There's a new public enemy No. 1 in Boulder.
Colorado stayed undefeated on the 2023 NCAA season, improving to 3-0 after a double overtime victory against in-state rival Colorado State on Saturday night. However the win came at a cost, as two-way star Travis Hunter was hurt during the first quarter of the contest and ultimately was taken to the hospital.
Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders said after the game that he expects Hunter to be out "a few weeks."
"First thing I’ve heard is he will be out a few weeks, but we gotta take care of him," Sanders said. "He’ll probably want to be out two weeks but his health is more important than the game."
MORE: Latest injury updates on Colorado star Travis Hunter
Hunter's injury stemmed from a controversial hit early in the contest. It was a play that was penalized, but did not result in an ejection like some thought it deserved, including NBA star LeBron James and former NFL lineman J.J. Watt.
Who hit Travis Hunter?
Colorado State safety Henry Blackburn delivered the late hit to Hunter during the Buffaloes' double-overtime win over their in-state rivals.
In the first quarter, Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders tried to find his wide receiver along the sidelines for a completion, but he overthrew Hunter. Despite Hunter not coming up with the grab, Blackburn lowered his shoulder into the Colorado two-way star at least one to two seconds after the ball landed incomplete in front of Hunter.
Henry Blackburn was assessed a personal foul after this late hit on Travis Hunter. pic.twitter.com/0avKi1erLU
— ESPN (@espn) September 17, 2023
Blackburn was hit with a 15-yard personal foul penalty. Hunter was taken out of the game, and the Buffaloes would go on to score their first offensive touchdown of the night later in the drive.
Why wasn't Henry Blackburn ejected for hit on Travis Hunter?
Because Blackburn did not receive a targeting penalty for his hit on Hunter, he was not ejected from the game. The play was ruled on the field as a personal foul for unnecessary roughness, which is a 15-yard penalty and an automatic first down.
According to the NCAA rulebook, this is what is defined as targeting:
No player shall target and make forcible contact against an opponent with the crown of their helmet. The crown of the helmet is the top segment of the helmet; namely, the circular area defined by a 6-inch radius from the apex (top) of the helmet.
Though Blackburn's hit came well after the play, the contact with Hunter appeared to be made entirely with his shoulder and not his helmet, so no targeting penalty was called.
Colorado State head coach Jay Norvell said after the game that he didn't have a clear view of Blackburn's hit on Hunter and could not give a proper assessment of the play.
"I mean, I don’t know, he hit him on the sideline," Norvell said about the hit on Hunter. "It was hard for me to see over there. I can’t answer that."
