Perhaps none of Travis Hunter’s Colorado teammates are closer to him than Shilo Sanders.
So it’s not surprising to hear that the senior safety was upset when Hunter was knocked out of Saturday night’s matchup vs. Colorado State after a nasty hit that drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
CSU defensive back Henry Blackburn, who levied the late hit on Hunter, has been the focus of outrage from Buffaloes fans after the double-OT thriller. Hunter didn't return after the first quarter and was eventually diagnosed with a lacerated liver—an injury that’s expected to sideline the two-way star for at least three weeks.
Among the Colorado players who wanted a piece of Blackburn following the hit was Sanders.
“I really wanted to whoop that dude.”
— Nikki Edwards (@nikkiedwardsss) September 19, 2023
Shilo Sanders talks about losing Travis. pic.twitter.com/fPqgAftpem
“I really wanted to whoop that dude that did that to him for real like after the game or something,” Sanders said while speaking to reporters on Tuesday. “If I see him just around here somewhere, he got to watch out. But that really made me mad, you know, just seeing him trying to play dirty like that."
Photo Credit: Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports
Sanders also admitted he was surprised that Blackburn wasn’t ejected from the game, nor suspended for the hit afterward.
As a senior, Sanders won’t get to retaliate next time the Buffaloes and Rams play, but the junior Blackburn might return next season. Hunter’s Colorado teammates could very well hold a grudge going into the next intrastate matchup.
