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Oregon quarterback Bo Nix will play in Holiday bowl; 'Bo's a competitor, he wants to get out there and play'

Jarrid Denneyby:Jarrid Denney•12/04/22•

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(Photo by Ali Gradischer/Getty Images)

Earlier this afternoon, the Oregon athletic department slyly hinted via a social media post that the Ducks’ star quarterback, Bo Nix, would play in the program’s upcoming bowl game.

Sunday evening, Oregon coach Dan Lanning made it official.

When asked during a press conference if Nix will playing in the Dec. 28 Holiday Bowl against North Carolina, Lanning confirmed that junior signal-caller will indeed be leading the Ducks’ offense in San Diego.

“Yeah, Bo’s a competitor,” Lanning said. “He wants to get out there and play in this game, for sure.”

There was plenty of speculation in recent days surrounding Nix’s status. He delivered one of the greatest statistical regular seasons even by an Oregon quarterback.

But he suffered an ankle injury — to the same ankle he broke last season at Auburn — that left him severely limited during the Ducks’ final two regular season games.

Nix has also seen his NFL Draft stock rise this season and was recently projected by CBS as a first-round pick.

But according to Lanning, Nix will take the field in green and yellow at least one more time.

There has been no announcement from Nix or UO regarding his plans beyond the 2022 postseason.

Oregon Ducks to face North Carolina Tar Heels in Holiday Bowl

The Oregon Ducks are headed to San Diego and will close out their season at the Holiday Bowl.

After landing at No. 15 in the final College Football Playoff rankings of the season, the Ducks (9-3, 7-2 Pac-12) have earned a trip to face the North Carolina Tar Heels (8-4, 6-2 ACC) at Petco Park on Dec. 28. at 5 p.m. PT.

This will be the first-ever meeting between Oregon and North Carolina.

The Ducks were also in consideration for the Las Vegas Bowl. But the No. 14 Oregon State Beavers ultimately got the nod there.

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.

A little over three weeks ago, Oregon’s hopes of reaching the College Football Playoff were very much intact. The Ducks were the No. 6 team in the nation heading into their Nov. 12 showdown with Washington in Eugene.

But they fell 37-34 in that game and saw star quarterback Bo Nix suffer an ankle injury that limited his mobility throughout the remainder of the regular season.

One week later, Oregon topped Utah, 20-17, to keep its CFP hopes alive.

But a disastrous loss to the Beavers in Corvallis in Week 13 spelled the end for the Ducks’ national title hopes.

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