SAN DIEGO — As the fireworks blasted overhead, Oregon quarterback JoeyHarrington paused, reflected on his team’s win and softly whispered, “this is what it’s all about.”
The sky display took place just after Oregon’s 35-30 victory over Texas in the Culligan Holiday Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, Calif. The Holiday Bowl has traditionally been a high scoring, shoot ’em out affair, and Friday night’s game continued that trend.
The win marked the first time that Oregon has ever recorded 10 wins, andhelped the Ducks end the season on a positive note and get that nasty taste of the Oregon State loss out of their mouths.
“That Oregon State game is long gone man,” Oregon defensive end Jason Nikolao said. “This game right here was our Rose Bowl and we played like it. Texas is a huge team, but we showed that we deserve to get just as much respect.”
Oregon was led by Harrington, who threw for two touchdowns, ran in foranother and even received a touchdown pass from wide receiver Keenan Howry and stumbled into the end zone in not-so-typical fashion. For his efforts, he was voted as the offensive most valuable player.
Oregon cornerback Rashad Bauman received the MVP honor on the defensive side of the ball for his stellar tackles and crucial interceptions, including a game-saving pick with less than two minutes remaining in the game.
The Ducks scored twice in the first quarter to take a 14-0 lead, but Texas answered back in the second to hold the 21-14 advantage at the half. The teams entered the fourth quarter all tied up, and Oregon ended up on the winning end.
“We are the Pac-10 co-champs and we showed why tonight,” cornerback Steve Smith said.
FOR FULL HOLIDAY BOWL COVERAGE, CHECK BACK ON WWW.DAILYEMERALD.COM AND ON THE NEWSSTANDS ON JAN. 8, THE FIRST DAY OF THE WINTER TERM.