It’s a game Duck fans will always remember! It was Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013 in Glendale, Ariz.
A No. 4 vs No. 5 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl pairing that began with super tailback De’Anthony Thomas running the opening kickoff back 94 yards for a touchdown to immediately set the tone in a hugely anticipated national match-up.
And just for good measure, head coach Chip Kelly rubbed it in with a successful two-point conversion run in by defensive end Dion Jordan.
Only 12 seconds had run off the clock and already Oregon was up 8-0. Some fans hadn’t even made it to their seats before the Ducks had already put points on the board.
“I remember we were walking down the steps and we weren’t even in our seats yet when De’Anthony [Thomas] took the kick back on the first play and we were all kind of freaking out because we thought something happened,” said current Oregon quarterback Tyler Shough who reminisced this week about being at the game seven years ago.
“It was pretty funny just because we finally got to our seats and we were already up 8-0. That was a great memory.”
The Ducks ended the season 12-1 with a final AP ranking of No. 2 in the country. The lone blemish on the Ducks record was the head-scratching and so very disappointing overtime loss to Stanford ( 17-14 ) at Autzen Stadium.
It would also be the final season Kelly would walk the sideline to coach the Ducks after being lured away by the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL.
It was also the season where quarterback Marcus Mariota truly began to shine. As a redshirt freshman, Mariota threw 32 touchdowns and completed 68 percent of his passes (230 of 336). Mariota racked up 2,677 passing yards while also rushing for 754 yards and six touchdowns.
In the Fiesta Bowl match-up with Kansas State, Mariota executed an almost perfect game leading the Ducks to a 34-17 win.
It was a memorable game indeed which is why we wanted to take a look back and allow Duck fans the opportunity to revel in the decisive victory against No. 5 ranked Kansas State.
Watch the highlights of the game below. Enjoy!
TOSTITOS FIESTA BOWL 2013; No. 4 Oregon vs No. 5 Kansas State