KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Cobee Bryant had the Colorado game circled on his calendar for months.
The Kansas cornerback and NFL prospect couldn’t wait to go against two-way star and Heisman candidate Travis Hunter. So when they met Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium on KU’s senior day, the Jayhawk senior was up to the task.
Bryant had three tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and broke up two passes facing Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders — two likely first-round picks in the NFL Draft. Bryant’s Jayhawks also won convincingly, beating the No. 16 Buffaloes 37-21, marking KU’s third win in three weeks against a ranked opponent.
When Bryant entered the media room to talk with reporters, he walked with bounce in his step and a big smile.
“How y’all doing?” he asked.
Though Bryant didn’t defend against Hunter every play, the KU defense held the Buffaloes mostly in check, allowing just 308 yards of total offense. Higgins caught eight passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns, while Sanders threw for 266 yards and three touchdowns.
“All respect to Travis,” Bryant said. “He’s a good football player. I hope y’all saw it. We were chatting back and forth. On the field, we started going at it, muscling up against each other.
“It was kind of crazy. He was telling me to keep going and that you’re a great football player and we’ll see each other in the NFL.”
In the fourth quarter, Braynt made a play that surely got the attention of pro scouts, as he knocked the ball out of Colorado wide receiver Will Sheppard’s hands at the last second to prevent a touchdown.
When Bryant returned to the sidelines, KU coach Lance Leipold had a message for him.
“I just saw the man open, so I had to go make a play,” Bryant said. “I saw the man and I was like, ‘Nah, he better not throw this,’ and he threw it, and I got a breakup out of it.
“Coach Leipold was telling me big-time players make big-time plays. And he hugged me on the sideline and told me good play.”
The Jayhawks (5-6) had not played the Buffaloes since 2010. But with the Buffaloes back in the Big 12, it seems a rivalry has been renewed.
“It was a rivalry — like how K-State is — a rivalry with Colorado,” Bryant said. “We need to start playing them a lot, though. Like every year. It felt like another rivalry to me and the team for sure.”
