Reliving the most memorable moments for the Oregon Ducks in 2022
We are about ready to put a bow on the year of 2022 and trudge into 2023 with full force. While that brings with it promises of new beginnings and a fresh slate, we want to take a chance to look back on the past year before embarking on the new year.
For the Oregon Ducks, it’s been a great year, not just in the football world, but across the entire sports landscape as well. While Dan Lanning and the Ducks had some great success in the first-year head coach’s inaugural season in Eugene, we also saw some fireworks from Dana Altman, Kelly Graves, and a few former Oregon Ducks on the track as well.
As the clock ticks down on 2022, let’s take a look back at some of the most memorable moments for Duck fans in the past calendar year:
The Jahlil Florence Commitment
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Date: January 31
This was arguably Dan Lanning’s first big win as a Duck. It seems fitting that it came on the recruiting trail. In a head-to-head battle with the USC Trojans, Oregon was fighting hard to land 4-star cornerback Jahlil Florence, and Lanning ended up getting the last laugh, getting a commitment from the elite CB, managing to get him back on the squad after he decommitted following the departure of Mario Cristobal.
Now, Florence is a key piece of the defense and projects to be a potential starter in 2023.
Josh Conerly Commitment
Date: April 8
If Jahlil Florence was the recruiting appetizer, then Josh Conerly was the main course. The 5-star ranked as the No. 1 OT in the nation, and his recruitment came down to Oregon, USC, or Michigan. Many thought he would go to the Trojans, but a last-minute, under-the-radar visit to Eugene turned the tables. The actual announcement of his commitment was an entertaining time. Look at how excited the Ducks’ coaching staff was to land the blue-chipper:
the coaches reactions hahaha pic.twitter.com/SSCUgSbIqb
— Duck Opns (@UOFBopinions) April 9, 2022
I definitely count that as a memorable moment.
Oregon Spring Game
Date: April 23
The Oregon Spring Game is always a fun affair, but this year seemed a little bit different, because it gave Duck fans an opportunity to finally get a glimpse as to what was going to come for the program. It was Lanning’s first time in a packed Autzen Stadium, Bo Nix’s first experience running the Oregon offense, and Kenny Dillingham’s first chance to show what his play-calling tendencies were like.
The end result was certainly positive, particularly in the Dillingham department. Duck fans became enthralled with the propensity to take deep shots and get players like Troy Franklin and Seven McGee involved in the offense. After years of a vanilla Mario Cristobal scheme, a bright future was ahead.
The Devon Allen Debacle
( The Yomiuri Shimbun via AP Images )
Date: July 17
Unfortunately, not all of these memories are positive.
At the World Track and Field Championships in Eugene, at Hayward Field, nonetheless, Allen was disqualified from the 110m hurdles final after a controversial false start call that apparently recorded Allen as leaving the blocks .001 seconds before he was allowed to. Fans were upset afterward, to say the least.
With the heartbreaking end to his meet, it would have been easy for Allen to sling mud around and blame the outdated rule, or the unfair ruling. Instead, he took the high road and displayed a touch of class when all was said and done.
Going through quotes from Devon Allen's post-DQ session with media, in which he noted that "It happens, and I’ll learn from it. And I’ll make sure I just kind of react not as fast next time.”
In what world should he have to consider "not reacting as fast next time"….????🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
— Rob Moseley (@GoDucksMoseley) July 18, 2022
Win over UCLA on College GameDay
Date: October 22
From sunrise to sunset, October 22 was a crazy day in Eugene, and maybe one of the most memorable in all of 2022.
It’s the day that ESPN’s College GameDay came to town with a matchup between the No. 9 UCLA Bruins and No. 10 Oregon Ducks. We got Dan Lanning on GameDay, Sabrina Ionescu as a guest picker, and Lee Corso having a heartfelt reunion with The Duck. The morning was a spectacle that football fans loved. The afternoon was a lot of fun as well, with the Ducks getting a statement 45-30 win over Chip Kelly and the Bruins, proving that they were among the best teams in the nation. From start to finish, it was a great day to be a Duck.
Mookie Cook, KJ Evans, and Jackson Shelstad Officially Sign
(AP Photo/Gregory Payan)
Date: November 10
After an up-and-down recruiting cycle for Dana Altman and the Ducks, this is the day when recruits finally got to put pen to paper and make it official. Altman signed three of the top players in the 2023 class, getting the No. 8 team in the nation with a pair of 5-stars and the best player in the state of Oregon.
On this day, the Ducks welcomed Mookie Cook, KJ Evans, and Jackson Shelstad into the fold, and we got one of the best quotes from Altman when asked how he was able to recruit such high-profile players despite the constant staff turnover throughout the years.
“We’re still the University of Oregon.”
Win over Utah Utes
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Date: November 19
This doesn’t feel like a game that Oregon should have won, in retrospect. QB Bo Nix was severely hobbled, dealing with a foot injury that had him doubtful to play up until game time. On top of that, you had the eventual Pac-12 Champion Utah Utes on the other sideline, looking to continue their dominance over the Ducks, hoping to take advantage of an Oregon defense that had been less than stellar all season.
Oregon ended up stepping up to the plate and getting a hard-fought victory at home. Nix was tremendous, gritting through the pain to lead the Ducks to victory, and the defense was the best we had seen all season, holding Utah to just 17 points. It was arguably the marquee win for the Ducks in the 2022 season.
Will Richardson Triple Double
Date: December 10
In college basketball, triple-doubles don’t come often. In fact, when Will Richardson put up 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists against the Nevada Wolfpack, it was the first triple-double by an Oregon player since Luke Jackson did so in 2002. It was the highlight of Richardson’s impressive 2022 season, where he has sparked the Ducks as their emotional leader, as well as being the best player on the court.
Endyia Rogers Career Game
(Photo by Ethan Landa | USA Today’s Ducks Wire)
Date: December 11
Games against the Oregon State Beavers are always big, but when you get a comeback victory led by a career performance, it definitely deserves revisiting. Oregon’s Endyia Rogers scored a career-high 34 points against the Beavers on December 11, including 14 points in the final 5 minutes of the game that allowed the Ducks to mount an impressive comeback and beat the in-state rival.
National Signing Day
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Date: December 21
I said earlier that October 22 might have been the most memorable day in 2022 for Oregon fans because of College GameDay and the UCLA game, but you could argue it was December 21 — National Signing Day — as well.
Dan Lanning and the Ducks flexed their muscles on this day, owning the news cycle and taking the recruiting world by storm. The day started early in the morning with a flip of 4-star QB Austin Novosad from Baylor, quickly saw 5-star S Peyton Bowen flip from Notre Dame to Oregon, and was followed by 5-star EDGE Matayo Uiagalelei announcing his commitment to the Ducks. As if that weren’t enough, 4-star CB Daylen Austin flipped from LSU to Oregon early in the afternoon, and 4-star RB Jayden Limar followed suit by flipping from Notre Dame to Oregon not long after. The ball continued to roll when OT Ajani Cornelius, one of the top players in the transfer portal, committed to the Ducks, and Oregon capped it all off by officially signing 5-star WR Jurrion Dickey that evening.
From start to finish, it was an absolutely wild day to be an Oregon fan and showed immense promise for what’s to come in the Dan Lanning era.
Holiday Bowl victory
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Date: December 28
The Ducks capped the year off with an incredibly thrilling victory in the Holiday Bowl against the North Carolina Tar Heels. In a somewhat lackluster start to the game, Oregon fell down by 10 points in the third quarter, but was able to mount a comeback thanks to a couple of timely stops from the defense, and a remarkable showing from the offense late in the game. A TD pass from Bo Nix to Chase Cota with 19 seconds left tied the game up, and an extra point from Camden Lewis ricocheted off of the upright and through for the go-ahead point.
In all, it felt like a perfect way to end the year.
