Five Takeaways From Oregon's 45-6 Fiesta Bowl Victory Over Liberty

The 2023 season comes to a close with a dominant victory in the desert.

The No. 8 Oregon Ducks cruised to a blowout win over the No. 23 Liberty Flames on Monday to kick off 2024.

Dan Lanning wins his second bowl game at the helm of the Oregon program and some young players showed some flashes.

Here are my five takeaways from Oregon's bowl game victory.

1. Bo Nix shines to cap off historic Oregon career

Darby Winter/Ducks Digest

Nix finished the day with 363 passing yards and 5 touchdowns, completing 28 of his 35 passes. He set the FBS single-season record for completion percentage (77.4%), breaking a record previously held by Alabama's Mac Jones. 

Nix also broke multiple single-season passing records previously held by Marcus Mariota finishing his Oregon career with 4,508 passing yards and 45 touchdown passes in just two seasons with the Ducks.

It's hard to imagine a better way for No. 10 to finish his college career, as he was dominant, efficient and classy the whole way.

2. Tez Johnson dynamic once again

Darby Winter/Ducks Digest

No Troy Franklin? No problem for the Oregon receiving corps.

Tez Johnson hauled in 11 passes for 172 receiving yards and 1 touchdowns against the Flames. 134 of his receiving yards came after the catch, as he showcased his top-end speed, creativity and raw playmaking ability in Glendale. 

Whether it was hauling in passes at various levels or sweeping out of the backfield on pop passes, Johnson showed why he's one of the best receivers in the Pac-12 en route to setting the single-season record for receptions with 86. He recorded his fourth game with 100 receiving yards this season and joined Franklin in the 1,000 receiving yards club, finishing with 1,182 on the year, a mark good for No. 3 in Oregon history.

3. Nation's No. 1 rushing offense comes screeching to a halt

Darby Winter/Ducks Digest

Oregon held Liberty to 168 rushing yards on the day. That number may not seem impressive on first glance, but it is because the Flames had the No. 1 rushing offense in the country heading into this game at 302.9 yards per game.

Quinton Cooley finished with just 79 yards on 8 carries and players like Matayo Uiagalelei and Jeffrey Bassa stood tall to stifle a sizzling hot run game. Oregon's run defense had been among the nation's best all year and that proved to be the case again despite the absence of Popo Aumavae.

4. Dan Lanning continues Oregon's climb in year 2

Darby Winter/Ducks Digest

Oregon finished the 2023 season with a 12-2 record, improving from their 10-3 finish in 2022.

While the Ducks came up short of a return to the College Football Playoff, it's clear that head coach Dan Lanning has the program heading in the right direction.

With a move to the Big Ten looming this year, Lanning has proven to be elite when it comes to talent acquisition, and the on-field product took a sizable leap forward on both sides of the ball.

The competition won't get any easier moving forward, but the Ducks' head man has them locked and loaded for whatever comes their way in the future.

5. Iapani 'Poncho' Laloulu on the money in first career start at center

Darby Winter/Ducks Digest

Offensive line is a position that doesn't come with a lot of glory. In this case though, if fans aren't saying your name it's usually because you're doing your job.

Faced with his first collegiate start at center in the wake of Jackson Powers-Johnson declaring for the NFL Draft, true freshman Iapani Laloulu was consistent, tough and reliable as the captain of the offensive line.

He was effective in both the pass and run games and continues to be the early gem from A'lique Terry's offensive line haul in the 2023 class.

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