There was a toughness and fight in the Oregon State Beavers on Saturday that hadn't been seen for a while.
Ryan Nall ran with purpose. Darell Garretson showed poise in delivering some strong throws. The Beavers jumped out to a lead and answered whenever Colorado rallied.
But in the end, the Beavers couldn't come up with the one final response they needed, falling 36-33 to the Buffaloes at Reser Stadium in Corvallis.
Still, with the signs of life that interim coach Cory Hall's team showed after Gary Andersen's sudden departure this week, OSU fans seemingly will come away from the game with optimism.