CU Buffs two-way phenom Travis Hunter will be sidelined for three weeks due to a lacerated liver, according to media reports.

Hunter was injured Saturday in the Rocky Mountain Showdown when CSU Rams safety Henry Blackburn leveled the wide receiver on a sideline tackle. CSU was hit with a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on the play.

CSU coach Jay Norvell addressed the situation during his weekly press conference Monday, saying, “I hope Travis gets healthy and gets back out there. We certainly don’t want to see anybody get hurt.”

FS1’S Skip Bayless reported the nature of the injury, while 247Sports’ Carl Reed reported the expected length of Hunter’s absence.

Following the hit, Hunter briefly returned to the game before being removed for the remainder. Hunter reportedly was hospitalized after the game.

Hunter is the rare athlete who

“We’re going to do what we gotta do to take care of him. His health is more important than this game.”

plays offense (wide receiver) and defense (cornerback). He has 16 receptions for 213 yards and nine tackles and an interception. It’s rare when he’s not on the field for the Buffs, who now must overcome Hunter’s absence in the heart of their schedule.

No. 19 CU’S upcoming schedule includes games at No. 10 Oregon (Saturday), vs. No. 5 USC (Sept. 30), at Arizona State (Oct. 7) and vs. Stanford (Oct. 13). The Buffs then have a bye week before playing at UCLA on Oct. 28.

“We’re going to do what we gotta do to take care of him,” Buffs coach Deion Sanders said after the

CSU game. “His health is more important than this game.”

Norvell said he reviewed the hit and didn’t see anything malicious with Blackburn’s tackle.

“I reviewed the play, (and) it’s a play that happens sometimes,” Norvell said. “It was a bang-bang type of a play. That’s certainly not something that we teach or coach. It happens in football sometimes.”

Sanders usually has a media availability session on Tuesdays of game weeks. The team’s schedule this week has not been released.

Deion Sanders Colorado head coach

That hurts

CU two-way star Travis Hunter will be sidelined in the thick of the Buffs’ schedule. Here are the next four games:

Saturday: No. 19 CU (3-0, 0-0 Pac-12) at No. 10 Oregon (3-0, 0-0), 1:30 p.m. (ABC)

Saturday, Sept. 30: No. 5 USC (3-0, 1-0) at No. 19 CU (3-0, 0-0), 10 a.m. (FOX)

Saturday, Oct. 7: No. 19 CU at Arizona State (1-2), TBD

Friday, Oct. 13: Stanford (1-2, 0-1) at No. 19 CU, 8 p.m. (ESPN)