Bo Nix throws 5 TD passes to lead No. 8 Oregon to a 45-6 win over No. 18 Liberty in Fiesta Bowl
Mon, Jan 1, 2024
NCAAF News (AP)
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) - Bo Nix threw for 363 yards and five touchdowns to cap a recording-breaking career, and No. 8 Oregon closed out a season that started with national title expectations by rolling over No. 18 Liberty 45-6 in the Fiesta Bowl on Monday.
Nix played like a Heisman Trophy finalist after opting to join his teammates on the field one last time, throwing for 257 yards and four touchdowns as the Ducks built a 31-6 halftime lead. Nix finished 28 of 35 in just over three quarters and completed 77.44% of his passes this season, breaking the NCAA record of 77.36%, set by Alabama's Mac Jones in 2020.
Tez Johnson had 11 catches for 172 yards and a touchdown, part of a 584-yard afternoon by the Ducks (12-2).
Liberty (13-1) overcame the death of freshman offensive lineman Tajh Boyd early in camp with the best season in the program's short FBS history.
Keidon Salter finished 15 for 24 for 126 yards with a touchdown and interception and Quinton Cooley rushed for 79 yards on eight carries. CJ Daniels had eight catches for 79 yards and Bentley Hanshaw caught a 17-yard touchdown pass.
CITRUS BOWL
NO. 25 TENNESSEE 35, NO. 20 IOWA 0
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava ran for three touchdowns and threw for one in his first career start, and Tennessee shut down Iowa's Division I-worst offense in the largest shutout in Citrus Bowl history.
Iamaleava, a prized recruit for the Volunteers, stepped in for senior Joe Milton, who opted out of the game to prepare for the NFL draft. The 19-year-old threw for 151 yards, and his 27 rushing yards included three scores.
Dylan Sampson rushed 20 times for 133 yards for the Vols (9-4), and Tennessee's defense did the rest against an Iowa offense that came in averaging 16.6 points per game and 238.8 yards.
The Hawkeyes (10-4) were blanked in consecutive games to close the season. Iowa finished with 173 yards of offense. Deacon Hill threw for 56 yards, was intercepted twice and lost a fumble. The Hawkeyes crossed midfield only once in the first three quarters, and that drive concluded when Andre Turrentine intercepted Hill in the end zone.
RELIAQUEST BOWL
No. 13 LSU 35, WISCONSIN 31
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Garrett Nussmeier threw for 395 yards and three touchdowns, helping LSU launch its post-Jayden Daniels era with a come-from-behind victory over Wisconsin.
Making his first college start after Daniels, the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner, opted out to begin preparing for the NFL draft, Nussmeier completed 31 of 45 passes and tossed TD passes of 14 yards to Chris Hilton Jr. and 38 and 4 yards to Brian Thomas Jr., whose second score put LSU ahead with 3:08 remaining.
Nussmeier rallied the Tigers (10-3) from a 14-point second-half deficit and overshadowed Wisconsin's Tanner Mordecai, who threw for a season-high 378 yards and three TDs for the Badgers (7-6), who played without star running back Braelon Allen.
Nussmeier set up the winning touchdown with completions of 37 yards to Kyren Lacy and 43 yards to Hilton. Thomas finished with eight catches for 98 yards, while Lacy had six receptions for 97 yards for the Tigers.
Mordecai, a sixth-year senior playing his final college game, finished 27 of 40 passing without an interception for the Badgers, who had more than 500 yards of total offense without Allen, who opted out of the bowl game because he's declaring for the NFL draft.
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