TUCSON, Ariz. >> Travis Hunter tried to play, and he did for a bit. But even Travis Hunter can’t overcome injuries.

On Saturday, Colorado’s star cornerback/receiver and Heisman Trophy candidate played sparingly in the first half the Buffaloes’ 34-7 rout of Arizona at Arizona Stadium and then sat out the entire second half.

Hunter, who missed most of last week’s 31-28 loss to Kansas State, caught two passes for 17 yards and recorded a tackle on defense before departing.

“A little sore, a little banged up,” head coach Deion Sanders said of Hunter’s status. “Travis wanted to play. I don’t know if he was quite 100% ready, but a half of Travis is a whole of somebody. You gotta understand, but it affects us on two sides of the ball. But he went out there and showed face, and tried his best to do what he’s capable of doing.”

Hunter didn’t practice much “if at all” this week, Coach Prime said, and then did very little during pregame warmups. It was on an early fade route from Shedeur Sanders to Hunter when Coach Prime knew Hunter wasn’t right.

“The first fade we threw to him and he couldn’t extend and go get it, and he kind of reacted late, it’s not Travis,” he said. “I said, ‘Man, that’s not you. What are you doing? Are you OK?’ He didn’t want to come off the field. You know how he is, but, uh, proud of him. The kid is phenomenal. He’s a competitor, and he just wanted to play.”

CU said Hunter sat out the second half for “precautionary” reasons, as it hopes to have him ready for next week against Cincinnati.

Stepping up

Kentucky transfer defensive end Keaten Wade dealt with a foot injury throughout the offseason, and it set him back quite a bit. Through the first half of the season, he was pretty much relegated to scout team duties.

On Saturday, however, he got in the mix and made his presence known early and often. Wade sacked Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita on the third defensive play of the game. He would add another sack later and spent his afternoon harassing Fifita.

“For me, I just kept my head down, just made sure I worked and did what (Coach Prime) asked and wanted as a team,” Wade said. “(Defensive coordinator Robert) Livingston and him just let me have an opportunity this week to showcase my skills.

“I’ve just been waiting to get back on the field. It’s been over a year since I’ve been on the field.”

In addition to his two sacks, Wade had a quarterback hurry.

“Never complained, never bickered, never murmured, never said, ‘Poor little me.’ Just worked his butt off, rehabbed, got himself together,” Coach Prime said of Wade. “When he got an opportunity in practice, whether it was the regular team or the scout team, he went full speed. So guys like that, you gotta find a place for them so they could play the game of football. You gotta create a package for him so he could be on the field, and he got in the package that we had for him, and he did what he does. I’m proud of him.”

As a team, CU finished with seven sacks. It was the most in a game for the Buffs since 2019 and their most in a road game since 2004. Samuel Okunlola also had two.

Arizona had allowed just six sacks all season coming into the game.

“Honestly, just playing together, just rushing as one, with the four of us on the line,” Wade said. “I felt like it’s very important just to rush together and you see the outcome.”

Ground success

A week ago, CU posted a program-record low for rushing yards in a game, with minus-29. This week, they had 148 as they focused on getting that part of the offense going.

Isaiah Augustave set the tone early, getting the start and finishing with 53 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.

“It was extremely important,” Shedeur Sanders said. “He came in and he started this week, and he knew he had a job he had to do. And I told him in certain situations, like, you gotta get it no matter what. So it was definitely must-win downs that he had to do what he had to do.”

Notable

Wade’s twin brother, Destin, is the Buffs’ third-string quarterback, and he made his CU debut, as well, getting into the game late. … Tight end Sam Hart went down with an injury and did not return. Running back Micah Welch, who has been dealing with a hamstring injury, also left the game and did not return. … Cornerback Colton Hood had an interception for the second game in a row. … Shedeur Sanders threw an uncharacteristic two interceptions. It was his first two-interception game since Oct. 15, 2022, when he was playing for Jackson State and was picked off twice by Bethune-Cookman. … Arizona announced a sold-out crowd of 50,724.