Travis Hunter has returned to the practice field for the Colorado Buffaloes.
Itap unclear if the star cornerback/receiver will play, however, when CU hosts Stanford at Folsom Field on Friday (8 p.m., ESPN).
Hunter suffered a lacerated liver during the first half of CU’s 43-35 double-overtime win against Colorado State on Sept. 16. He missed the second half of that game and each of the last three full games.
During a , Hunter was seen in some highlights of Monday’s practice. He gave up a long touchdown pass to Omarion Miller, but then later picked off a pass intended for Miller on another deep throw.
Hunter has caught 16 passes for 213 yards on offense, while also recording nine tackles, one interception and two pass breakups on defense.
Mata honored
Sophomore kicker Alejandro Mata was named the Pac-12 special teams player of the week on Monday.
Mata went 2-for-2 on field goals, including the game-winning 43-yarder with 12 seconds to play in Saturday’s 27-24 win at Arizona State. He was also 3-for-3 on extra points.
During his brief college career, Mata is 16-of-17 on field goals, with the only miss being blocked last year at Jackson State. He is 4-for-4 for the Buffs this season.
Mata’s 43-yard game-winner was the longest field goal of his college career, just ahead of the 42-yarder he kicked earlier in the fourth quarter against the Sun Devils.
CU has earned seven Pac-12 player of the week honors this season.
Others awarded Monday included UCLA’s Laiatu Latu (defensive player of the week, defensive lineman of the week); Oregon State’s DJ Uiagalelei (offensive player of the week) and Joshua Gray (offensive lineman of the week); and Arizona’s Noah Fifita (freshman of the week).
Hank stepping up
Halfway through the season, CU is still searching for a consistent and powerful rushing attack, but sophomore Anthony Hankerson is doing his best to get the Buffs rolling.
Against ASU, he ran for a team-best 58 yards on just 10 carries, with two runs going for first downs. He also caught four passes for 23 yards, including an 8-yarder that set up CU’s first touchdown.
A week earlier against USC, Hankerson rushed for 74 yards and a touchdown. His 74- and 58-yard games are the two best single-game totals of the season for CU.
“Hank is a dawg, man,” head coach Deion Sanders said. “Hank is a great kid. He runs the ball hard, keeps his shoulder down. … Hank’s been a dawg. He’s been a valuable asset to what we’re trying to accomplish.”
Notable
With freshman Carter Stoutmire blocking an ASU field goal in the fourth quarter, CU has now blocked two field goals this season (Leonard Payne got one against CSU). The Buffs didn’t block any kicks last year. … Prior to Xavier Weaver’s 51-yard punt return in the fourth quarter on Saturday, CU had 13 yards on five punt returns for the whole season.
Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.
