SAN DIEGO — Joey Harrington has played from behind many times since taking the reins of Oregon’s offense midway through the 1999 season.
There was that last-second pass to receiver Marshaun Tucker that beat Arizona State last season, followed by the dramatic rematch, a double-overtime thriller at Sun Devil Stadium this season.
The junior quarterback also led the Ducks to an overtime win against Washington State in the frozen Palouse, not to mention fourth-quarter comebacks against Southern California and California.
But through all the close games of the last two seasons, Harrington’s greatest comeback happened at the Culligan Holiday Bowl Dec. 29 in San Diego.
Down 21-14 heading into the second half after surrendering 21 unanswered points to Texas, Oregon passed, darted and dashed its way back into the lead. The Duck defense held up in the final minutes, and Oregon walked away a winner.
It was Harrington’s energy that sparked the offense, which, in a nationally televised ESPN game, seemed one step ahead of the Longhorns for most of the night.
It was Harrington who caught a pass from receiver Keenan Howry, then fell into the end zone for the touchdown. In the fourth quarter, it was Harrington who ran nine yards for the touchdown to give the Ducks a 28-21 lead. In all, he completed 19 of 30 passes for 273 yards and two touchdowns.
“Joey stepped it up big. He made some great throws, great catches, great runs — he did it all for us today,” Howry said. “I said he had the hat trick after he ran in the touchdown. He did it all for us.”
And when the clock ran out, and Oregon players celebrated on the field as they never have before, it was Harrington who accepted the honor of offensive player of the game.
Harrington — who threw five interceptions and gave up a fumble in a crushing loss to Oregon State at the end of the season — came back, improving his starting record to 14-2.
Unlike when he shouldered the blame for the Civil War loss, Harrington was quick to spread credit for beating traditionally powerful Texas.
“It shows the character of this team,” he said after the game, standing on the field as fireworks exploded above Qualcomm Stadium. “Week in and week out, we were behind, we were struggling, we were hurting and then we came back and we came up with wins. That’s the sign of great character on our team.
“It was a team effort, absolutely top-to-bottom. All year long we’ve fought back — man, it feels so good…”
One reporter asked Harrington if he was planning on staying at Oregon for another year. The quarterback didn’t hesitate to respond.
“You’d better believe it!” he shouted. “I love this too much, absolutely! We have some of the greatest fans in the nation, we’ve got one of the greatest teams, we’re a family! And it feels so good to be part of such a team atmosphere like we have here.”

Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti agreed with Harrington that the win was a team endeavor. However, he said that Harrington’s contributions were key to the Ducks’ victory.
“Joey Harrington obviously had to get the taste of that last game out of his mouth,” Bellotti said. “I told him after the Oregon State game was over that the next chance was the next game, and we needed to do something. I thought he responded very well to the opportunity and the challenge.”
Asked about Harrington’s touchdown catch and run into the end zone, Bellotti commented jokingly about his quarterback.
“Joey has sneaky speed; he’s sneaky slow,” Bellotti joked. “But he’s got great hands.”
Funny, because Bellotti is right about his quarterback’s lack of speed. Following Oregon’s win against California Nov. 11, even Harrington joked about how a defensive lineman was able to catch up with him in the open field.
Harrington even poked fun at himself when asked about all the ways he scored against Texas.
“I was talking to coach about returning kicks,” he said, “but then he told me I wasn’t an athlete, and I had to agree with him.”
But at the Holiday Bowl, before Bellotti’s postgame press conference and moments after the Ducks beat a storied Texas program, Harrington stood on the field surrounded by reporters, basking in the glow of his second bowl victory.
One reporter mentioned that the only other quarterback to catch a touchdown pass in Holiday Bowl history was Steve Young.
“I guess I’m in good company, huh?” Harrington said.
Yes, he is.