Buffs WR Tyson Delivers Big Plays

BOULDER — Colorado wide receiver Jordyn Tyson is making a name for himself this season.

The Buffaloes' true freshman had a career-best five receptions for 115 yards and a touchdown Saturday and also added an 88-yard punt return for a score in CU's 42-34 loss to Arizona State.

"I think Jordan Tyson's a superstar," CU coach Mike Sanford said. "I think he's going to be a superstar in this conference for a while. I think he's gonna have a tremendous career in the game of football."

Tyson, from Allen, Texas, last week had three catches for 92 yards against Oregon State, just missing his first career 100-yard game.

Saturday, he made sure to surpass that mark. He hauled in a 58-yard scoring pass from quarterback J.T. Shrout in the second quarter and added several more key receptions, including a 9-yard grab on CU's final scoring drive of the night.

(The 58-yard TD pass matched Colorado's longest play from scrimmage this season — also a Tyson catch from Shrout last week against Oregon State).

Tyson then punctuated his night with his 88-yard punt return for a touchdown, which pulled the Buffs to within 42-34 with just under four minutes to play.

"What I love about Jordan is that he kind of embodies a little of the culture we've brought forth," Sanford said. "Just the juice, the joy, the smile that he has on his face at practice. He's an infectious guy and I think the fans fed off his energy today."

Tyson's punt return for a score was the first by a Buff since Brenden Rice turned the trick with an 81-yard return against Utah on Dec. 12, 2020.

Tyson wasn't the only Buff receiver with a solid day. Sophomore Montana Lemonious-Craig had a two-catch, 45-yard day that included a 7-yard touchdown pass from Shrout.

SMITH RETURNS: Just two weeks ago, CU fans watched quietly as Buffs running back Deion Smith was carted from the field on a stretcher after an injury against Cal.

Saturday, Smith returned to Folsom and produced a career-best 111 yards and one touchdown rushing.

"It was a humbling experience and it kind of changed my perspective on the game," Smith said of the injury against Cal. "I have been through adversity in the past but I've never really had anything as traumatic. That really just made my perspective of the game change and I just saw things differently. These past two weeks were kind of a revelation for me."

Sanford said early in the week he hoped Smith might be ready to play.

"I think it shows how much he loves the game and how much he loves his teammates," Sanford said. "What we're seeing right now is a whole bunch of fight for the brotherhood that exists."

Saturday was the first time the Buffs have had a 100-yard rusher and 100-yard receiver in the same game since Nov. 14, 2020, when Jarek Broussard and Dimitri Stanley pulled off the feat for CU against Stanford.

POSSIBLE REDSHIRT FOR McCOWN: Sanford said he is having ongoing discussions with freshman quarterback Owen McCown about possibly redshirting this season.

McCown has appeared in four games. If he does not play in another game he would be eligible for a redshirt season and have four years of eligibility remaining.

"Those are ongoing discussions that we're having internally," Sanford said. "Like I've always said, I want to do what's best for the student-athlete because that's what we're here for."

McCown is a slender 170 pounds and under most circumstances, probably would have redshirted without much discussion. He was thrust into action when CU was struggling at quarterback, but suffered an injury against Cal and hasn't played since.

"His body was starting to break down," Sanford said. "When you get into this type of a stretch and you're already a little bit banged up, we have to think about how he's the type of player that probably traditionally would have redshirted."