Within the opening minutes of the game, Liberty struck first.
It’s something that experts and fans did not expect. The first-year Conference USA school that went 13-0 against opponents like Middle Tennessee State University and Louisiana Tech University didn’t create the common conversations of predictions and expectations that New Year Six bowl games usually have.
So when the Flames had their first touchdown in the opening minutes of the game, everyone wanted to see how Oregon would respond. It didn’t come immediately, but when it did happen, it would keep the tone for the entire game in the Ducks’ (12-2) obliteration against Liberty (13-1).
“This game was about unfinished business,” head coach Dan Lanning said. “We said we’re writing the last chapter to our book and we had the pen. And I thought our guys wrote a phenomenal chapter.”
On 1st and 10, Liberty’s Kaidon Salter nailed the back corner of the end zone with a 17-yard touchdown pass. Shortly after missing the point-after attempt, Oregon attempted to respond, but on a 3rd and 6, Liberty’s Bryce Dixon deflected the pass to force a field goal attempt. 37 yards away, Camden Lewis put the first Oregon points on the board.
In the first quarter, the Flames came out attacking defensively. With deflected passes, pass rushes and even a kick-catch interference, the pressure that Liberty was putting on Oregon was evident and the Ducks did not respond well. Dropped routine passes where some have bobbled between receivers’ hands, Liberty’s ability to break tackles with ease and only an 1:49 average time of possession in the first quarter speaks to the mental dominance that the Flames had over the Ducks.
But, the moment the second quarter started, it all changed.
In seven plays and 82 yards, Oregon took its first lead of the game. After a 44-yard rush up the middle from Bucky Irving, the Ducks were in a prime position to score — and they did. Gary Bryant Jr. received a short, 2-yard pass from Bo Nix and after a good PAT from Lewis, the Ducks had a 10-6 lead.
And instead of Liberty putting the pressure on Oregon and forcing dropped passes, it was the Ducks’ turn to return the favor. With the defensive line getting through and getting near Salter, the Flames’ receivers couldn’t keep their hands on the ball. Jordan James and Irving were able to break through Liberty’s defense. And, the most experienced quarterback in college football who was nominated for the Heisman Trophy after the regular season started to play his normal style of football — Oregon football.
By the six and a half minute mark of the second quarter, the Ducks had 132 total yards compared to Liberty’s one.
In 2:16 and five plays, Oregon used 95 yards to get Nix’s 43rd passing touchdown — the new school record — for a 24-6 lead. On the next drive for Liberty, Steve Stephens IV intercepted a pass from Salter which turned into the fourth touchdown of the half for a 31-6 by the time the clock hit zero.
In the last four drives of the half, the Ducks had four touchdowns and the Flames had three punts and one interception.
In Oregon’s first drive of the third quarter, it only took eight plays to extend its lead. A flea flicker trick play to Tez Johnson, the school’s new single-season record holder for receptions, would create a 32-point deficit with plenty of football left to play. In the five different touchdowns throughout the game, five different receivers were used.
While the quarter only had one score for both teams, the Ducks completely dominated, despite the running game being statistically equal. In the air, Oregon had 102 yards compared to Liberty’s six. The Ducks had possession for the majority of that quarter at 10:29. During that time, Nix broke his second record of the day with the most passing yards in a single season ever by a Duck with 4,457.
“By the end of it, I just had a really comfortable feel,” Nix said. “I think this year with what we were doing offensively, schematically, we were just very efficient. Part of that is because what we did offensively and then the players we have on our side of the ball. It’s been a great career.”
In his final scoring drive of the game — and his final in a Duck uniform — he opened up the fourth quarter with a 4-yard pass to Irving that quickly turned into a 45-6 lead in the next play. As his college football career has come to an end, he officially holds the record for the highest completion percentage in a season at 77.45%, breaking the record that was set by Alabama’s Mac Jones in 2020.
“I grew up watching the Fiesta Bowl. I grew up watching bowl games on New Year’s Day and dreaming and going outside after and playing like I was in that position,” Nix said. “Even though maybe you could say it didn’t go how we wanted it to this year, I think it ended exactly how we could have controlled it. I think we did everything we could with the opportunity that presented itself.”
True freshman Rodrick Pleasant forced a fumble to give people a chance to see true freshman quarterback Austin Novosad and other younger players on the field. There were signs of success and growth as the Ducks as they move on to the Big Ten.
After the first quarter, the Ducks played like themselves, looked like themselves and didn’t lean into the narrative that non-CFP bowl games are not important. Teams like that will set themselves apart. In the final year of the Pac-12 was an unforgettable one with a lot of the credit going to Oregon football. In a season filled with blowouts, upsets and shattering records, the next chapter of the program will be a rollercoaster.
