There have been many significant bowl game memories for Duck fans in the past. From Joey Harrington’s fingertip catch for a score against Texas in the 2000 Holiday Bowl to Maurice Morris’ improbable 49-yard touchdown run against Colorado in the 2002 Fiesta Bowl, Oregon has often had a flair for the dramatic during bowl season.
This year, however, the Ducks will attempt to reverse a two-game postseason losing streak when they travel to San Diego to take on Oklahoma in the Holiday Bowl.
In their last trip to a bowl game – the 2003 Sun Bowl against Minnesota – the Ducks led 30-28 late in the game before the Golden Gophers’ Rhys Lloyd connected on a 42-yard field goal with 23 seconds remaining. The game marked the arrival of then-sophomore quarterback Kellen Clemens, who passed for 363 yards and two touchdowns.
It was the second time in four years the Ducks and Gophers had met in El Paso, Texas, for the Sun Bowl. The first meeting was in 1999, when Harrington connected with Keenan Howry with 1:32 remaining to give the Ducks a 24-20 lead and eventual victory. The 1999 win against Minnesota started a three-game bowl win streak for Oregon that included its two biggest wins to date.
In 2000, the Ducks met high-powered Texas in the Holiday Bowl and capped off the first 10-win season in school history with a thrilling 35-30 victory. Harrington became only the third player in Holiday Bowl history to run, pass and catch a touchdown in the same game.
A year later, the No. 2 Ducks pounded No. 3 Colorado in the Fiesta Bowl. Oregon’s defense held the vaunted Colorado running game to a combined 49 yards. Harrington capped off his career with his third straight bowl game victory, passing for 350 yards and four touchdowns.
However, that was the last time an Oregon team won a bowl game. In the 2002 Seattle Bowl, the Ducks continued their second-half downward spiral with a 38-17 loss to Wake Forest. After winning its first six games of the season, Oregon dropped six of its last seven that season, including the now-defunct Seattle Bowl.
This year will mark Oregon’s 19th overall bowl appearance. The Ducks have a 7-11 all-time bowl record. The longest bowl win streak for Oregon is three games and the longest losing streak is four – a streak that has happened twice.
“We’re not a team or a program that is just happy getting to a bowl,” Oregon coach Mike Bellotti said. “We want to win that bowl. We feel that’s part of our responsibility in getting to a great bowl game.”

[email protected]