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Bucky Irving says duck at Tampa Bay game is an 'omen,' predicts Oregon to win national title

Chandler Vesselsby:Chandler Vessels•12/29/24•

ChandlerVessels

bucky irving
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Tampa Bay running back Bucky Irving believes there was a sign Sunday that Oregon will win the national championship. In a home game for the Buccaneers against the Carolina Panthers, a duck appeared on the field during play.

Of course, that is the mascot for Oregon, which also happens to be where Irving played college football. The running back told reporters after the game that he viewed the appearance of the duck as an “omen” that Oregon will claim its first national title.

Irving played two seasons at Oregon in 2022 and 2023 before being taken in the fourth round of the NFL Draft this offseason. He entered Sunday with 920 yards and seven touchdowns on the season to lead all rookies.

The Ducks did not make the College Football Playoff in either of the two years that Irving played there, but earned the No. 1 seed this season. They were the only team in the FBS to finish the year undefeated led by transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who was a Heisman finalist.

Oregon is set to face Ohio State at 5 p.m. ET on New Year’s Day with a trip to the semifinals on the line. The Ducks defeated the Buckeyes in the regular season by a score of 32-31, and the rematch is highly anticipated on both sides.

As far as Bucky Irving is concerned, however, all signs point to another win for Oregon.

Duck appears on the field as Buccaneers block punt, return for touchdown vs. Panthers

The Hillsborough River is not too far away from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, and it appears a friendly creature decided to make the trip to the building on Sunday.

During the third quarter of Sunday’s Week 17 game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7) and Carolina Panthers (4-12), a duck mysteriously appeared on the field, caught on camera by the CBS Sports crew. But the camera quickly panned back to the action, as the Panthers were lining up for a punt. Johnny Hekker had his punt blocked, and linebacker J.J. Russell scooped the ball up and took it back for six.

“Quack, quack — and Hekker has it blocked!” Ian Eagle said on the broadcast.

It was that kind of day for Tampa Bay, who needed a win to stay alive in the NFC South race along with the Atlanta Falcons (8-7). The Buccaneers picked up a dominant 48-14 victory over the Panthers, their third time this season topping 40 points.

On3’s Nick Geddes contributed to this report.