Second Quarter Surge Lifts No. 8 Oregon Over No. 23 Liberty in Vrbo Fiesta Bowl

GLENDALE, Ariz. - The Ducks' nationally ranked offense was on full display during a decisive second quarter, leading No. 8 Oregon to a 45-6 victory over No. 23 Liberty, Monday afternoon at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl.

The Flames scored on the game's opening drive and held a 6-3 lead following the first 15 minutes of play at State Farm Stadium.

However, Oregon, who came into the game ranked No. 2 in the country in total offense (526.6 yards per game), scored four touchdowns during the second quarter to take control of the bowl game.

The loss snaps Liberty's 13-game win streak and ends the Flames' historic 2023 season with a 13-1 overall record. Liberty made its fifth-straight bowl game appearance and was the first-ever Conference USA team to play in a New Year's Six bowl game.

Liberty's nationally leading rushing attack, which came into the game averaging 302.9 yards per game, was limited to 168 yards on 28 carries, its lowest output of the season (the previous low was 191 yards against Sam Houston).

Quinton Cooley led Liberty's rushing attack with eight carries for 79 yards. The transfer running back finishes the season with 1,401 rushing yards, the second most rushing yards in a single season in program history. His 16 rushing touchdowns also tied for second in the program's single-season annals.

Quarterback Kaidon Salter, the CUSA Most Valuable Player, finished the game completing 15-of-24 passing attempts for 126 yards and a touchdown.

The sophomore signal caller finished the season with program-record totals in touchdown passes (32), touchdowns responsible for (44) and total offense (3,965). He also set a program record for most rushing yards by a quarterback (1,089), also scoring 12 rushing touchdowns.

Salter's top target today and all during the 2023 season was wide receiver CJ Daniels. The junior finished the bowl game with eight receptions for 79 yards. The total pushed him over 1,000 yards for the season. His 1,067 receiving yards are the fifth most in a single season for a Liberty player.

Liberty's top tackler in the game was the Flames' leading tackler in 2023 and the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year Tyren Dupree (eight tackles).

The "super senior" finished his sixth year with the program with 124 tackles, the most by a Liberty player since Jesse Riley recorded 133 tackles in 1998.

Box Score Highlights:
Final Score: 45-6
No. 23 Liberty (13-1, 8-0 CUSA)
No. 8 Oregon (12-2, 8-1 Pac-12)
Location: State Farm Stadium (Glendale, Ariz.)
Attendance: 47,769

Play-By-Play Breakdown:
First Quarter

For the 11th time in 14 games, Liberty scored on its opening possession of the game (10 touchdowns and one field goal). A 33-yard run by Aaron Bedgood got the Flames into Oregon territory, setting up a 17-yard Salter touchdown pass to Bentley Hanshaw at 12:37, giving Liberty a 6-0 edge after the missed extra point attempt.
The Ducks tried to answer on the following drive and managed to get inside the Flames' red zone. However, a pass break-up by Bryce Dixon on a third-down play forced Oregon to settle for a 37-yard field goal at 9:06 to trim Liberty's lead to three points, 6-3.

Second Quarter

Oregon took its first lead of the afternoon on the fourth play of the second quarter when Bo Nix found Gary Bryant, Jr. open in the back of the end for a two-yard touchdown pass. The seven-play, 82-yard was highlighted by a 44-yard run by Bucky Irving, who avoided several defenders to get deep in Liberty territory and give the Ducks a 10-6 lead at 12:53.
Oregon would score three more times before the end of the first half and took a 31-6 in the intermission. Nix capped each of the three scoring drives with a touchdown pass and gained an extra possession when a Salter pass bounced out of the hands of a Liberty receiver and resulted in Salter's sixth interception of the season.

Third Quarter

The Ducks opened the second half with Nix matching a Fiesta Bowl record with this fifth touchdown pass of the game. He completed a 24-yard pass play to Tez Johnson at 11:11, capping a seven-play, 75-yard drive.

Fourth Quarter

Oregon scored on its sixth straight drive to finish off the game early in the fourth quarter. The Ducks pieced together a 13-play, 82-yard drive that was finished off by a one-yard touchdown run from Irvin with 14:13 left to play in the game and give the game its final score.

Schedule

Second Quarter Surge Lifts No. 8 Oregon Over No. 23 Liberty in Vrbo Fiesta Bowl

Team Stats

Kaidon Salter

Players Mentioned

Aaron Bedgood

Quinton Cooley

CJ Daniels

Bryce Dixon

Tyren Dupree

Bentley Hanshaw

Kaidon Salter

Second Quarter Surge Lifts No. 8 Oregon Over No. 23 Liberty in Vrbo Fiesta Bowl

Related News

Team Stats

Game Leaders

Kaidon Salter

Players Mentioned

Aaron Bedgood

Quinton Cooley

CJ Daniels

Bryce Dixon

Tyren Dupree

Bentley Hanshaw

Kaidon Salter

Related News

Related Videos