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Gameday Central: Oregon vs. North Carolina in the Holiday Bowl

Jarrid Denneyby:Jarrid Denney•12/28/22•

jarrid_denney

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(Photo by Tom Hauck/Getty Images)

The No. 15 Oregon Ducks will look to close out the 2022 season on a high note on Wednesday when they face the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Holiday Bowl.

The showdown in San Diego will serve as the first-ever matchup between the Ducks and Tar Heels.

“They’re a good team,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said of the Tar Heels earlier this month. “I’ve got a lot of respect for (head coach Mack Brown) and the job that he’s done there. Obviously, they’re playing a championship in their conference; they’re really explosive on offense and have a great quarterback that did a lot of things.

“I’ve worked with some of the guys that they have on their defensive staff. I think they do a really good job. So it’s a great opponent, you want to play a good team. We got fortunate to play a good team in the bowl game.”

This will mark the fourth time that the Ducks have played in the Holiday Bowl in the game’s 43-year history.

Oregon defeated Oklahoma State, 42-31, under Mike Bellotti in 2008. It lost to Bob Stoops’ Oklahoma Sooners, 17-14, in 2005.

In 2000, Bellotti’s Ducks defeated Texas, 35-30.

Here’s a rundown of everything you need to know about Wednesday’s showdown between the Ducks and the Tar Heels in the lead-up to kickoff.

Oregon (9-3, 7-2 Pac-12) vs. North Carolina (9-4, 6-2 ACC)

When: Wednesday, Dec. 28 at 5 p.m. PT

Where: Petco Park — San Diego, Calif.

Broadcast crew: Gus Johnson (play-by-play); Joel Klatt (analyst); Jenny Taft (sideline).

Stream: fuboTV, Foxsports.com

Listen:

Radio Crew: Jerry Allen (play-by-play); Mike Jorgensen (analyst)

Betting line (via Vegas Insider)

  • Spread: Oregon -14.5
  • Total: 74.5
  • Moneyline: Oregon -600, North Carolina +425

Oregon opts outs and transfer portal departures

Opt-outs

  • LB Noah Sewell
  • CB Christian Gonzalez
  • EDGE DJ Johnson

Transfer portal

ScoopDuck staff predictions

Pregame reading

Key quotes

Dan Lanning on the mix of veteran and freshman talent on Oregon’s roster

“Certainly this is going to be the beginning for some young players’ careers. I remember not too long ago being at Georgia and (former Bulldog’s linebacker Azez Ojulari’s) very first experience in a game was really in the Sugar Bowl. And then a couple of years later, he’s a draft pick, but really didn’t play at all as a freshman in our time in Georgia. Then grows into a guy that’s able to make a tremendous impact.

“On the same note, this is an exit for some guys that have been part of our program for so long in Alex Forsyth, Ryan Walk, some of those guys that. So, this can be a beginning and this can be an end for a lot of players.”

Dan Lanning on the health of Bo Nix heading into the Holiday Bowl

“I certainly think he feels a lot better than he did at the end of the season. I expect to see him play some of his best football.”

Mack Brown on what makes Bo Nix and Drake Maye so effective

 “We watched Bo for years. We saw him at Auburn and I saw him make some unbelievable comebacks in the SEC. Then to see him transfer, and his dad is a coach, and he gets it. …They’re both tall. They can both see. They can run. They can make plays with their feet. You can’t sack him. He runs so much better than people even think. The other thing is that they’re both so competitive.

“You think about modern-day football. Bo is playing in the game, which a lot of quarterbacks would not be. He also is deciding to come back when he was the top draft pick, so he loves ball. He loves Oregon. He loves what they’re doing, and that’s the same with Drake.”

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