Oregon winds up with a field goal again after the turnover on downs. Sappington is no good from 36 yards out though, and Oregon is up 16-0 still.

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Teitum Tuioti came up big again. With Texas Tech in fourth-and-7 inside its own 30-yard line, the EDGE wrapped up Behren Morton. 6:53 to go, Ducks up two scores with the ball.

Oregon couldn’t get out of its own half after the interception, and James Ferguson-Reynolds was brought on to punt it away on fourth-and-2. The Ducks got new life, though, when Tech is offsides on the punt and hands the Ducks a first down.

Jayden Limar (in for Dierre Hill Jr., who limped off) took a screen pass 27 yards into Texas Tech territory. Oregon gets into fourth-and-2 again, and Sappington makes his third field goal of the day from 43 yards out.

Brandon Finney Jr. snagged another one. With the Red Raiders in third-and-goal after two rushes left them with no choice but to throw, Behren Morton tossed one up and Finney goes up and gets it. Ducks’ fourth takeaway of the game — and a vital one. Ducks take over in their own half.

Oregon went for another fourth-and-2; this time Moore has to get the ball out of his hands with pressure coming, and throws an interception over the middle to linebacker Ben Roberts. Ducks’ first turnover of the day.

The Red Raiders looked like they were putting something together.

Fourth-and-2, though, struck again.

After a long completion to wideout Reggie Virgil, runnign back J’Koby Williams kept an option play left — and went nowhere. Oregon defense really is something.

Another turnover. Matayo Uiagalelei rips the ball out of Behren Morton’s hands and rumbles down near the goal line. Jordon Davison takes the ensuing carry right for the game’s first touchdown.

Offense!

Oregon is now 3-6 on fourth down after the Ducks went for it on fourth-and-2 from the Texas Tech 33-yard line. Red Raiders will take over in their own territory.

The Red Raiders can’t get anything going on their first drive of the second half — it’s three-and-out for the fourth time today. Malik Benson gets a good return out of it, 28 yards to the Tech side of the field.

Tech opens the second half with a negative rush by J’Koby Williams.

The Ducks strung a few plays together to get into plus territory, but a bad snap skittered back near midfield and Dante Moore had to fall on it.

Moore gets a completion to Jamari Johnson that may have put them in field goal range, but a holding penalty brings it back and leaves the Ducks just a kneel down. Oregon up 6-0 after playing some tremendous defense.

The Ducks strung a few plays together to get into plus territory, but a bad snap skittered back near midfield and Dante Moore had to fall on it.

Moore gets a completion to Jamari Johnson that may have put them in field goal range, but a holding penalty brings it back and leaves the Ducks just a kneel down. Oregon up 6-0 after playing some tremendous defense.

Nothing’s changed, and Texas Tech sputters before running out of room and running out punter Jack Burgess. Red Raiders punt for the third time today. Ducks will have the ball with less than a minute at their own 22-yard line.

The Ducks can’t convert again after getting the turnover, and elect to kick for the second time today. Sappington is 39 yards out, and he’s good again. Ducks extend their advantage to 6-0, with 1:33 left in the half.

Another gift to the Ducks in Red Raider territory, as Finney jumps on a loose handoff and gives Oregon the ball back inside of three minutes near the redzone. Ducks dominating in takeaways so far, but yet to take advantage.

J’Koby Williams took a carry 50 yards over left tackle after two Ducks didn’t wrap up in the backfield. Thieneman caught him, but it’s by far the Red Raider’s biggest play of the day. They can’t move the ball any more after that, and kicker Stone Harrington missed a 54-yard field goal. Still 3-0, Ducks.

Oregon went backwards after Dante Moore fumbled a handoff and had to jump on it. Missed opportunity for the Ducks, but Tech is stuck inside the 10-yard line after a Ferguson-Reynolds punt.

With Texas Tech wideout Reggie Virgil running an out route, Finney jumps in front and snags the pass. Huge moment for the Ducks, who are immediately in plus territory.

The Ducks can’t get moving for the first time today, and James Ferguson-Reynolds punts it away. Dante Moore got some of the yardage back with a third-down scramble, but it wasn’t close to enough. Tech gets it at its own 20-yard line.

Teitum Tuioti picked up his third tackle of the game on the Red Raiders’ second possession — a third-down sack on Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton. Home team goes three-and-out for the second-straight time.

Oregon got behind the sticks a couple of times on that drive, and converted a fourth-and-2 to Kenyon Sadiq in the flat. Dakorien Moore made a second-down catch on a long throw, the Ducks got into fourth-and-2 again from the 24-yard line, and Jordon Davison took a direct snap right. He was stopped, and Oregon turned it over on downs.

The Red Raiders go three-and-out. Two runs to the outside, and a couple great tackles from Teitum Tuioti and Brandon Finney. Morton’s third down pass doesn’t get to the sticks. Malik Benson fair catch on the punt.

Oregon got into third-and-long on its first series, but converted over the middle to Jamari Johnson. A couple of Kenyon Sadiq catches, an incomplete shot to Malik Benson and a David Bailey sack on Dante Moore later, Atticus Sappington strokes one through from 50 yards out. Oregon gets points on its first drive.

10 plays, 43 yards, 4:19.

Hard Rock Stadium isn’t packed. The lower bowl is mostly full, but across from the press box on the upper level, there’s multiple empty rows.

We’re just about 10 minutes to kickoff in Miami Gardens. Runouts are coming here soon.

Both teams at the Orange Bowl are among the nation’s most explosive. For Texas Tech, that comes from a trio of receivers who provide downfield options for quarterback Behren Morton. For Oregon’s two first-year starters at outside cornerback, the goal is to shut down the Red Raiders. How does that happen?

Start with the excerpt below:

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Fireworks are great on New Year’s Day.

For No. 5 Oregon (12-1), though, the focus will be on limiting them in its College Football Playoff Quarterfinal game against No. 4 Texas Tech University (12-1).

“They are who they are for a reason,” Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi said at the Orange Bowl media day. “Explosive passes, explosive runs, and it’s going to be a heck of a challenge. I’m pumped for it.”

Oregon’s offense created nine explosive plays in its First Round game against James Madison University — but it gave up nine, too. It’s part of the reason that Lupoi was so frustrated in his postgame press conference after that game.

On Thursday, the Ducks will face another team with big, talented outside receivers. They’ll face another team with multiple running backs who flash in the run and pass game. Their belief that their young cornerbacks are prepared comes from a season of experience dealing with exactly that.

Read more at this link

Oregon’s run game has been one of the most multiple parts of its offense this season. With the addition of freshmen Dierre Hill Jr. and Jordon Davison, the Ducks have run plays out of 11, 21 and even a little three-back personnel. I talked to Hill, Davison, running backs coach Ra’Shaad Samples and Red Raiders linebacker Jacob Rodriguez about what goes into making that game work, how they taught it and what it means to “move linebackers.”

Start with this excerpt:

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — “The ball is our oxygen.”

Dan Lanning’s voice rang out over the practice field. Oregon’s head coach was in sweatpants, walking through the humidity at Barry University, outside of Miami. His voice was magnified, courtesy of the microphone in his hand and the speakers on the back of the grass turf. He started again.

“How long can you hold the ball?” Lanning asked as players transitioned to a loose-ball drill. The answer might be the key to No. 5 the Ducks’ success in their Orange Bowl matchup with No. 4 Texas Tech University on Thursday.

“In big games, you’ve gotta do a little bit more,” he told the team.

Lanning’s offense couldn’t have been much more explosive in the College Football Playoff First Round. The Ducks generated nine explosive plays, rushed for 201 yards and scored touchdowns off deep-shot touchdowns and long runs.

Against No. 4 Texas Tech University in its CFP Quarterfinal matchup at the Orange Bowl, those explosives could be game-winners for the Oregon offense. Those wins have started all season long, though, with a run game that keeps developing new looks — new breaths full of oxygen — that have left opponents gasping for air.

Read more at this link

There’s not much change from yesterday’s availability report — Oregon safety Trey McNutt, who suffered an injury in camp, is a Game Time Decision. Other than that, there’s no new OUT designations. Everyone who was listed there at the start of the week (which made them ineligible to play today) has either declared their intent to enter the transfer portal or was a known injury.

We’re live from Hard Rock Stadium!

This is Daily Emerald Sports Associate Editor Owen Murray — we’re so thankful to be here in Florida to cover No. 5 Oregon’s CFP Quarterfinal at the Orange Bowl. I’m getting settled in the press box, and we’ve got Photo Editor Saj Sundaram here too. We’ll have more updates from today when the final availability report is released around 10:30 AM Eastern Time. For now, I’m going to link some of our coverage from this year that’s worth reading, plus all the preview content for this week.

See you soon!