On the scoreboard, Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders went out with a whimper at Colorado. But their lasting impact in Boulder — both on the field and off — was probably immeasurable.

SAN ANTONIO — The BYU Cougars claimed a decisive 36-14 victory over the Colorado Buffaloes in the Valero Alamo Bowl Saturday. CU and BYU faced each other for the first time this season after both barely missed out on playing in the Big 12 Championship. No. 10 Arizona State ended up easily defeating No. 18 Iowa State to win the conference.

For Sanders and Sitake, that mentality harkens back to their playing days at Florida State and BYU, respectively, when they relished the chance to show their stuff in Gator Bowls and Liberty Bowls even when their teams had no hope of winning a national championship.