Colorado freshman wide receiver Jordyn Tyson suffered a season-ending lower leg injury in a loss Saturday to Oregon, interim head coach Mike Sanford confirmed Sunday night.
“Coach [Phil] McGeoghan had a quote 'We were just starting to have some fun,’” Sanford said. “I think that the future is very bright for him and we expect him to make a full recovery, certainly nothing out of the norm with regards to football.”
Before the injury, Tyson was the key playmaker on the Buffs’ offense last Saturday, with 137 receiving yards and an 81-yard touchdown catch, Colorado’s only score of the game.
On Colorado's final drive of the third quarter, Tyson was hit by Oregon safety Jamal Hill, resulting in a targeting call and Hill’s disqualification. After the play, Tyson briefly went into the locker room to be analyzed and shortly after, he was cleared to play.
Tyson re-entered the game for Colorado’s following drive, but a pass to Tyson from Colorado quarterback J.T. Shrout was broken up by Oregon safety Bryan Addison, who hit Tyson on his left leg as the wide receiver went across the middle.
Tyson began to blossom the past several weeks, putting up back-to-back 100-yard games against Arizona State and Oregon. In his last three games, he accumulated 13 catches for 344 yards, two touchdowns and an 88-yard punt return for a touchdown. He is the Buffs' leading receiver this year with 22 receptions, 470 yards and four touchdowns.
Wide receiver Daniel Arias, who played on special teams the last two games, will be activated again in the receiving core.
“We had the thought of having him in there, so he'll be a part of it [the receiving group],” Sanford said.
Montana Lemonious-Craig will have more targets and opportunities moving forward and Sanford said there's "a chance you could see a reemergence" of Chase Penry. The timeline on.a potential return for Penry is unknown.
“We know we have a gauntlet that started today, but I think Jordyn and his love for the game of football is what separates him,” Sanford said on Saturday after the loss to Oregon.
