Oregon linebacker Kevin Mitchell remembers his trip to El Paso, Texas, four years ago pretty well.
The current senior was a redshirt freshman when the Ducks went 8-3 in the regular season and defeated Minnesota, 24-20, in the 1999 Sun Bowl.
“It’s nice,” Mitchell said on Monday. “The last time we were down there, we were treated very well, and we appreciate that.”
Mitchell is set for a return trip to El Paso after the bowl extended an invitation to Oregon on Tuesday. The Ducks’ opponent, set to be from the Big Ten Conference, has yet to be named, but it is expected to be either Minnesota or Michigan State with Iowa an outside possibility.
“We had a fantastic experience there in 1999,” Oregon athletics director Bill Moos said Tuesday. “The hospitality is second-to-none that the Sun Bowl people provided for us.”
Sun Bowl officials said they voted to have Oregon come to El Paso as late as two weeks ago and never wavered as Washington State lost to Washington and California defeated Stanford.
For some on the Oregon roster, it will be a second trip in five seasons to El Paso.
Back in 1999, Mitchell and two other Ducks, quarterback Jason Fife and Samie Parker, were all redshirts on the team that defeated the Golden Gophers.
Mitchell, for one, took especially well to events surrounding the game.
Even if that meant getting in the ring with a bull.
“That’s the most memorable one for me,” he said. “I fought the bull, and it almost got me, too. It’s brutal. I think it was a baby — everyone said it was old and dying, but either way, the thing weighed more than I did and it could really hurt me. But luckily I got away and had a fun time doing it.”
Don’t expect Mitchell to jump in the ring, or any Oregon regular, for that matter. After a long season — one that saw the Ducks at 5-4 at one point — the team will need a full cadre of players to take on its unnamed opponent.
Tight end Nate LiaBraaten and wide receiver Jordan Carey could very well be available to play in the Dec. 31 game. LiaBraaten practiced Monday, as did linebacker Scott Vossmeyer.
Oregon will practice today, Friday, Saturday and Sunday this week before taking next week off for final examinations.
“For guys like Scott Vossmeyer that have been out for awhile, it will give them a chance, especially with these practices where we have a faceless opponent, to just get back in the groove,” quarterback Kellen Clemens said of the workouts this week. “We’ve got guys like Igor (Olshansky) who have been playing banged up for three or four weeks. It gives them a chance to sit out and get healthy.”
Sun Bowl tickets can be purchased starting today. Reserved seats are being sold at $35, and a $15 per-order processing fee will also be assessed.
Tickets can be bought at the South Ticket Building at Autzen Stadium, at www.goducks.com or by calling 1-800-WEBFOOT. Beginning on Thursday, they can be purchased at the Casanova Center.

For the record
The Ducks have seen some recent success against the Big Ten, going 3-2 against the conference’s members since 1998.
That includes the four-point win over Michigan earlier this season, a defeat of Wisconsin at Autzen Stadium in 2001 and a win over Michigan State three years before. Oregon also lost to the Badgers and Spartans in that time span.
The Ducks really don’t have much of a preference on who they play, instead suggesting that they can match up well against any opponent. However, at least one Oregon player would prefer to play Michigan State.
“They like to throw the ball more,” defensive tackle Robby Valenzuela said. “We like getting after quarterbacks, so we’d rather have a throwing team.”

All-conference
On Monday, the Pacific-10 Conference announced its all-league teams. Oregon was well represented, placing 12 players on the squad.
Safety Keith Lewis, offensive lineman Adam Snyder and kick returner Kenny Washington were all named to the Pac-10’s first team.
Olshansky and Mitchell were both named to the second team. Honorable mention nominations went to tight end Tim Day, defensive linemen Devan Long and Junior Siavii, punt returner Steven Moore, Parker and offensive lineman Dan Weaver.