Ranking the 10 best plays of the Oregon Ducks 2023 football season

In a few days, the Oregon Ducks will reach the close of their 2023 football season, capping it off with a Fiesta Bowl matchup against the Liberty Flames. This season will be one to remember, for Bo Nix’s Heisman campaign, Oregon’s race to make the playoff, and of course, the final season of the Pac-12.

To best remember this season, I wanted to look back at its best plays for the Ducks. There were a lot of plays that defined this season, from electrifying touchdowns to hard hits on defense, but I narrowed it down to my ten favorite plays, which can be seen below. For each play, I gave a little background on the game situation and the overall context of the play to refresh your memory, as well as a clip of the play itself.

Let’s jump right in.

Jordan James Texas Route TD against Utah

Kicking off the list is Jordan James’ receiving touchdown against the Utah Utes. Everything about this play, from Bo Nix’s pre-snap audible to an RB angle route to James’ execution of the catch-and-run, is perfection. As I was watching this game live, my roommate Kieran shouted, “He just called the touchdown play,” after Nix changed the play at the line of scrimmage.

The touchdown play indeed.

Bo Nix's first down run to jumpstart the Ducks at Texas Tech

This play won’t be the most memorable since it’s one of the only non-TDs on this list, but I’ll go as far as saying it saved the Ducks’ season. Coming out of halftime against Texas Tech, Oregon allowed 14 unanswered points to the Red Raiders and found themselves down multiple possessions and their offense was sputtering. But on a must-convert, 3rd and 11, Bo Nix scrambled, stumbled, and dove for a Ducks first down, sparking their offense and changing the momentum of the game entirely.

Oregon still may have won the game without Nix picking up that first down, but that’s also not a guarantee. And if the Ducks dropped a game to Texas Tech in early September, we’d be talking about the 2023 season — and Dan Lanning — a lot differently.

Casey Rogers Fake Punt

The next play comes from the Colorado game, early in the second quarter. After a stalled drive, Dan Lanning opted for a fake punt to defensive lineman Casey Roegrs from inside the Ducks’ own 20. Rogers barreled ahead for the first down and then some, reviving a drive on which Oregon would go on to score their third TD.

To me, this play perfectly encapsulates Lanning’s identity as a high-stakes gambler, and while his gambles don’t always pay off (see the Team up North), great things happen when they do work out.

Also, a tip of the cap to Ross James for selling the high snap.

Tez Johnsons' Spin move TD against USC

And... Troy Franklin's long TD against USC

Bucky Irving's one-cut TD against Washington State

I thought about including Bucky Irving’s receiving touchdown from the Washington State game instead of this run because of Patrick Herbert’s pancake block on an unsuspecting Cougars’ defender, but I think this TD is more representative of Irving’s ability. All Bucky needed was one jump cut at the line of scrimmage to beat the safety, and then he was off to the races with the rest of the defense.

That’s not a race he’ll ever lose.

Traeshon's TD to give the Ducks a chance

This play is bittersweet because it gave the Ducks hope for a moment, only for it to be dashed away when Oregon couldn’t stop Dillon Johnson from picking up a first down and sealing the Pac-12 title for Washington. Still, this play was beyond impressive, as Bo Nix threads the needle to Traeshon Holden in the middle of the field, who makes four Huskies miss on his way to the pylon for a TD.

In the closing moments of the 2023 season — a quiet season for Holden, he showed that he will be a quality option out wide for the Ducks in 2024.

Bo Nix stays alive and completes to Holden downfield

Jeffrey Bassa and his Silver Wings

After leading at halftime over the Red Raiders, Oregon put themselves in a scary position going down multiple scores to Texas Tech. With less than two minutes to play, the Ducks had come back and taken a one-point lead, but they were giving the ball back to the Red Raiders. Tyler Shough strung together some chunk plays, and just when it looked like Texas Tech was driving, Jeffery Bassa picked off Shough’s errant pass and took it to the house to seal the game.

“Siillver Wiiings…”

Bo to Troy in the final Civil War

Story originally appeared on Ducks Wire