There’s been a growing sentiment over the past several years that mid-level bowl games don’t hold the same meaning that they used to; that games outside of the College Football Playoff or a New Year’s Six Bowl lack some of the luster. A lot of this has to do with players increasingly opting out of the games in lieu of the NFL Draft, or entering the transfer portal once the regular season is over, leaving a handful of depleted rosters to play on a big stage.
After watching the Oregon Ducks in the Holiday Bowl on Wednesday night, though, it feels like the anti-bowl sentiment needs to take a rest for the time being. The Ducks entered the game with a depleted roster, a major offensive coach missing, and found a way to come back from 10 points down in the 4th quarter and beat the North Carolina Tar Heels, 28-27 in the end.
They showed heart, grit, and toughness. The Ducks showed that this wasn’t a meaningless game.
It won’t go down as one of the best bowl wins in Oregon history, but it acts as a major mile-marker in Dan Lanning’s career in Eugene. He completed his first season with the Ducks on top, notching a 10-win year and going 1-0 in the postseason.
There are a lot of takeaways that we have from this game, from personnel, to scheme, to future outlook. Let’s get into it. Here are our biggest takeaways from Oregon’s 28-27 Holiday Bowl win: