A defender smothered him during the third touchdown, but he still managed to come down with the football in the endzone, providing Colorado with some insurance late in the second half.
Colorado was -9.5 favorites in this game by most major sportsbooks. They did not cover that spread. But you could easily make a serious argument that they would not even have won that game without the heroics of Hunter, especially late in the game.
Coach Prime would have been outed as phony. The money invested through NIL would have been seen as a failure. Being upset on a national stage in Week 1 after last season’s implosion would have shown America that not much has changed in Boulder.
And maybe at some point, those conversations resurface. Maybe at their core, Colorado remains an undisciplined team full of social media warriors that lack the ability to get the job done on the field.
But for this week, they can thank Hunter for saving them from that reality. They can thank Hunter that the social media universe is running with clips of the postgame locker room concert (yes, that really happened despite the narrow victory), instead of running with chaotic headlines that their coach might be unfit to coach a legitimate program and their talent just is not as deep as what many had hoped for.
Hunter put all of that to rest. But he wasn’t acting alone. Despite an injury scare, Sanders was efficient passing the ball. He completed 76 percent of his passes for 445 yards, four touchdowns and just one interception. He was consistently under pressure but showed poise in the pocket, stepping up and delivering throws or evading pressure altogether.Â
Fellow receiver Jimmy Horn Jr. deserves some love, too. Seven catches for 198 (!!!) yards and a touchdown was one hell of a performance, and he looked to have some traits of an NFL receiver.
Maybe the bottom falls out on the Colorado Buffaloes at some point. But for now, thank Hunter and hope he continues to put this team on his back.
