BOULDER • Travis Hunter has been itching to get back on the field for over a week now, but if his coach has his way, Colorado’s two-way star won’t be back in action for another few weeks.

Deion Sanders said on Tuesday that he hopes to have Hunter sit out for the Buffaloes’ next two games (at Arizona State and at home vs. Stanford), which leads into the team’s bye week. That would mean Hunter would return when CU faces UCLA on Oct. 28 in Pasadena, Calif.

“Travis is doing well,” Coach Prime said. “He was out at practice today coaching his butt off. He’s one of the best coaches we have.”

Sanders knows it won’t be easy in convincing Hunter to remain on the sidelines, especially now that safeties Shilo Sanders and Myles Slusher could make their returns to the Buffs defense this week. Sanders missed last week’s game against USC after reportedly going to the hospital when the team got back from Oregon due to blood in his urine. Slusher has been out since Week 1 with an undisclosed injury.

“I know (Hunter’s) going to want to join them, but I would love for him to be out until the bye,” Coach Prime said. “That gives him like three extra weeks.”

Also on the injury front, Sanders said starting right tackle Savion Washington, who left the USC game with an ankle injury, will miss some time as well but will return at some point this season.

Shedeur Sanders “growing” from final touchdown drive

There really hasn’t been much to complain about in Shedeur Sanders’ first five games as the quarterback of the Buffs. He’s completed nearly 75% of his passes, is second in the nation in passing yards and has 15 passing touchdowns to just two interceptions.

But he knows CU’s final drive has to be quicker. Down 14, the Buffs got the ball back at their own 22-yard line with just under six minutes remaining. Sanders’ touchdown pass to Jimmy Horn Jr. came with 1:43 left on the clock. With no timeouts remaining, the Buffs’ only chance was to recover the onside kick, which they weren’t able to do.

Sanders took the blame for how long the drive took, saying postgame that he was the one who checked into a few run plays after seeing that his team wasn’t going to be able to execute the play call.

“I just didn’t want to waste plays,” Sanders said. “That’s just something I take on the chin and just (have) a learning experience from that. It’s just (about) being more manageable with the time and understanding this is the situation, how we’re going to go about it and how we’re going to fix it.”

Getting all 11 offensive players in-sync for another potential spot like that later this season has been an emphasis at practice this week.

“That’s the best thing possible we can do as an offense,” Sanders said.

Coach Prime is a big fan of Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham

In an alternate reality, Coach Prime is coaching at a different program and Kenny Dillingham is his offensive coordinator.

As Sanders and the Buffs are preparing this week to face Arizona State, led by first-year head coach Dillingham, Sanders reflected on previous conversations that he had with Dillingham as Sanders was previously assembling a coaching staff, although he wouldn’t say where.

“We communicated quite a bit,” Coach Prime said. “I was happy with every step that he’s taken. I know he’s that guy.”

Sanders also knows his CU team is in for a challenge this week against the Sun Devils, who he says shouldn’t be taken lightly, despite their 1-4 record.

“When I saw him get this opportunity, I was ecstatic,” Sanders said. “I know what kind of man he is. He is great for that program. He is great for college football. He is a tremendous mind, offensively. He’s going to be a great head coach, man.”