FINAL: Ducks shut out Red Raiders 23-0 at the Orange Bowl

If defense wins championships, the Oregon Ducks still have an opportunity to prove it. 

The No. 5 Ducks kept Texas Tech off the board in a 23-0 win over the No. 4 Red Raiders Thursday afternoon in the Orange Bowl to advance to the semifinals of the College Football Playoffs. 

The Ducks will now travel to Atlanta to play in the Peach Bowl on Jan. 9 and will face the winner of the Indiana/Alabama Rose Bowl. 

And the Ducks wouldn’t be two wins away from a national championship if it wasn’t for the defense. 

The Ducks forced four turnovers and tallied four sacks and seven tackles for a loss. 

And while Oregon’s offense struggled to take advantage of every opportunity the defense gave them, the Ducks were able to do more than enough. 

Atticus Sappington booted a trio of field goals — including a pair that gave the Ducks a 6-0 lead going into halftime — and UO finally broke through early in the third quarter for the game’s first touchdown — a play setup by a Matayo Uiagalelei strip sack that gave UO the ball on TTU’s 6-yard line for Jordon Davison to punch in on an ensuing run. 

Brandon Finney Jr. finished with a pair of interceptions, Teitum Tuioti had a pair of sacks and Bryce Boettcher forced a fumble. 

The Rose Bowl kicks off at 1 p.m. (Pacific). 

A full story will be published later this afternoon.

UPDATES

7:53 4th: Atticus Sappington is putting a bow on his claim as Oregon’s best kicker of all time. The senior just pushed Oregon’s lead to 16-0 following a 42-yard field goal. He’s now accounted for 10 of Oregon’s 16 points.

11:39 4th quarter: Massive play by Oregon’s defense to open the fourth quarter. With TTU driving, Brandon Finney Jr. picked off his second pass of the game — this one in the end zone, to end TTU’s best threat of the game.

End of third quarter: Oregon 13, Texas Tech 0

11:30 3Q: Finally, a breakthrough for Oregon. The Ducks forced a three-and-out on TTU’s first drive of the half, then turned it over on downs, but Oregon’s defense countered once again with a Matayo Uiagalelei strip sack.

The turnover gave Oregon the ball on TTU’s six, and the Ducks promptly followed with a 6-yard Jordon Davison touchdown.

It’s Oregon 13, Texas Tech 0

End of 2Q: Oregon 6, Texas Tech 0

Hello, it’s been a while. That’s what happens when only six points are scored in an entire half. 

The Ducks closed the first half with a 39-yard Atticus Sappington field goal — his second of the day — that gets Oregon into the break leading 6-0. 

It really should be more, however. The Ducks have turned the ball over on downs twice in TTU territory and have largely failed to take advantage of the stellar play by UO’s defense so far. 

The Ducks have forced a pair of turnovers, three punts and a missed field goal, while limiting the Red Raiders to just 88 yards to Oregon’s 198.

It’s been a pass-happy attack for the Ducks, who have seen Dante Moore go 22-of-38 for 208 yards. He’s also been sacked twice.

End of 1Q: That was the fastest first quarter of the season for the Oregon Ducks, who go into the second leading 3-0 and looking at a punt here to start the second. 

This game has been all Oregon so far — the Ducks have forced a pair of TTU punts and have 104 yards to TTU’s negative-2. 

But the Ducks also missed an opportunity to add to their lead when, instead of going for another field goal on their second drive, they elected to go for it on fourth-and-short and failed to convert. 

10:41 1Q: The Ducks got the ball first, quickly moved upfield and stalled in Texas Tech territory after Dante Moore took a sack on third down. However, the Ducks still have Atticus Sappington.

The senior drilled a 50-yarder to give Oregon a 3-0 lead with 10:41 to play in the first.

1st quarter

Pre-game

11:30 a.m.: The Ducks are on the field.

10:53 a.m.: Stadium is starting to fill up. Here’s a quick little video of finding our way onto the field here pregame.

Shoutout to the Oregon band, which definitely took the early shuttle here to the stadium.

10:33 a.m. (EST): Good morning from Hard Rock Stadium. Team Lookout caught the 8 a.m. police escort media shuttle here to the venue and, I must say, we got a pretty nice view here in the press box.

The sun is out. It’s 59 degrees. Football is soon.

MIAMI GARDENS — Dan Lanning and Joey McGuire seemed about done with the pageantry.

Sure, both coaches said the right things — that it’s an honor to be here in Miami for the Orange Bowl, that their teams are ready, confident and prepared, that the focus remains on one game at a time — but by Wednesday morning, they’d already said all of that.

A lot.

They said it during media appearances last week. They said it during their 30-plus-minute press sessions on Tuesday. And there they were again Wednesday, repeating it all in a joint press conference ahead of the College Football Playoff quarterfinal.

“There’s a ton of respect for Texas Tech and what they’ve been able to create this year,” Lanning said. “The way that they play — I think that’s a true indication of the way Coach McGuire coaches.”

Come Thursday, though, the pleasantries will be left behind.

Opposite sidelines. Oregon vs. Texas Tech. No. 5 vs. No. 4. A spot in the CFP semifinals on the line.

It’s the Orange Bowl.

And a year after Oregon’s playoff push ended in this same round, Lanning and the Ducks are just about done talking about what it all means.

“There’s distractions that exist as you go out to games like this. There’s some pomp and circumstance,” Lanning said. “But ultimately the game is the same, and guys have to go out there and play the game.”

Here’s what you need to know about said game — then check back after kickoff for live updates throughout.

📺 how to watch or listen 📻

When: 9 a.m. (PT), Jan. 1

Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

TV Channel: ESPN

Radio: KUGN-AM 590 and KUJZ 95.3 in Eugene 

who’s playing

Opponent: Texas Tech (12-1, 8-1 Big 12) 

Depth Chart/rosters: Oregon; Texas Tech

Texas Tech player to watch: Jacob Rodriguez, linebacker

Simply: the Oregon Ducks haven’t faced a player like Jacob Rodriguez this season.

The 23-year-old senior is a unanimous All-American, the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and the owner of a growing trophy case that already includes the Butkus, Lombardi, Nagurski and Bednarik awards.

Oh yeah — he’s also tallied 117 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, four interceptions, six pass breakups and an FBS-leading seven forced fumbles.

One of those fumbles was returned for a touchdown.

“(Rodriguez is) super instinctual, really aggressive,” Lanning said. “And it’s not necessarily just aggressive with them blitzing him. It’s his ability to find ways to get to the ball, and then when he gets to the ball, he has the intention to get the ball out every snap.

“He takes shots at the ball consistently. In the Big 12 championship game, you see their other linebackers show up, making interceptions. They just play really well as a unit. And he’s certainly a guy that brings that same juice for them. You see the whole defense play with that mindset, and I think he’s where it starts.”

Oregon player to watch: Kenyon Sadiq, tight end

Both teams have strong defenses. Both teams have offenses that rank among the nation’s best in producing explosive plays.

Something here has to give.

And if you want Oregon’s offense to come away as the one making the winning plays in the end, there’s no player on the field with better big-play potential than the Oregon tight end.

And the key, Sadiq said, is a fast start.

“It’s really hard to play catch-up the whole game with all the talent that’s on the field,” he said.

He also said he’s ready to put what happened last year officially behind him.

“That feeling, it sucks, honestly,” Sadiq said of the Rose Bowl loss to Ohio State. “So just doing everything to not feel that again.”

fit check

🔖 reads to get ready for the game 🔖

In case you missed any of our coverage earlier this week: 

Dante Moore has bigger things to worry about than his football future

Lookout at the Orange Bowl: Daily updates

Oregon flies south with focus, momentum — and yes, gray pants

Ducks rout JMU, advance to Orange Bowl and set sights on the ‘standard’

Learn more about Texas Tech: 

Texas Tech’s gamble on HS legend Joey McGuire has paid off

Joey McGuire addresses narrative that Texas Tech bought its College Football Playoff spot

Texas Tech’s biggest and richest fan explains how he’d fix college sports

📷 Relive Round 1 📷

🎥 watch the inside look 🎥

🎧 listen to the traffic report 🎧

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