5 Things To Watch: Fiesta Bowl

GLENDALE, Ariz. — The No. 8 Oregon football team will close out its 2023 season on the first day of 2024, as the Ducks face Liberty in the Fiesta Bowl on Monday in State Farm Stadium at 10 a.m. PT.

The Ducks (11-2) reached the New Year's Six bowl after participating in the Pac-12 Championship Game on Dec. 1. The Flames (13-0) marked their inaugural season in Conference USA by going unbeaten and winning the conference title, earning them a No. 23 ranking from the College Football Playoff selection committee and thus the "Group of Five" leagues' automatic berth in a New Year's Six game.

Oregon and Liberty have never met in football. The Ducks are making their fourth all-time appearance in the Fiesta Bowl, having beaten Colorado to cap the 2001 season and Kansas State to wrap up the 2012 season; the Ducks also reached the game to cap the COVID-disrupted 2020 season.

Monday's game will be televised by ESPN, with Bob Wischusen providing play by play, analysis from Robert Griffin III and sideline reporting by Kris Budden.

Some storylines to watch come kickoff …

1. For the second time this season, the Ducks will look to bounce back after a tough result their last time out.

When Oregon took the field for the Pac-12 Championship, the stakes included not only a league title but potentially a College Football Playoff berth and a Heisman Trophy. The Ducks have had a month to recalibrate since that game in Las Vegas, processing that disappointment while preparing for the Fiesta Bowl.

"That doesn't leave your system; it's something you think about consistently," UO coach Dan Lanning said this week. "It can be part of your fuel for the future and what you want to be able to accomplish down the road. But I think you will always remember the things that didn't go your way."

The Ducks will look to show Monday they've channeled that frustration the right way.

2. The mood around the team was buoyed in the wake of the Fiesta Bowl announcement when veterans including quarterback Bo Nix, running back Bucky Irving and defensive lineman Brandon Dorlus all committed to playing in this game.

In an era when veterans with high NFL Draft stock regularly opt out of non-playoff bowl games, some of Oregon's best leaders will be in uniform Monday.

"It means the world, as much for me as it is for them," Lanning said. "Anybody who is a competitor wants that opportunity to go out there and compete. I think a lot of people will sit here and say, what are you playing for? An opportunity to go play with your brothers one last time. An opportunity to win 12 games for the sixth time in Oregon history. There's a lot of reasons to get to do that. …

"It speaks volumes about what they want to do and the legacy they want to leave here at Oregon when they are done playing."

3. The decision by Nix to participate keeps him in the running to set some NCAA and UO team records Monday.

Nix enters the game with a completion rate of 77.24 percent, just off the NCAA single-season record of 77.36 percent by Mac Jones of Alabama in 2020. Nix has 40 touchdown passes, two shy of the UO record set by Marcus Mariota in 2014, and Nix needs 310 passing yards to break the UO record of 4,454 also set by Mariota in 2014.

Whatever happens Monday, it's been a historic two-year run for Nix with the Ducks.

"He's been a great decision-maker for us," Lanning said. "He does a lot of communication on the field that I think is really evident, getting us in the right play. And then, obviously, the way he leads off the field, the kind of person he is."

4. Liberty has a dangerous quarterback of its own, in Kaidon Salter. The sophomore has thrown for 2,750 yards and run for another 1,064, with 43 total touchdowns.

The Flames lead the nation in rushing at 302.9 yards per game. Oregon, meanwhile, has a top-10 rush defense in the country, allowing 97.54 yards per game. With a stout performance Monday, the Ducks could allow under 100 rushing yards per game in a season for the first time in program history — but Liberty will throw new wrinkles at Oregon that will be a test.

"Facing a triple-option team is not something that we see week-to-week," UO linebacker Jeffrey Bassa said. "Them being a triple-option team is something new I think that we have to prepare for, and dial in for."

5. There are many other elements of intrigue to follow Monday.

The Ducks are looking to win 12 games in a season for the sixth time ever, all since 2010, and the first time since 2019. The handful of veterans who did opt out created potential opportunities for young players to step up, possibly including receiver Jurrion Dickey, defensive lineman A'Mauri Washington and others.

And of course, the Ducks can catapult themselves into the 2024 offseason, one in which they'll look to integrate a stellar recruiting class and once again compete for championships, including for the first time as a member of the Big Ten.

"You are competing against yourself every single day, whether it's on the practice field or on the football field, and our guys understand that," Lanning said. "But it's about putting our best foot forward and having some pride in our performance about what we want to accomplish. What we know is it's going to take a really good showing from us to be able to compete well with Liberty in this game."