Tag: Fiesta Bowl

LOOK: Ducks bring back beloved throwback uniform combo for Fiesta Bowl vs. Liberty

The Oregon Ducks unveiled their uniform combination for the 2024 Fiesta Bowl against the Liberty Flames.

The Oregon Ducks will have one last hurrah in the 2023 season, facing off against the Liberty Flames on New Year’s Day down in Arizona for the 2024 Fiesta Bowl.

For that last hurrah, they will be giving Oregon fans one of the most coveted gifts of all — another look at the beloved throwback uniforms.

On Friday, the Ducks unveiled their uniform combination for the Fiesta Bowl, breaking out the throwbacks for a second time this season, and just the third time ever. Oregon wore these uniforms earlier this year against the Washington State Cougars.

With this being the last time that we get to see players like Bo Nix, Bucky Irving, and Brandon Dorlus in an Oregon uniform, among many others, it makes sense that the Ducks are breaking out the best uniforms they’ve ever worn for the occasion.

Here’s a closer look at the uniforms, followed by reaction from fans on social media:

The Clash in the Desert: A history of Pac-12 teams in the Fiesta Bowl.

A look at the history of Pac-12 teams in the Fiesta Bowl ahead of Oregon’s New Year’s Day matchup against the Liberty Flames.

The week of the Fiesta Bowl has arrived, and while this year’s Oregon Ducks bowl game doesn’t feature the most exciting opponent, this game will still be a key moment in Oregon’s history. This game ushers in the end of the Bo Nix era, and it will also mean goodbye for several other staple players for the Ducks.

Additionally, this game will mark the end of the Pac-12 for Oregon, as they’ll move on to the Big Ten next season. Since its inception in 1971, the Fiesta Bowl has often been a frequent postseason landing spot for Oregon and the entire Pac-12 conference. While the game hasn’t always featured a Pac-12 team, teams across the conference have plenty of history at the Fiesta Bowl, with 23 teams appearing in the bowl game since its inception.

Arizona State played in the first Fiesta Bowl in 1971 against Florida State winning 45-38, and the Sun Devils would go on to win again in three of the next four years. Arizona State still has the most Fiesta Bowl appearances of any Pac-12 team with six (they’ve won five), followed by Oregon, Arizona, and Colorado each with three appearances.

One of the most exciting Fiesta Bowls ever was in 1985, pitting UCLA against Miami. The Hurricanes were up by multiple scores late in the first half, but after the Bruins forced a safety they took the lead at the half and won the game 39-37.

Oregon’s first Fiesta Bowl appearance was one of the biggest blowouts in the bowl’s history as Joey Harrington and Co. beat the Colorado Buffaloes in 2003. The Oregon Ducks are also the most recent Pac-12 team to take part in the Fiesta Bowl, losing 34-17 to Iowa State in 2021. It was Oregon’s first appearance since 2013 when the Ducks beat Kanasa State 35-17.

At times, the Fiesta Bowl has been a bittersweet ending for the invited Pac-12 team. The Fiesta Bowl is a New Year’s Six bowl, it’s steeped in history and it’s occasionally a College Football Playoff semifinal game, but it oftentimes has been the landing spot of the Pac-12 runner-up, after that team failed to qualify for the Rose Bowl or the playoff, like Oregon did this year.

The Ducks’ matchup against Liberty on New Year’s Day likely won’t be the most exciting game of the day, but Oregon fans should still expect the Flames to challenge the Ducks. Hopefully, Oregon can redeem their 2021 Fiesta Bowl loss and end their 2023 season on a high note, by hoisting the Fiesta Bowl Trophy.

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5 Liberty players that Oregon needs to pay attention to in the Fiesta Bowl

Liberty shouldn’t be taken lightly and here are five Flames the Ducks need to put out in the Fiesta Bowl.

Mobile quarterbacks have given Oregon some trouble this season and the Ducks might be facing one of the top dual-threat signal callers in the nation. While he might be as a prolific passer as Michael Penix, Jr. or as elusive as Cameron Ward, Liberty’s Kaidon Salter combines the talent of those previous two quarterbacks that could be tough on opposing defenses.

Something else that makes Salter dangerous is that if you focus solely on him, he can give the ball to a pretty decent tailback in Quincey Cooley, a 1,000-yard rusher and a former Wake Forest performer.

Liberty has a good receiver in CJ Daniels as well as an underrated defense led by linebacker Tyren Dupree and defensive end CJ Bazile, Jr.

In short, although the opponents were Pac-12 caliber, the Flames are still 13-0 and can’t be taken lightly when the Ducks play them in the Fiesta.

We dig a little deeper into those five Flames previously mentioned.

Brandon Dorlus to play one final game as a Duck in the Fiesta Bowl

Oregon Ducks’ defensive star Brandon Dorlus is set to play in the Fiesta Bowl, his last game as a Duck.

When it became apparent that Brandon Dorlus was practicing with the team leading up to the 2024 Fiesta Bowl between the Oregon Ducks and Liberty Flames, fans could have felt pretty good that the Ducks’ defensive star was going to play.

On Tuesday, the senior made it official, though, announcing that he would play when talking to the media after the team landed in Arizona for the game.

“I put in blood, sweat and tears to this program for five years and I mean there was no other option to be honest,” Dorlus said, per The Oregonian’s James Crepea. “I love this game. I love playing with my teammates. I love the coaches that are around me. I love the organization. I feel like why not one more trip down here, one more business trip and finish off on a good note and beat my mom’s school.”

Dorlus will graduate from Oregon after five years with the team. During that time, he racked up a total of 108 tackles, 27 TFL, and 12 sacks. He is projected to be a Day 2 draft pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Dorlus deciding to opt into the game goes along with what we’ve seen from several other veteran Ducks, many of whom could have opted out of the game and had it be very understandable, like Bo Nix or Bucky Irving. Instead, most guys on the team are choosing to play in this game and have one last ride together.

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Updated list of Liberty Flames players to opt out of Fiesta Bowl vs. Oregon

A look at the latest Liberty Flames players to opt-out of the Fiesta Bowl or enter the transfer portal.

With the prevalence of the transfer portal and a rash of players opting out of bowl games as they prepare for the NFL draft, it’s hard to know what rosters are going to look like going into the bowl season.

That’s true from the Fiesta Bowl between the Oregon Ducks and Liberty Flames. Earlier this week, we looked at the numerous players on the Ducks’ roster who will not play in the game, whether it be due to opt outs or entry into the transfer portal. Now we want to look at the players on Liberty’s roster who will not be playing in this game:

Throwbacks at the Fiesta Bowl? New social media post has Duck fans guessing

After a recent social media post, Oregon Duck fans are excitedly speculating about their team’s uniform combination for the Fiesta Bowl.

One of the major curiosities for Oregon Duck fans throughout the year is about what uniforms the team will wear each week of the season.

That is especially true as fans wait for the Fiesta Bowl matchup to take place against the Liberty Flames on New Year’s Day. The team has not announced the uniform combination yet, but many fans are hoping the Ducks break out the green and yellow throwback uniforms once again, bringing them back from the Washington State game.

It looks like those fans might get their wish, too. On Monday afternoon, the official Fiesta Bowl Twitter account posted a teaser photo of the matchup, using helmets for each team.

The helmet used for the Ducks was a throwback helmet. …

As you would expect, Oregon fans went wild with the speculation. A year ago, the Ducks didn’t announce the uniforms for the Holiday Bowl against North Carolina, but we will see if it is different this time around. Here’s how fans reacted to the potential news on Monday:

Update: Since the original post, more evidence has come out to suggest that the throwback uniforms will be worn for the Fiesta Bowl. At this point, it would be a shock if they didn’t wear the throwbacks based on what we’ve seen players wearing in practice, along with other promotional material.

Projecting the Oregon Ducks’ defensive two-deep depth chart in the Fiesta Bowl

A projection of the Oregon Ducks defensive depth chart for the Fiesta Bowl against the Liberty Flames.

We are just a week away from the Oregon Ducks playing their final game of the 2024 season in the Fiesta Bowl against the Liberty Flames.

While it’s not the caliber of bowl game fans were hoping for — a College Football Playoff game — it is still a highly prestigious New Year’s Six game that should draw a great many eyeballs and give the beloved Ducks on the roster one last chance to go out with a bang.

Though there have been a handful of opt outs from Oregon starters, we’ve seen most of the biggest contributors announce they will play in this game, highlighted by Bo Nix and Bucky Irving. With some opt outs and entries into the transfer portal, though, the depth chart is going to look different than during the regular season. A number of younger players are going to get some playing time.

Here’s our projection for the defensive depth chart for the Ducks in the Fiesta Bowl:

Projecting the Oregon Ducks’ offensive two-deep depth chart in the Fiesta Bowl

A projection of the Oregon Ducks offensive depth chart for the Fiesta Bowl against the Liberty Flames.

We are just a week away from the Oregon Ducks playing their final game of the 2024 season in the Fiesta Bowl against the Liberty Flames.

While it’s not the caliber of bowl game fans were hoping for — a College Football Playoff game — it is still a highly prestigious New Year’s Six game that should draw a great many eyeballs and give the beloved Ducks on the roster one last chance to go out with a bang.

Though there have been a handful of opt outs from Oregon starters, for the most part we’ve seen a lot of the biggest contributing Ducks announce that they will play in this game, such as Bo Nix and Bucky Irving. With some opt outs and entries into the transfer portal, though, the depth chart is going to look quite a bit different for this game than it did during the regular season, and a lot of younger players are going to get some playing time.

Here’s our projection for the offensive depth chart for the Ducks in the Fiesta Bowl:

Updated list of Oregon players to opt out of Fiesta Bowl vs. Liberty

An updated list of Oregon Ducks to opt out of the 2024 Fiesta Bowl against the Liberty Flames.

There has been a great deal of roster movement for the Oregon Ducks during  the past couple of weeks, whether it be players leaving Eugene and entering the transfer portal or the more than two dozen players who signed with the Ducks as the 2024 recruiting class.

We’ve also seen a handful of players announce transfers to the Ducks, while a few have opted out of the bowl game to pursue NFL dreams.

With so much roster turnover, it can get confusing who is playing and who isn’t. To help, we put together an updated list of the players who have entered the portal or opted out of the bowl game.

15 young Oregon Ducks who have big-time breakout opportunities in the Fiesta Bowl

A look at some of the young Oregon Ducks on the roster with the biggest breakout opportunities in the Fiesta Bowl.

It’s the time of the year when we see football rosters in flux across the nation, whether it be due to players leaving via the transfer portal, or others opting out of bowl games and declaring for the NFL Draft.

That means that there are holes to fill on teams playing in bowl games across the nation, and young players with opportunities to step up and make a name for themselves.

In other words, it’s a perfect opportunity for breakouts to take place.

“Every one of these games, you’re gonna see somebody who probably hasn’t made a huge impact throughout the season that shows up in a bowl game,” Lanning said after practice on Friday. “So I’m excited to see the progress they make over these next several weeks. And then the opportunity to get on the field and make an impact.”

The Oregon Ducks have seen a good amount of roster turnover so far since the season ended, with a handful of players entering the transfer portal, and a few others declaring for the draft. We will undoubtedly see more of both take place between now and the Fiesta Bowl against Liberty on New Year’s Day.

So with those departures comes a chance for some young players to step up. Here are the guys who we have our eye on to potentially have a breakout in the bowl game: