Colorado fans can exhale after receiving great injury news regarding Heisman hopeful

Losing a star wide receiver to injury is never fun. Losing a star cornerback to injury is never fun, either. Losing both a star wide receiver and a star cornerback at the same time hurts extra, but Colorado fans can exhale after it appears that two-way superstar Travis Hunter will play on Saturday versus Cincinatti, according to Colorado head coach Deion Sanders.

"He did some conditioning today for sure to make sure he's on point with his conditioning because he never tires and we want to keep that what it is, but I think he will certainly contribute a lot more than he did a week ago because he's healthier," Sanders said in a press conference on Tuesday.

Hunter first suffered the injury two weeks ago against Kansas State and it caused him to miss most of the second half. Last week, Hunter played in the first half against Arizona but sat out most of the second half after he "reaggravated" the injury. Colorado didn't need his services as it beat Arizona 34-7.

Hunter's presence will be huge against a good Cincinnati team this weekend. The Buffaloes and Bearcats have identical records right now, both 5-2 with a 3-1 record in the Big 12. Hunter will play a big part in Colorado's attempt to solidify itself as one of the better teams in the conference.

Travis Hunter trying to keep pace in Heisman race

Not only does Hunter playing help out Colorado on both sides, it also helps his individual chase for the Heisman. Hunter is still squarely in the race for the award, but might be a notch below co-favorites Ashton Jeanty and Cam Ward and his shoulder injury definitely plays a part in that slight drop.

Still, playing both sides of the ball can benefit Hunter; if he has one big game on both sides of the ball, he'll jump back up in the race. Being on the field is obviously the first step toward making that happen and Hunter will at least do that on Saturday in a big showdown.