A matchup pitting what is arguably the Pac-12’s best team against what is arguably the league’s worst squad ended with a predictably lopsided result.

Bo Nix bolstered his Heisman Trophy candidacy by racking up five touchdowns – two passing, two rushing and one receiving – to help power No. 8 Oregon past Colorado in a 49-10 rout Saturday in front of a crowd of 42,089 at Folsom Field.

The loss was the Buffs’ seventh by at least 23 points this season.

The Ducks scored a touchdown on each of their first three drives to build a 21-0 lead and didn’t let up from there. Of their first nine possessions Saturday, eight got inside the Colorado five and seven ended in the end zone.

Not even gusts of wind that reached up to 40 miles per hour Saturday could slow the Ducks. Oregon finished the afternoon with 479 total yards and 7.3 yards per play. It was the sixth time in the past seven games that Colorado allowed an opponent to amass at least 450 yards. Nix completed 20 of his 24 passes for 274 yards.

Jordyn Tyson was yet again a bright spot in a Buffs loss, catching five passes for 137 yards and a touchdown. His day ended on a dour and frightful note, as he left the game in the fourth quarter after being hit hard and low trying to make a catch across the middle of the field. He was tended to by team medical staff and had to be helped off the field, unable to put any weight on his left leg.

In his fifth collegiate start, quarterback J.T. Shrout threw for a career-high 247 yards, but completed just 50% of his passes and threw two interceptions, both of which were to former Buff Christian Gonzalez.

Colorado offensive player of the game

Without question, it was Tyson. The Buffs’ offense performed reasonably well – with 367 yards and 5.2 yards per play – and the freshman wideout was the biggest contributor. His 137 receiving yards gave him his second-consecutive game with at least 100, making him the first Colorado player since 2019 to accomplish the feat.

Colorado defensive player of the game

On an otherwise forgettable day for the Buffs’ defense, linebacker Josh Chandler-Semedo had nine tackles, seven of which were solo, and was part of a front seven that did a relatively decent job against Oregon’s rushing attack, giving up five yards per carry to a team that entered the day averaging 5.9 yards per rush.

Trevor Woods also stood out, with a team-high 10 tackles, as well as a forced fumble and a handful of big hits.

Scoring summary

1st Q, 12:14: Bo Nix 4-yard pass to Josh Conerly (Camden Lewis PAT)

1st Q, 2:25: Bucky Irving 18-yard pass to Nix (Lewis PAT)

Second quarter

2nd Q, 12:43: Noah Sewell 1-yard rush (Lewis PAT)

2nd Q, 12:14: J.T. Shrout 81-yard pass to Jordyn Tyson (Cole Becker PAT)

2nd Q, 0:53: Nix 16-yard pass to Moliki Matavao

Third quarter

3rd Q, 11:51: Becker 44-yard field goal

3rd Q, 8:17: Nix 1-yard rush (Lewis PAT)

3rd Q, 3:25: Noah Whittington 9-yard rush (Lewis PAT)

Fourth quarter

4th Q, 12:53: Nix 1-yard rush (Lewis PAT)

Turning point of the game

Despite giving up a touchdown on Oregon’s first drive, the Buffs put themselves in a position to respond, marching down to the Ducks’ 16. Interim head coach Mike Sanford opted to go for it on fourth-and-two with his beefiest running back, but Jayle Stacks was stopped one yard shy of the sticks. Oregon answered with a 13-play, 85-yard touchdown drive to double its lead.

It was a shrewd decision by Sanford. Colorado wasn’t going to hang with Oregon by countering touchdowns with field goals and with the wind blowing as much as it was, there was no guarantee Becker would make what would be a manageable field goal under normal circumstances. Still, by failing to convert and the Ducks getting another touchdown, the Buffs were stuck playing catch-up for the rest of the afternoon.

Buffs’ play of the game

Shrout’s 81-yard touchdown pass to Tyson in the second quarter marked a dramatic swing in the game, even if the momentum it generated for Colorado was momentary. One play earlier, Shrout had nearly been intercepted by Noah Sewell, who would have run it back for a touchdown had he been able to hold on to the ball. Instead, the Buffs got on the board and within two touchdowns in a game that had been rapidly getting away from them.

The pass itself was a beauty from Shrout, hitting Tyson in stride and allowing him to out-run a pair of Oregon defensive backs. On what was another uneven day for Shrout, it showed that for all of his shortcomings, he is still capable of some truly electric moments. For Tyson, it was the catalyst for his second-consecutive game with at least 100 receiving yards and another alluring glimpse into the kind of playmaker he already is for Colorado.

Why Colorado lost

It doesn’t require any kind of extensive examination to understand why the Buffs lost. Oregon is one of the best teams in the country, a well-funded program loaded with talent after being under the guidance of one of the best recruiters in the sport for the previous four years while Colorado is a program reeling from a revolving door of coaches, a slew of high-impact players transferring away and a general lack of recruiting success.

The Ducks entered the game as a 31-point favorite for a reason. They’re a significantly better team by virtually any measurement.