Travis Hunter’s two-way dominance leads Colorado to upset victory over TCU

• Colorado upsets No. 17 TCU: The Buffaloes won 45-42 thanks to superstar sophomore Travis Hunter and his 144 snaps.

• As a cornerback: Hunter came down with an interception and forced three incompletions, earning the highest grade among Power Five cornerbacks in Week 1.

• As a receiver: Hunter caught 11 passes for 119 yards, earning an impressive 75.4 grade there.

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“I’m not tired. I’m ready to go back again.”

Those were the words of Colorado wide receiver-cornerback hybrid Travis Hunter, who had just played 144 snaps in 100-degree weather during Colorado’s 45-42 upset victory over No. 17 TCU — a school that competed in the national championship game eight months ago.

For a player to qualify for a PFF ranking in any given week, they need to play at least 25 snaps, since that’s around a starter's workload. Hunter played nearly six times that. And in the grueling heat, the sophomore didn’t just play those snaps; he dominated them.

Travis Hunter’s Two-Way Day Against TCU

The former No. 2 overall recruit in the 2022 class earned an 86.3 grade at cornerback, the highest at the position in the Power Five in Week 1. Of the nine targets that came Hunter’s way, he tallied as many forced incompletions (three) as allowed receptions. That doesn’t include his acrobatic interception in the red zone, either.

TRAVIS HUNTER

A STAR IS BORN FOR @CUBuffsFootball ???????? pic.twitter.com/vz8vhUVrJ4

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 2, 2023

Those ball skills were evident on offense, as well. Hunter caught 11 passes for 119 yards, the second most on the team. Perhaps his best play as a receiver was the catch he couldn’t quite make against TCU cornerback Josh Newton, the No. 21 prospect on PFF’s 2024 NFL Draft big board. Hunter ran a goal-line fade and skied over Newton, somehow catching the ball despite being interfered with. However, his foot came down out of bounds before he could fully secure it.

Travis Hunter 1; Josh Newton 0@CUBuffsFootball | #GoBuffspic.twitter.com/gweKcakasr

— Collin Wilson (@_Collin1) September 2, 2023

Hunter made up for it with a clutch contested catch on a third-and-19 in the fourth quarter.

Dude gtfoh
pic.twitter.com/6hknNGi5cc

— Max Chadwick (@MaxChadwickCFB) September 2, 2023

Many are dubbing Hunter as college football’s version of Shohei Ohtani, whose dominance as a pitcher and a hitter with the Los Angeles Angels has sent shockwaves through baseball.

Who knows if this snap count is sustainable for Hunter? He’s now on pace for 1,728 snaps in the regular season. Again, PFF’s season-long snap minimum to qualify for rankings is 300.

What we do know is Hunter is now must-see TV on a team that may receive more national coverage than any other. If he can keep this two-way dominance up, then as his head coach Deion Sanders said, “The Heisman is chilling in his crib right now.”