College football fans are finding out in Week 3 that Colorado and Colorado State might have one of the most heated rivalries in the sport.
The Buffaloes and Rams are not friends. That much was clear when CSU head coach Jay Norvell and Deion Sanders verbally sparred ahead of the matchup. It was apparent when the teams got into a shoving match at midfield before the game. And it got even more heated when the football finally started.
Unfortunately, some of that competitive spirit got taken too far when Colorado State safety Henry Blackburn took a cheap shot at Colorado two-way start Travis Hunter in the first quarter.
Colorado State cheap shot knocks Travis Hunter out of the game
— no context college football (@nocontextcfb) September 17, 2023
The hit knocked Hunter out of the game for the remainder of the drive on offense. The good news is he was back on the field when the Colorado defense returned. It seems he got the wind knocked out of him and there was no other injury to hold him back.
Hunter is one of the brightest young stars in college football. He thrilled fans with his two-way playmaking in the first two weeks of the season and he's back in Week 3 hoping to build a Heisman campaign.
It wasn't exactly a fun half of football for him though. Hunter's fumble resulted in a touchdown for the Rams. Then he took that very late and likely very painful hit.
The matchup between Colorado and Colorado State was intense with two defensive touchdowns scored in the first quarter. Shiloh Sanders picked off a pass and returned it 80 yards for the Buffaloes' opening score. Then, after a CSU touchdown pass, Ron Hardge recovered Hunter's fumble and took it to the endzone. Shedeur Sanders responded with a touchdown pass to tie things up at 14.
We can all hope for more highlights and less cheap shots for the rest of the game.