The 2022 Holiday Bowl features the 9-3 Oregon Ducks against the 9-4 North Carolina Tar Heels. Here is the 2022 Holiday Bowl preview.
Oregon Ducks (9-3)
Oregon won nine games to reach their sixth-straight bowl game. They defeated Utah, UCLA, Washington State and BYU, who all qualified for a bowl game. All three losses were at the hands of bowl-eligible teams.
The offense scores 39.7 points per game, ranking ninth in the country. They average 291.5 passing yards (ranked 15th) and 216.2 rushing yards per game (ranked 14th).
Bo Nix transferred to Oregon this season and has had the best season of his career. He has 3,389 passing yards, 27 touchdowns and six interceptions on 71.5 percent completion. Six players had at least 300 receiving yards this season for the Ducks. Troy Franklin was the best receiver with 56 catches for 867 yards and eight touchdowns.
Three players have over 500 rushing yards on the season for Oregon. Bucky Irving leads the team with 906 yards and three touchdowns. Noah Whittington has chipped in with 754 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Nix has been a threat to run the football from the quarterback position with 504 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Their defense gives up 27.42 points per game, which is tied for 76th in the country. They allow 125.5 rushing yards (ranked 32nd) and 260.6 passing yards per game (ranked 107th). Defensive back Bennett Williams has led the team with 67 total tackles. Star linebacker Noah Sewell has 55 tackles. DJ Johnson has a team-high six sacks. Christian Gonzalez was impressive in the secondary with seven passes defended and four interceptions, but he has opted out of the bowl game, leaving the secondary weaker.
North Carolina Tar Heels (9-4)
North Carolina won nine games to qualify for their fourth-straight bowl game. They have victories over four bowl-eligible teams: Wake Forest, Pittsburgh, Duke and Appalachian State. Their only loss to a team who didn’t make a bowl game was to Georgia Tech.
The Tar Heels score 35 points per game, which ranks them 23rd in the country. They pass for 317.2 yards (ranked ninth) and rush for 156.4 yards per game (ranked 63rd).
Drake Maye had a fantastic season in his first as a starting quarterback. He has passed for 4,115 yards, 35 touchdowns and seven interceptions on 67.2 percent completion. Seven players had at least 200 receiving yards, but top receiver Josh Downs has opted out for this game. That leaves Antoine Green, Bryson Nesbit and J.J. Jones to pick up the slack. They had 798, 470 and 423 receiving yards respectively.
Maye leads the team in rushing with 653 yards and also has seven touchdowns on the ground. Elijah Green, Omarion Hampton and Caleb Hood have all been productive running backs with 508, 397 and 250 rushing yards, respectively.
Defensively, they give up 31 points per game, which is 105th in the FBS. They concede 161.8 rushing yards (ranked 83rd) and 276.4 passing yards per game (ranked 121st). Linebacker Cedric Gray has been one of the nation’s leading tacklers with 136. Kaimon Rucker has been the top-sacker on the team with 2.5. Storm Duck has been the team’s best corner with 10 passes defended and three interceptions, but he is in the transfer portal.
Prediction
With North Carolina’s poor defense and players opting out, Oregon should be able to outscore them if they get a few stops.
Oregon Ducks 45 North Carolina Tar Heels 30
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