Colorado's loss Saturday against Arizona State closed a chapter of sorts in this adversity-filled season.

Officially no longer bowl eligible -- for those who go by the math -- and with the most winnable games already in the rearview and a tough closing slate ahead, finding moments to celebrate could be few and far between for the Buffaloes.

But the one positive that came out of that 42-34 defeat over the weekend was Colorado’s offense.

The Buffs’ skill players, specifically wide receiver Jordyn Tyson and running back Deion Smith, reignited the offense after weeks of coming up short at the goal line or settling for field goals. Tyson’s and Smith’s execution Saturday generated respective career-highs and the team’s best output of the season with four touchdowns, two field goals and 359 total yards.

Smith and Tyson entered the Buffs’ 100-yard club, the only other member this season being receiver Montana Lemonious-Craig, with Tyson hauling in 5 catches for 115 yards and a touchdown and Smith rushing 24 times for 111 yards and a score. Tyson became the first player in program history to finish with at least 100 receiving and 100 return yards in the same game. Tyson now has 333 receiving yards, which is one of the best single-season totals since 2019.

Looking toward the future, if Colorado can retain him, Tyson will become a foundation piece of the Buffs’ offense.

"I think [Tyson] is turning into a sure-handed player, an explosive playmaker for us, and frankly we need it,” interim head coach Mike Sanford said. “It's been a great emergence for us offensively because through the first four weeks of the season, there were opportunities that were out there and I was always wondering who's going to be the guy that's going to make the play and bust an explosive play. I think tonight was the first time we really strung together some explosive plays between some of the runs that Deion had, obviously some of the plays that Jordyn had and then the punt return was just spectacular.”

Smith took two weeks to recover from a hamstring injury sustained against Cal on Oct. 15. What looked to be a potential season-ending injury when the cart rolled out onto the field instead became a speedy recovery, a breakout performance and a new perspective.

“Even though I have been through adversity in the past, I had never really been through anything as traumatic or as instant as that,” Smith said. “I had ACL and it’s like a long process so that [the Cal injury] really just made my perspective of the game change. I just saw things so differently. These past two weeks was just kind of a revelation for me.”

While Smith gained new eyes on the field, quarterback J.T. Shrout’s eyes (and arm) remained similar to games past. He threw for a career high 222 yards, but a 38-percent completion rate was the more definitive number coming out of the evening.

CU doesn’t have a chance against the teams ahead with such erratic play at quarterback (and the defense’s current trends), but with such a challenging road ahead and no chance at a bowl game, is it worth sacrificing Owen McCown’s redshirt? Sanford will have to make that decision soon as McCown has already played in the maximum four games allowed while still taking a redshirt season.

“Where he’s at in his developmental stage, what is best for him and also what’s best for our team,” Sanford said on the decision moving forward. “If we just say, ‘Hey, Owen, you have to play’ and then he gets beat up, then obviously I’m not looking out for the best interest of Owen McCown.”

Colorado will surely take a few more losses this November, but after everything this team endured this season, the small victories and individual strides are seen as building blocks for a better future.