MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — No. 5 Oregon football faces No. 4 Texas Tech University, the Big 12 champion, at the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1, 2026. It’s the second-straight year the Ducks have made it to the quarterfinal stage, where the Red Raiders are playing for the first time. Tech boasts the best defense that Oregon has seen since a midseason loss to No. 1 Indiana, and explosive-play ability to challenge a Ducks defense that ranks sixth nationally in yards per game allowed.

The Daily Emerald’s Owen Murray and The Daily Toreador’s Keith Inglis and Cory Whitman traded three questions each ahead of Thursday’s game:

Owen Murray: How has Tech handled the almost month-long break since the Big 12 Championship Game? It’s something several teams struggled with last year — do the Red Raiders think they have the solution?

Daily Toreador: After claiming the No. 4 seed in the CFP, Texas Tech set its primary focus on studying Oregon instead of spending too much time scouting two teams at once. Head coach Joey McGuire presented a week-long scouting report to his team the day after Oregon’s win over James Madison University. The team also used the time to recover from any injuries, with McGuire saying that some players are the healthiest they have been since the start of the season. McGuire specifically noted the health of quarterback Behren Morton. 

DT: While Texas Tech has experienced redzone struggles on the offensive side of the ball, Oregon has had trouble defending the redzone. What has been the struggle, and what steps need to be made to ensure success for Oregon’s redzone defense?

OM: This was a big story earlier in the season — and it was an issue — but the Ducks didn’t allow teams in the redzone a ton either. It was a problem for Oregon when its opponents got there, but it was mostly able to just keep teams from getting there in the first place. It’s still not great — the Ducks allow the 121st-best rate of redzone scores in FBS, at 89.66% — but they’ve worked around it.

The struggle has been when teams are able to put together long drives. I think back to a fourth-quarter series against Penn State, when the Nittany Lions went 62 yards in 15 plays and 6:37 to tie the game and send it to overtime, or a 12-play, 75-yard, 6:19 drive against Indiana that put the Hoosiers up for good in the fourth quarter. Those drives were different — Penn State ran it four out of seven redzone plays on that series while Indiana threw two incompletions in the redzone before an 8-yard score — but the problem was the time it took to get there.

Oregon’s rush defense, which really struggled on that Penn State drive, has improved since then with Bear Alexander and A’Mauri Washington (EDGE Teitum Tuioti has been excellent, too) and is No. 20 nationally in opponent yards per rush. The secondary has been strong — the Ducks are No. 3 in opponent yards per pass — and it’s just long drives that would worry me. 

OM: The Red Raiders have one of the nation’s highest explosive play percentages, and the Ducks gave up nine against James Madison in the First Round. Where do those come from, how have they evolved as part of the offense and can Tech win without them if necessary?

DT: Texas Tech’s explosive plays come from its versatility and a high-tempo offense. The Red Raiders rotate their running back duo to keep a pair of fresh legs in the backfield. Once Tech’s offense gets accustomed to its tempo, offensive coordinator Mack Leftwich begins to open the passing attack. Leftwich’s passing plays include short routes that allow players to break into open space, as well as vertical routes. The duality of playcalling leaves defenses unsure of what to expect in the moment. 

Oregon holds the No. 7-ranked defense nationally and will serve as a test for Tech’s offense. Tech has suffered from redzone struggles at times and has needed the explosive play aspect to score and create momentum. Should the Red Raiders stall out on explosive plays, the team will turn to its defense to create turnovers and All-Big 12 First Team kicker Stone Harrington to get points on the board. 

DT: Head coach Joey McGuire believes Dante Moore has built himself as the top quarterback prospect –– should he choose to enter the draft. Can you compare this defense to anything you’ve faced this season, and how Dante Moore has reacted when facing pressure?

OM: The obvious answer is Indiana. Moore struggled in that game because he saw a ton of pressure early, especially off his right side, and ended up bailing out of plays later in the game because he felt pressure that wasn’t there. He’s one of the calmest quarterbacks I’ve watched — and he’s evolved this season, too — but that game was the exception.

What I’m curious about is how much offensive coordinator Will Stein will run Moore in this game. He has two rushing touchdowns in the last two games after not scoring on the ground before them; while he’s by no means a true dual-threat quarterback, if Stein continues to build out the use of his legs it could make this discussion more nuanced.

There’s times that Moore has reacted to pressure with picks, like when he saw a redzone blitz against James Madison and floated a pass that sat up for an interception, but the system and Moore’s calmness in the pocket has mostly kept those away. His arm is unbelievable, and I’d be shocked if Oregon doesn’t try to drive the ball down the field with it early and often in this game, even if he throws an interception.

OM: Tech’s defensive line is one of its greatest advantages — the Red Raiders are No. 2 nationally in yards per rush against and No. 6 in yards per reception. What makes it special, and what makes it so successful against both the run and the pass?

DT: Texas Tech’s defensive line has been consistently dominant this season due to coaching and depth. Against the run, the Red Raiders are sound with their gap integrity and typically don’t allow the ball to come to them, but create a lane to meet the runner at the point of attack. Constant rotation across the line also allows guys to stay fresh and provide different aspects of their game. When players like Lee Hunter and A.J. Holmes Jr. can fill gaps, it’s much easier for linebacker Jacob Rodriguez and others to close down and attack the runner.

In terms of the pass-rush game, linebackers David Bailey and Romello Height have been huge additions for Tech, and each provides some type of pressure to make quarterbacks uncomfortable. The two allow the pocket to collapse within moments, which can cause mistakes within an offensive scheme. Bailey is No. 2 in the country in sacks with 13.5, and has garnered a reputation on the edge, adding another piece of gameplanning for the Ducks. The strong defensive line presence creates limited time for receivers to complete their routes, giving the secondary an edge throughout the season.

DT: Going into the game on New Year’s Day, what will Oregon’s strength need to be to advance to the next round? What will the Ducks hang their hat on in an attempt to expose the Red Raiders, and how does that strength stack up against Tech? 

OM: It’s the run game. I came into this year thinking that Tulane transfer Makhi Hughes was going to be the lead back, and it turns out that the Ducks have three who are driving them forward (and none of them are Hughes, who asked in October to redshirt). Noah Whittington is the returner — he’s the lead back — but true freshmen Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr. allow the Ducks to play with some two-back sets that give them a huge advantage over defenses.

The key will be to stretch the run outside with Hill, the speed back, in order to stretch out the Red Raider defense. Davison and Whittington are both excellent between the tackles, but a robust outside game would change how Tech has to call this game.

Kickoff between the Ducks and the Red Raiders is set for 9:00 am Pacific Time on Jan. 1. The winner will face either No. 1 Indiana or No. 9 Alabama at the Peach Bowl on Jan. 9.