Vrbo Fiesta Bowl: Storylines, key players, matchups for Oregon, Liberty
It's an end of an era as the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl gets set to kick off on Monday at State Farm Stadium.
That's actually a good thing. Or perhaps it's better to say it's a case of trading one thing for something that could be even better.
The Fiesta Bowl through much of its history prided itself on being the college football postseason game with something extra. It could put two top-ranked undefeated independents on the field to settle a national championship. It would welcome with open arms newbies to the major bowl scene. And if you go all the way back to its roots, it was a home for teams that, when the bowl scene was a fraction of what we know today, would otherwise be left out.
That all changes next season, as the Fiesta Bowl becomes a permanent part of the expanded, 12-team College Football Playoff. In the 2024 season, Glendale will play host to a CFP quarterfinal game; the following season it will be a national semifinal contest.
Heady stuff. But first, there is the matter of the game at hand, pitting a well-known national program against a newcomer to the New Years' Six bowl lineup. Here's what you need to know about the 2024 Vrbo Fiesta Bowl.
The Fiesta Bowl matchup
No. 8 Oregon (11-2, 8-1 Pac-12) vs. No. 23 Liberty (13-0, 8-0 CUSA)
When: 11 a.m. Monday
Where: State Farm Stadium
How to watch: ESPN
Odds: Oregon is favored by 17; over-under is 67.5
Oregon, Liberty football histories
Head to head: Oregon and Liberty have never played each other before. Liberty has only been playing at the Football Bowl Subdivision level since 2018 when the school transitioned from the Football Championship Subdivision level.
Bowl record: This is the 36th bowl for Oregon and its seventh consecutive bowl appearance after last missing out in 2016 following a 4-8 season. Oregon has played in the Fiesta Bowl three times before, winning in 2002 and 2013 and losing in 2021. Liberty has four previous bowl appearances (3-1), most recently playing in the Boca Raton Bowl in 2022 against Toledo. The Flames last won a bowl game in 2021 when they beat Eastern Michigan. Since becoming bowl-eligible in 2019, Liberty has made one every year.
2023 Vrbo Fiesta Bowl coaching matchup
Dan Lanning has been at the helm of Oregon for two years after head coach Mario Cristobal left for Miami. In those two years, Lanning has been quite productive as the team has complied a 21-5 record with him as coach. The Ducks finished 10-3 last year and beat North Carolina in the Holiday Bowl. The team was a contender for the College Football Playoff for most of this season until a loss against Washington in the Pac-12 Championship game knocked them out.
Jamey Chadwell is in his first year at Liberty after being hired from Coastal Carolina after Hugh Freeze left to be the coach at Auburn. It’s been a perfect first season for Chadwell so far at Liberty as the team is undefeated at 13-0 and is fresh off a Conference USA championship win. At Coastal Carolina, Chadwell went 39-22 and helped establish the school at the FBS level with his innovative triple-option offense.
Oregon, Liberty signature wins in 2023
Lanning and the Ducks were the team that essentially delivered the knockout blow to Colorado and coach Deion Sanders when Oregon battered them 42-6 on Sept. 23. Colorado came into the game with a media frenzy behind them at 3-0 on the season and ranked No. 19 in the country. But it was Lanning’s pregame speech that ended up generating the most headlines as Oregon completely dismantled Colorado and laid a blueprint that was to come. After that loss, the Buffaloes only won one more game, going 4-8 on the year. Oregon also handled No. 13 Utah 35-6 on Oct. 28 and easily took down No. 16 Oregon State 31-7 a few weeks later. As for Liberty, it hasn’t played a Power 5 opponent yet this season. The best win probably came against Jacksonville State on Oct. 10 when Liberty won 31-13. Jacksonville State — who went 9-3 on the season — entered the game as one of the top defenses in the conference, but running back Quinton Cooley was able to find his way to the tune of 163 yards and two touchdowns. Liberty also took down 10-3 New Mexico State twice, once in the regular season and most recently in the CUSA title game.
Storylines for the 2023 Vrbo Fiesta Bowl
Simply put, this is a matchup between two of the top offenses in the entire country. Oregon is first in total offense, just ahead of its opponent, Liberty, which is second. Oregon is second in the nation at scoring at 44.2 points per game while Liberty is close behind. Liberty averages 40.8 points per game, fifth in FBS.
On one side of the ball, Liberty loves to run it. Liberty has amassed 6,694 yards this season, averaging 514.9 per game. Of those, 302.9 came on the ground, which is easily the most out of any school. Cooley makes the team go, running for 1,322 yards and 16 touchdowns on 213 attempts. Quarterback Kaiden Salter, causing conflict for defenders with the read-option, is second on the team with 1,064 yards and 12 touchdowns.
As for Oregon, there is more balance to the offense as Nix is one of the best passers in the country. Nix has completed 77.2 percent of passes for 4,415 yards and 40 touchdowns. On the outside, Nix has a 1,000-yard receiver to choose in Tez Johnson.
With so much offensive firepower on each side of the ball, the focus will be on each opposing defensive coordinator as Oregon’s Tosh Lupoi and Liberty’s Skylor Magee both attempt to scheme up a game plan that will try to slow down what is expected to be a barrage of points scored.
But as Liberty co-offensive coordinator Willy Korn emphasized at his Thursday media availability, Liberty feels it has a competitive advantage on offense due to the heavy emphasis on the option. Korn, while also acknowledging it is the first time Liberty has played a team of this size, said multiple times that it’s Oregon who has yet to see an offense like Liberty's this season.
Looking at the big picture, this game has the feels of David vs. Goliath.
Oregon has been a mainstay in bowl games for three decades now and is known around the country for its close affiliation with Nike co-founder Phil Knight. While Liberty certainly isn't lacking in terms of resources with its substantial endowment fund, it wasn't even eligible to play in a game like this only six years ago. The rapid rise of Liberty is one of the best stories in college football.
The Fiesta Bowl is no stranger to upsets in the past. Could another one happen?
Players to watch in the 2023 Vrbo Fiesta Bowl
Oregon: Nix only had three interceptions all season compared to his 40 passing touchdowns as he finished third in the Heisman voting, also added six rushing touchdowns. ... Running back Bucky Irving ran for 1,063 yards and 10 touchdowns on 172 carries to make the Pac-12 second-team offense. With leading wide receiver Troy Franklin opting out of the game, Tez Johnson (75 receptions for 1,010 yards and 9 touchdowns) will be a primary target for Nix. ... Cornerback Khyree Jackson was a force all season long, but he is also sitting out of this game, so watch for defensive back Tysheem Johnson — who made honorable mention for the Pac-12 — to be in the mix.
Liberty: Salter is one of the most dynamic signal-callers in the nation, tallying 2,750 yards through the air and 1,064 yards on the ground for 48 total touchdowns to make the CUSA first-team offense. … Cooley (who also made CUSA first-team offense) has shredded defenses all season as he has 1,322 yards and 16 touchdowns on 213 carries. … While most of the attention on the outside will be on wide receiver CJ Daniels — who made the CUSA second-team offense — look for tight end Bentley Hanshaw to get involved on offense as well, he has five touchdowns on just 17 receptions for the season. … Linebacker Tyren Dupree, a CUSA first-team defense selection, has been a stalwart in the middle of the field with his team-leading 115 tackles, which is 22nd in all of FBS.
Related: No. 23 Liberty happy to be playing in Fiesta Bowl, but not staring at No. 8 Oregon in awe
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Vrbo Fiesta Bowl: Storylines, history, key players for Oregon, Liberty
