For the third straight year, a top five team came to San Diego looking to take home the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl championship trophy and for the third straight year, the favorite went home empty handed. The Oklahoma Sooners upset the #5 Oregon Ducks 17-14 in front of a Pacific Life Holiday Bowl record crowd of 65,416.
Oklahoma scored first with a 34 yard field goal by Garret Hartley. The Ducks answered on the next drive with a 12 play, 79 yard drive that resulted in a 5 yard touchdown run by wide receiver Demetrius Williams. Oregon led 7-3 after one quarter, but the game turned into a defensive struggle as both defenses stopped their offensive counterparts. After a scoreless second quarter, the Ducks went into halftime with a 7-3 lead. Oklahoma quarterback and Offensive MVP Rhett Bomar began the Sooner comeback by directing a four play, 53 yard drive that ended in a 17 yard touchdown pass to fullback J.D. Runnels. Bomar, who finished the game 17 of 30 for 229 passing yards with one touchdown pass, led the Sooners to another touchdown on their next possession to give Oklahoma a 17-7 lead late in the third quarter. Oregon quarterback Brady Leaf sparked a Duck comeback as he led Oregon on a 78 yard drive that resulted in a 3 yard touchdown pass to tight end Tim Day. That touchdown pulled the Ducks to within three points of the Sooners. Oklahoma's next drive that only lasted three plays and 26 seconds and after a punt, the Ducks had the ball at their own 22 with three minutes to go. Leaf led the Ducks down field to the Sooners' 19 yard line and into field goal range. It seemed as though the Ducks were poised to score a touchdown, or at the very least, send the game to overtime with a field goal. However, Leaf's next pass was picked off by Oklahoma linebacker Clint Ingram with 33 seconds left in the game and the Sooners held on to a victory. Oregon safety Anthony Trucks was named co-Defensive MVP along with Oklahoma defensive end C.J. Ah You. Trucks led the Duck defense with 14 total tackles, two tackles for loss, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Ah You finished the evening with six tackles and two sacks. |
