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Fiesta Sports Foundation

Fiesta Bowl History

53rd Annual Game, 2024

  • Teams Liberty vs. Oregon
  • Score 45-6, Oregon
  • Date January 1, 2024
  • Attendance 47,769

Biography

Making his NCAA record 61st – and final – career start, Oregon quarterback Bo Nix was masterful at the 53rd Annual Vrbo Fiesta Bowl. With Nix's experience and record-setting season on full display, No. 8 Oregon posted the largest margin of victory in Fiesta Bowl history with a 45-6 win over No. 23 Liberty at State Farm Stadium.

Look across the box score and Oregon took away two of Liberty's key statistical advantages. Liberty entered Bowl Season with a nation-leading 21 interceptions. Oregon did not turn the ball over at all. The Flames also led the country with 302.9 rushing yards per game, and the Ducks limited to them to a season-low 168 yards on the ground.

Oregon's third Fiesta Bowl victory in program history was in large part due to the play of Nix.

Voted Offensive Player of the Game, Nix sliced and diced Liberty's defense to the tune of 363 passing yards and a Fiesta Bowl single-game record tying five passing touchdowns. He completed 28-of-35 passes to officially set a new NCAA record for single-season completion percentage (77.45%), surpassing Alabama's Mac Jones, who held the previous record of 77.36% in 2020.

Despite the final score, Liberty (13-1), the Conference USA Champion, delivered the first blow. On the game's opening possession, the Flames quickly marched down the field in six plays and emphatically punctuated the 75-yard drive with a 17-yard scoring pass from Kaidon Salter to Bentley Hanshaw. Liberty missed the ensuing extra point but claimed a 6-3 lead after 15 minutes.

But Nix threw touchdowns on four straight possessions in a 28-point Oregon second quarter and never looked back. After a 2-yard toss from Nix to Gary Bryant Jr. gave Oregon a 10-6 advantage, Nix followed with short scores to Terrance Ferguson and Kenyon Sadiq.

Liberty trailed 24-6 with the ball in the waning minutes of the first half. Salter completed four passes and Quinton Cooley – the ninth-leading rusher in the country – piled up a pair of 8-yard gains to move the Flames into Ducks territory. Standing on the edge of field goal range, though, Salter's third-down pass was intercepted by Steve Stephens IV, providing the Ducks with one more opportunity before the half.

Oregon took full advantage with the big play coming via a 40-yard catch-and-run from Nix to Tez Johnson, which immediately proceeded Nix's fourth touchdown of the quarter, this time to Traeshon Holden. As Oregon went into the locker room ahead 31-6, Nix racked up 257 yards through the air.

Nix picked up the second half right where he left off, completing the initial drive of the third quarter with his Fiesta Bowl record-tying fifth touchdown pass. Fittingly, Nix's last collegiate touchdown – the 113th of his career – was to Johnson, his adopted brother and former high school teammate.

Oregon wrapped up a stretch of six straight touchdown drives with a 1-yard Bucky Irving plunge across the goal line less than a minute into the fourth quarter.

After Liberty's game-opening scoring drive, Oregon's defense – led by Defensive Player of the Game Jeffrey Bassa – forced five punts, two turnovers and a turnover on downs.

The 39-point Oregon win eclipsed Nebraska's 38-point victory (62-24) against Florida in 1996 as the largest Fiesta Bowl victory margin.

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  • Stadium:

    State Farm Stadium

  • Attendance:

    47,769

  • Offensive Player of the Game:

    Bo Nix, QB, Oregon

  • Defensive Player of the Game:

    Jeffrey Bassa, LB, Oregon

  • Head Coaches:

    Jamey Chadwell - Liberty, Dan Lanning - Oregon

  • Weather:

    Indoors, roof closed

Quarter Scores

Scoring 1 2 3 4 F
Liberty 6 0 0 0 6
Oregon 3 28 7 7 45

Yardstick

LU UO
15 First Downs 28
28-168 Rushes - Yards 29-183
126 Passing Yards 401
15-24-1 Passes 33-42-0
5-235 Punts - Yards 2-87
2-1 Fumbles - Lost 0-0
6-49 Penalties - Yards 2-20

Individual Statistics

Rushing
LU Quinton Cooley 8-79, Aaron Bedgood 3-45, Kaidon Salter 10-25, Billy Lucas 5-19, Vaughn Blue 1-1
UO Bucky Irving 14-117-1TD, Jordan James 9-63, Bo Nix 1-6, Jayden Limar 3-1
Passing
LU Kaidon Salter 15-24-126-1TD-1INT
UO Bo Nix 28-35-363-5TD, Austin Novosad 5-7-38
Receiving
LU CJ Daniels 8-79, Aaron Bedgood 2-2, Billy Lucas 1-21, Bentley Hanshaw 1-17-1TD, Treon Sibley 1-8, Vaughn Blue 1-1, Quinton Cooley 1-(-2)
UO Tez Johnson 11-172-1TD, Traeshon Holden 5-69-1TD, Gary Bryant Jr. 4-62-1TD, Bucky Irving 3-18, Terrance Ferguson 2-18-1TD, Darrian Anderson 2-5, Jayden Limar 1-30, Patrick Herbert 1-12, Jordan James 1-9, Jurrion Dickey 1-7, Kenyon Sadiq 1-3-1TD, Kyler Kasper 1-(-4)

How They Scored

LU UO
6 0 Bentley Hanshaw 17 yd pass from Kaidon Salter (Nick Brown kick failed)
6 3 Camden Lewis 37 yd field goal
6 10 Gary Bryant Jr. 2 yd pass from Bo Nix (Camden Lewis kick)
6 17 Terrance Ferguson 2 yd pass from Bo Nix (Camden Lewis kick)
6 24 Kenyon Sadiq 3 yd pass from Bo Nix (Camden Lewis kick)
6 31 Traeshon Holden 17 yd pass from Bo Nix (Camden Lewis kick)
6 38 Tez Johnson 24 yd pass from Bo Nix (Camden Lewis kick)
6 45 Bucky Irving 1 yd rush (Camden Lewis kick)