Oregon looks to improve bowl record on Christmas Dav
The Ducks have recorded
half of their all-time bowl
wins in the last 10 years
By Scott Pesznecker
Oregon Daily Emerald
If history plays any part in how
well a team will fare in a bowl
game at the end of the season, the
Ducks could be in for a wild ride at
the Aloha Bowl on Dec. 25.
Oregon is 2-4 in bowl games in
the 1990s. If the Ducks can avoid
defeat against Colorado, it will be
the first time in school history that
Oregon has been able to win back
to-back bowl games. One thing is
for sure: Win or lose, the Ducks
will add another exciting chapter
in the long, storied history of Ore
gon bowl games.
Here is a quick recap of Ore
gon’s past bowl triumphs and fail
ures this decade.
Las Vegas Bowl: Dec. 20,1997
Las Vegas
Oregon 41, Air Force 13
To say that Oregon was sharp on
offense would be a terrible under
statement. The Ducks took no
longer than one minute to score
each of their five touchdowns as
they shot down No. 23 Air Force.
The victory, which fell one
point short of tying the Ducks’
record margin of victory of 29 set
in the 1960 Liberty Bowl, gave
Oregon its first postseason win
since the Independence Bowl in
1989.
Oregon’s defense was a key fac
r
tor as well. The Ducks limited Air
Force to only three first downs and
92 yards of total offense in the sec
ond half.
Cotton Bowl: Jan. 1,1996
Dallas
Colorado 38, Oregon 6
Colorado took advantage of five
Oregon turnovers and a defensive
lapse in the third quarter to drop
Oregon to its fourth consecutive
bowl game defeat.
While the Duck defense kept Ore
gon to within a touchdown at half
time, Colorado terrorized the Ducks
for 19 points in less than eight min
utes to start the third quarter.
Oregon’s only points came off
two first-quarter field goals by
Joshua Smith as the Ducks were
held to just 267 yards of total of
fense — 139 yards below its sea
son average.
Rose Bowl: Jan. 2,1995
Pasadena, Calif.
Penn State 38, Oregon 20
The Ducks’ smothering Gang
Green defense and a Rose Bowl
record 456 yards passing by quar
terback Danny O’Neil were not
enough to rally Oregon past un
beaten and then-No. 2 Penn State
in the Ducks’ first Rose Bowl berth
since 1958.
Penn State jumped out to an ear
ly 7-0 first-quarter lead when all
American tailback Ki-Jana Carter
broke free for an 83-yard touch
down run on the Nittany Lions’
first possession. Oregon respond
ed by tying the game at 14 early in
the third quarter before Penn State
and the nation’s No. 1 offense
outscored the Ducks 17-6 down
the home stretch.
Oregon’s defense did hold the
Nittany Lions’ offense to 90 yards
short of its per-game average dur
ing the regular season, but the
Ducks’ running game rushed for
only 45 yards.
Independence Bowl: Dec. 31,1992
Shreveport, La.
Wake Forest 39, Oregon 35
The Ducks built a comfortable
19-point lead midway through the
third quarter, capped by an eight
yard interception touchdown re
turn by Oregon cornerback Alex
Molden. However, the Demon
Deacons took control of the game
late in the second half and scored
on four straight possessions to end
the game.
Wake Forest out-rushed the
Ducks 193 yards to 112 in the game
and passed for more than 320 yards
to edge the Ducks 39-35, despite
losing three fumbles to Oregon.
Freedom Bowl: Dec. 29,1990
Anaheim, Calif.
Colorado State 32, Oregon 31
With just more than one minute
remaining in regulation, Colorado
State stopped Oregon’s two-point
conversion attempt just inches
short of the goal line to hand the
Ducks a heartbreaking loss in front
of a crowd of 41,450 at Anaheim
Stadium.
Oregon senior quarterback Bill
Musgrave passed for 392 yards,
the second-highest total in the
Freedom Bowl’s seven-year histo
ry at that time, and he tied the
record for completions with 29.
However, the Ducks running
game was non-existent. Oregon
rushed for just seven yards on 26
carries and the offense committed
five fumbles, three of which re
sulted in points forColorado State.
A muffed punt and a costly penal
ty for roughing the passer by Ore
gon led to 25 of the Rams’ 32
points and helped erase a three
point Colorado State halftime
deficit.
Independence Bowl: Dec. 16,1989:
Shreveport, La.
Oregon 27, Tulsa 24
Trailing 24-10 late in the third
quarter, Musgrave led the Ducks’
offense to two touchdowns and a
field goal in the final 18 minutes
of play as Oregon posted just its
second bowl-game victory in its
history.
The Ducks held Tulsa scoreless
in the fourth quarter and tied the
game when Musgrave scored the
first rushing touchdown of his ca
reer. Kicker Gregg McCallum
clinched the Oregon victory with a
20-yard field goal with three min
utes, seven seconds left to play.
Musgrave connected on 23-of
40 passes for 320 yards, while the
Ducks' offense rushed for 140
yards to seal the win. Oregon’s de
fense held the Golden Hurricanes
to just 102 yards and one touch
down in the second half, and 253
yards of total offense for the game.
UO Bowl History
A look at the scores and stars from
the Ducks’ 12 previous postseason
bowt appearances:
1997 Las Vegas Bowl:
Oregon 41, Airforce 13
Johnson, UO 5 rec, 169 yd, 2 td
1996 Cotton Bowl:
Colorado 38, Oregon 6
Troutman, CU13 rsh, 100 yd, 1 td
1995 Rose Bowl:
Penn State 38, Oregon 20
O’Neil, UO 41-61,456 yd, 2 td
1992 Independence Bowl:
Wake Forest 39, Oregon 35
Dixon, WF5rec.166yd,2td
1990 Freedom Bowl:
Colorado State 32, Oregon 31
Musgrave, UO 29-47,392 yd, 3 td
1989 Independence Bowl:
Oregon 27, Tulsa 24
Musgrave, UO 22-39,320 yd, 2td
1963 Sun Bowl:
Oregon 21, SMU14
Berry, U011-26,146 yd, 2 td
1960 Liberty Bowl:
Penn State 41, Oregon 12
Hoak, PSU9rsh,61 yd, 2 td
1958 Rose Bowl:
Ohio State 10, Oregon 7
White, OSU 25 rsh, 93 yd
1949 Cotton Bowl:
SMU 21, Oregon 13
Walker, SMU 14 rsh, 66 yd ltd
1920 Rose Bowl:
Harvard 7, Oregon 6
H. Huntington, UO 29 rsh, 122 yd
1917 Rose Bowl:
Oregon 14, Pennsylvania 0
S. Huntington, UO 3 int, 2 exp, 1 td
pass, 17 rsh, 69 yd, ltd rush
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