Colorado’s Travis Hunter is this week’s recipient of the Player of the Week award presented by the Colorado Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame for games played on November 29 and 30.
With his 10-catch (116 yards and three scores) output on offense and his one interception and two deflections effort on defense in the Buffs’ 52-0 win over Oklahoma State last Friday in Boulder, Hunter earned his fourth Colorado Chapter POW honor this season.
Hunter is the first Colorado collegiate player to win four NFFCC POW honors in a single season. CSU’s Kapri Bibbs was honored three times during the 2013 season. Colorado State Pueblo’s Cameron McDondle netted three POWs in 2015, and John Matocha of Colorado Mines garnered three in 2021.
Hunter is one of 32 Buffs to receive the honor. CU has won POW recognition 49 times since the start of the program in 2003.
Buff quarterbacks Joel Klatt (2003-2005), Steven Montez (2016-2017), and Shedeur Sanders (2023-2024) were honored three times as POWs by the Colorado Chapter. CU players honored twice were kicker Mason Crosby (2004-2006), linebacker Addison Gillam (2013), quarterback Cody Hawkins (2008-2010), and wide receiver Paul Richardson (2011-2013).
Other nominees for the Colorado Chapter’s final POW of the 2024 season were Air Force’s Dylan Carson, Colorado State’s Dane Olson, CSU Pueblo’s Howard Russell V, and Western Colorado’s Drew Nash.
have been nominated for the Player of the Week award presented by the Colorado Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.
The POW program for the Colorado Chapter of the NFF & CHOF was started in 2003. Previous winners this season of the NFF CC POW honors were:
- CSU Pueblo quarterback Devin Larsen (games played August 29 & 31);
- CSU Pueblo wide receiver Reggie Retzlaff (September 5 & 7);
- CU wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter (September 14, September 21, October 29, December 3);
- Mines wide receiver Flynn Schiele (September 30);
- Colorado Mesa linebacker Colin Stuhr (October 8);
- CSU quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi (October 15)
- Mines quarterback Evan Foster (October 22);
- CSU Pueblo quarterback Roman Fuller (November 5);
- CU quarterback Shedeur Sanders (November 12);
- CSU Pueblo running back Emanuel Fincher (November 19).
- Air Force linebacker Osaro Aihie (November 26)
Hunter and Robert Felberg of Colorado Mesa are the only two “slash” players to win the honor. Felberg was a quarterback/wide receiver recipient for the Mavericks in a 2010 game against Western Colorado. Hunter is the first to play on both offense and defense.
Following the nominees’ sketches is information on the NFFCC POWs by school, division, and position.
Air Force (W, 31-20 at San Diego State)
Dylan Carson, Air Force, 6-0, 210 junior fullback from Marysville, Wash. (Marysville Pilchuck High) – Carson rushed for 125 yards and a career-high two touchdowns to lead Air Force past San Diego State, 31-20, to close the year with a four-game winning streak. He hit the 100-yard mark for the third time in the last four games and has now scored a rushing touchdown in four straight games. His first touchdown capped Air Force’s opening drive to give the Falcons a 7-0 lead. His second touchdown put the game away, making it a three-score game with 1:00 in the third quarter. He went over the 1,000-yard mark in his career during the game, becoming the 62nd Falcons to accomplish it. He averaged 5.2 yards per carry with a long run of 17 yards. Six of his carries went for first downs or touchdowns.
Colorado (W, 53-0 vs. Oklahoma State)
Travis Hunter, Colorado, 6-1, 185 junior wide receiver/cornerback from Suwanee, Ga. (Collin Hill High/Jackson State) – Hunter caught ten passes for 116 yards and three scores for 68 offensive plays. On defensive for 46 plays, he had one interception and two deflections. He is the first player with three touchdowns and an interception since at least 1996 in college football. He is the first player with multiple games, multiple touchdowns, and an interception in the same game since at least 1996. He now has two of the four known games in that time frame. He had his fourth game of the season, scoring a touchdown and having an interception. His three touchdown receptions tied the school record set six times previously, including once himself, bookending the regular season after having three against North Dakota State. He is the first player in CU history to have three receiving touchdowns in a game twice. He had his seventh 100-yard receiving game of the season, already the school record, and the 10th of his career, third most in CU history. He had his fifth multi-receiving TD game of the season, already the school record and sixth of his career, matching the CU career record. His season numbers are 92 receptions for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns, 15 total touchdowns, four interceptions, and 11 pass breakups. His 14 touchdown receptions are a new CU record by two, breaking Nelson Spruce’s school record of 12 in 2014. He now has 15 total touchdowns and has averaged 19.2 yards per touchdown on the season, setting a new CU record with a minimum of 15 touchdowns scored. He is the second player to catch 90 passes in a season in CU history; his 92 receptions are the second-most in school history behind Spruce’s total of 106, also in 2014. His 1,152 yards is the fifth most in school history. His CU career totals are 149 receptions for 1,873 yards and 19 touchdowns, with seven interceptions and 16 pass breakups. He’s now tied for 8th in CU history with 149 career receptions. He’s now in 12th place in CU history for career receiving yards. He’s now in 8th place in CU history with 19 career-receiving touchdowns. He also surpassed the 2,000 receiving-yard plateau in his overall collegiate career, counting Jackson State. He has 168 receptions for 2,061 yards and 23 touchdowns.
Colorado State (W, 42-37 vs. Utah State)
Dane Olson, Colorado State, 5-11, 185 graduate wide receiver from San Diego, Calif. (San Marcos High) – Olson posted a career-high line of five receptions for 140 yards and a touchdown in Colorado State’s come-from-behind win over Utah State on senior day. Four of his five plays were explosive (reception of 20 yards or more). He caught a 28-yard touchdown with just 19 seconds remaining in the first half to cut Utah State’s lead to 16-13 before halftime. His 39-yard reception at the end of the third quarter helped set up a drive that helped cut the lead back down 30-21 in the early part of the fourth. He snagged a 29-yard ball to set up another CSU touchdown on its next drive, making it a two-point game.
Colorado State Pueblo (L, 26-23 vs. Minnesota State)
Howard Russell V, CSU Pueblo, 6-1, 200 senior running back from Phoenix, Ariz. (Phoenix Christian Prep/Eastern New Mexico) – In the Pack’s home NCAA Division II Playoff game loss to Minnesota State, Russell finished the game with 20 carries for 92 rushing yards and averaged 4.6 rushing yards per carry, and added seven receptions for 66 yards, including scoring the Pack’s lone offensive touchdown in the game on a 16-yard pass with 4:02 left in the fourth quarter to give the Pack a 23-20 lead. The touchdown was Russell’s team-leading 14th of the season as he scored 11 rushing touchdowns, which is tied for the RMAC lead and his 14 touchdowns are tops in the RMAC and 19th nationally in Division II. Russell finished the game with a game-best 158 all-purpose yards. The 92 rushing yards pushed his season total to 1,207 yards, which is fifth on the school’s single-season chart, while his 84 points are tied for sixth on the school’s single-season charts. In addition, he finishes his career with 1,792 career rushing yards, which is 11th on the school’s all-time chart, and is one of 13 players in school history to record 1,700 or more career rushing yards.
Western Colorado (L, 20-19 vs. #24 Bemidji State)
Drew Nash, Western Colorado 6-2, 215 junior quarterback from Torrance, Calif. (South Torrance High/Saddleback College) – Nash ran for both of Western’s touchdowns in its 2nd round NCAA playoff game, including a third-quarter 52-yard gallop that put the Mountaineers up 19-7. He finished the game with 119 yards rushing and 123 yards passing (16 for 30).
