Tag: Holiday Bowl

North Carolina roster severely depleted ahead of Holiday Bowl vs. Oregon

Between star WR Caleb Downs and CB1 Tony Grimes, it’s safe to say North Carolina won’t be at full strength for the Holiday Bowl.

The Holiday Bowl is billed as “San Diego’s Biggest Holiday Party,” but with all of the transfers/opt-outs on North Carolina’s defense, plus the Oregon Ducks’ persistent struggles on defense this season, it should be “First to 50 Wins.”

Both Oregon and North Carolina have had more than quite a few players announce they would be transferring out of the schools in the weeks leading up to the two teams’ first meeting on the football field.

In the Tar Heels’ case, a large part of their defensive 2-deep won’t be available, including a lot of the secondary. One would think a healthy Bo Nix and the Ducks’ receivers should have their way with the remaining players in UNC’s secondary.

Oregon has its share of players transferring out, but many are role players and those who didn’t see the field much. The Ducks will be without CB Christian Gonzalez, who declared for the NFL Draft, as did DE D.J. Johnson, who led the team with six sacks this season.

Unless the UNC coaching staff can pull a rabbit out of their hat, it should be a long day for the Tar Heels secondary on December 28. One thing going for both teams, however, is that starting quarterback Drake Maye and Nix will be on the field. With both defenses missing key personnel, the Holiday Bowl should be a wild one that will keep the scoreboard operator busy.

Here is the complete list of Tar Heel transfers who won’t play in the Holiday Bowl.

Oregon’s DJ Johnson declares for the NFL draft

Oregon linebacker DJ Johnson has made it official that he will indeed opt out of the Holiday Bowl and declare for the NFL draft.

It was news we all expected.

In a Twitter post, Oregon linebacker DJ Johnson said he will opt out of the Holiday Bowl and declare for the NFL draft.

Johnson has had quite the career at Oregon after transferring from Miami after the 2017 season. The previous coaching staff didn’t know exactly what do with the 6-foot-4, 270-pound athlete. He started out on defense as a defensive lineman before switching to the offensive side of the ball as a tight end during the pandemic season of 2020. He caught 10 passes for 121 yards and scored three touchdowns.

Johnson then moved back to defense in 2021 showing his versatility. He filled in at tight end out of necessity and caught one pass. Under Dan Lanning, Johnson was strictly an outside linebacker and it proved to be the correct move.

In the new scheme under Lanning and defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi, Johnson proved to be difficult to handle for opposing offensive lines. He racked up 39 tackles, 8.5 for loss and six sacks. He’s thought of as a big-time NFL prospect and should be drafted in second or third round.

But his immediate future and bowl game availability came into question due to an on-the-field incident after the Ducks’ 37-34 loss to the Beavers. Johnson was filmed pushing an OSU fan in the back as people rushed the field after the game.

“I know DJ wishes he could have that moment back. It’s an intense situation. You know that those things happen at times and I know that he would handle it differently given the opportunity,” Lanning said. “But right now he’s a guy that has the opportunity to compete and move on in the NFL draft and he’s put himself in the position to do that. I think he’s gonna take that chance to go to the Senior Bowl, but I don’t want to speak for DJ too much. But I think right now he’s in preparation for the draft.”

Four days later, Johnson made it official.

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Dan Lanning offers positive outlook for Duck’s bowl game, expects minimal opt-outs

Dan Lanning offered optimism on the opt-out front for Oregon’s bowl game against North Carolina.

The way that it usually goes in college football these days is that once a team sees which bowl game they are going to play in at the end of the year, the next few weeks are littered with players who project to play at the next level announcing that they will opt-out of the bowl game and instead prepare for their future.

It’s hard to knock them for making that decision. Unless you are playing in a New Year’s Six Bowl or the College Football Playoff, then it’s easy to view a bowl game as nothing more than a glamorized exhibition. For a lot of players who project to make millions of dollars playing on Sunday, that may look like an opportunity to get injured and hurt potential draft stock. This often makes bowl games feel meaningless, with many teams playing without some of their best players.

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For the Oregon Ducks, however, it seems that there is some positivity on the front of potential opt-outs. We know that cornerback Christian Gonzalez is declaring for the NFL Draft and not planning to play, and the same is expected for DE D.J. Johnson. However, aside from those two, the Ducks may be in the clear.

“The landscape continues to change right now, but I don’t anticipate any others,” Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said on Sunday night. “But that being said, you know, things can change and we’ll be ready. Whoever’s ready to go step on the field. We’ll make sure we have 11 out there on the field ready to go and compete.”

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Lanning also confirmed on Sunday night that QB Bo Nix is planning to play in the bowl game, which alludes strongly to the fact that he will return for another season with the Ducks in 2023. However, what does it mean about LB Noah Sewell, or DL Brandon Dorlus? Both of them were expected to head to the NFL next season, but if they stick around and play in the bowl game, will that mean they are staying in Eugene for another year?

It’s impossible to say right now, and as Lanning said, there are still some opt-outs that could come over the next few days and weeks. However, the fact that Oregon’s head coach had some optimism on this front is great news for the Ducks.

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Linebacker Jabril McNeill announces he will enter the transfer portal

Linebacker Jabril McNeill becomes the latest Oregon Duck to leave the program and enter the transfer portal.

The Oregon Ducks football roster keeps dwindling as the transfer portal officially opened today.

Add linebacker Jabril McNeill to the list of Ducks who have decided to look for more playing time elsewhere. The sophomore from Raleigh, NC played in all 14 games last season, mostly on special teams, but only made an appearance in three games in 2022.

Given the fact he wasn’t playing much and he was so far away from home, it’s not really a surprise to see McNeill enter to portal and look for greener pastures at another school.

It’s pure coincidence that the former 4-star recruit from North Carolina leaves just before the Ducks are set to play the Tar Heels in the Holiday Bowl Dec. 28.

Lanning: Search for new offensive coordinator is winding down

Oregon’s search for a new offensive coordinator is winding down, but Dan Lanning isn’t ready to make that announcement yet.

As soon as former offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham was named head coach at Arizona State, the speculation began for his replacement.

It’s been nearly two weeks and according to Orgon head coach Dan Lanning, the search for that replacement is close to a conclusion.

But he’s not quite ready for that big announcement.

“It’s going really well. I’d love to sit here and say I can tell you an announcement right now. I’m not ready to be in that position,” Lanning said in his press conference concerning Oregon’s invitation to the Holiday Bowl to play North Carolina. “But we are getting close. I feel that the interest in this job is obviously extreme. And you get an opportunity to be thorough and diligent as you go through that process and look for opportunities to answer them.

When Lanning was hired last year, he was able to put together an impressive group of coaches and many of them are qualified to replace Dillingham.

“I’ll also tell you that we have some phenomenal coaches here on our staff that are certainly qualified to be the offensive coordinator here. And that’s something that we’ll definitely explore every opportunity here as we move forward and what that will look like.”

One thing is for sure. One of those assistants will be the OC for the bowl game. Lanning said having a brand new voice come in and run the offense in wouldn’t be fair or even feasible.

“I’m not going to ask anybody to come in right now and call the bowl game. I don’t think that’s fair to bring a brand new coach and ask them to call the bowl game when there’s terminology and some differences there,” he said. “That being said, Drew Mehringer or Junior Adams, Adrian Klemm, Carlos Locklyn, our offensive staff will prep us. Jordan Somerville will prep us as we move into the bowl game and be ready to take on the bowl game and compete with some of that same terminology and things that we’ve attacked this season.”

One huge advantage the Ducks will have is the guy receiving the snap from center. Quarterback Bo Nix will play Dec. 28 against the Tar Heels. It was speculated that Nix might forgo his remaining eligibility and declare for the NFL draft. While he might still do that, that particular announcement will have to wait until the Holiday Bowl concludes.

Hopefully with a win.

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Oregon Ducks to face North Carolina Tar Heels in Holiday Bowl

The Oregon Ducks will be playing the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Holiday Bowl on December 28.

It may not have been the bowl game that a lot of fans were projecting for their team ahead of the 2022 season, but it will have to do. The Oregon Ducks are officially going to be playing in the Holiday Bowl against the North Carolina Tar Heels.

The Holiday Bowl will be played at Petco Park, the home of the San Diego Padres, on December 28. Kick-off will take place at 5 p.m. PT. The Ducks have played in the Holiday Bowl a total of three times, going 2-1 in those games.

The Ducks will face a tough opponent in the North Carolina Tar Heels, and depending on who ends up playing — Bo Nix, we are looking at you — this could be an incredibly entertaining game. The Tar Heels are led by freshman QB Drake Maye, who was a Heisman Trophy contender throughout the year in North Carolina, throwing for 35 touchdowns and 7 interceptions while also rushing for 7 TD as well.

If Oregon QB Bo Nix decides to play in the bowl game, which is something that is still very much up in the air, then it will deliver a matchup between two former Heisman contenders. Of course, the health of Nix comes into question, but his social media post on Saturday seems to indicate that he plans to play in the bowl game.

While the Holiday Bowl may not sound like a great destination for the Ducks, it actually is a good outcome, when the other option was the Las Vegas Bowl. The Holiday Bowl takes place on December 28, giving Oregon more time to prepare, while the Las Vegas Bowl is on December 17, which comes just days away from the start of the early signing period in recruiting, which is a huge time for Dan Lanning and the Ducks.

Going to the Holiday Bowl allows Oregon to focus on recruiting, and then shift gears to bowl game preparation after the signing day.

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A couple final Notre Dame bowl projections ahead of announcement

Where do you want Notre Dame to go?

Notre Dame was off on Saturday as they’re at home with their 8-4 regular season record.  It was a slightly crazy week for the Irish that saw them gain a commitment from [autotag]Kaleb Smith[/autotag], who chose the Irish after being a one-time commitment to Texas Tech.  The week also featured quarterback Drew Pyne announcing he’s enterting the transfer portal right away, leaving Notre Dame to likely use Tyler Buchner in the bowl game.

About that bowl game – where will the Irish be headed?  Our look around the national projections last week had nearly everyone saying it’d be the Gator Bowl against an SEC opponent.  With conference championships now wrapped up we took a look at a couple of updated projections Sunday morning and here is where they’re seeing the Irish going.

Notre Dame bowl projections following 8-4 regular season

Which of these teams do you most want Notre Dame to play?

If you’d like to give yourself a challenge, try this exercise: In one word describe Notre Dame’s 2022 football regular season.

Turbulent? Confusing? Inspiring? Frustrating? Endearing?

All of the above certainly applies. Notre Dame finished its regular season 8-4 after not being able to stop USC enough times on Saturday night. Up next for the Irish will likely be a few stars declaring for the 2023 NFL draft while the coaching staff puts the final touches on the incoming recruiting class.

One more game remains for this Notre Dame squad. Where will the Irish head? The national prognosticators agree almost across the board, but who Notre Dame plays is anyone’s guess.

Notre Dame bowl projections following domination of Clemson

What is more important in regards to Notre Dame’s ultimate bowl destination: opponent, location, winnability, or other?

Unless you’re living under a bridge in a far-off land, you’re aware Notre Dame kicked the living daylights out of previously unbeaten Clemson last week and moved to 6-3 on the year.  The Irish officially became bowl eligible with the victory and we scoured the internet to find where the experts see Notre Dame heading this winter.

As a Notre Dame fan (which we assume you are since you’re at Fighting Irish Wire), do you have a preference on where the Irish head?  Does it not matter to you as long as it’s warm?  A big-name opponent?  A cool city?  A winnable game?

If it’s not the College Football Playoff then most people have their desires for a bowl appearance that has to do with one of the above.  Here is where the 12 outlets we found have Notre Dame heading this postseason.  Comment below with which you would prefer or would most like to avoid.

Notre Dame football bowl projections after upsetting Syracuse

Which of these would be best for Notre Dame?

Notre Dame’s impressive win at Syracuse last Saturday brought the Irish to 5-3 on the season and within one win of becoming bowl eligible.  Will that come Saturday when Notre Dame plays host to No. 5 Clemson?  The Irish would certainly like nothing more than to spoil the Tigers unbeaten season.

After Clemson is games against Navy and Boston College which means a total of at least seven regular-season wins seems imminent.  An upset to close the year at USC would be dandy, too.  Then again, this. is a team that lost at home to both Marshall and Stanford so forget I said anything.

Where is Notre Dame bound for this postseason?  Here is what the experts nationwide say as to the bowl projections for the Irish.