BOULDER, Colo. — Travis Hunter caught 10 passes for 116 yards and three touchdowns, intercepted a pass and broke up two more Friday night, and No. 25 Colorado ran Oklahoma State off its own field 52-0 in the regular-season finale at Folsom Field.
Hunter set the tone before the offense ever got comfortable. His interception on an early Cowboys possession gave the Buffaloes the ball, and Shedeur Sanders found the end zone three plays later. Colorado led 21-0 after one quarter and never let the margin shrink. The defense forced four turnovers that produced 28 points, including a pick-6 by cornerback DJ McKinney, and held Oklahoma State to 153 total yards. It was Colorado’s first shutout since October 2021.
Sanders finished 34 of 41 for 438 yards and five touchdowns, pushing his single-season total to 3,926 and passing Koy Detmer’s school record of 3,527, set in 1996. LaJohntay Wester turned in his best game as a Buffalo with 11 catches for 175 yards and two scores, and his 322 career receptions between Colorado and Florida Atlantic tied him for sixth on the NCAA’s all-time list. Hunter’s touchdown catches gave him the Colorado single-season record, breaking Nelson Spruce’s mark of 12 from 2014.
“I think Travis clinched the Heisman with his performance,” coach Deion Sanders said.
Hunter, who plays close to every snap on both sides of the ball, framed the night as a rebuttal. “Me just playing football, man,” he said. “They say I can’t do it, I’m not a top receiver, so I had to show ’em.” He was just as pleased with the interception: “I rarely get thrown at, so when I got my hands on the ball, I was excited.” Across the field, Mike Gundy watched Oklahoma State finish 3-9 and 0-9 in the Big 12, its first winless conference season since 1994 and the worst of his 20 years in Stillwater. “I didn’t think our offensive game plan today was very good,” Gundy said.
Colorado moved to 9-3, 7-2, and spent Saturday scoreboard-watching. The Buffaloes needed two of Arizona State, Iowa State and BYU to lose, or losses by both BYU and West Virginia, to claim a spot in the Big 12 championship game Dec. 7 in Arlington, Texas.
