With 9:13 to play in the Holiday Bowl the Oregon Ducks’ embattled defense held North Carolina to a field goal, limiting the Tar Heels’ lead to 24-14. A frustrated, but hopeful Oregon sportswriter wrote on his note pad: “time for 2 drives and a stop.” Vola! And so, it happened! Mega-star quarterback Bo Nix was given the keys to the offensive limo and promptly drove the Ducks 61 yards for their first touchdown since the first quarter when they scored two in their first three possessions of the game. The score was now 24-21.

But the defense still had to make a stop, and after an 11-play drive by North Carolina, the Ducks sucked it up and forced a field goal, allowing a 27-21 lead, but keeping the game within reach of Bo Nix’s magic. Which is what he did, completing 9 of his last 10 throws, the last one on fourth-and-two for a touchdown to Chase Cota with only 19 seconds left in the game. The extra-point try, usually a simple thing, took a dramatic and scary turn when kicker Camden Lewis hooked the kick for the win high off the (lucky for him) inside of the left upright and bounced it between the posts. Duck fans’ blood pressure readings had to be at an all-time high.

North Carolina came into the contest with a three-game losing streak, two of them by just a couple of points and featured the number-three passer in the country, Drake Maye, who connected for three first-half touchdowns against a Duck defensive secondary that looked outmanned at times. Maye was particularly effective on third-down runs and passes, mainly because Oregon edge rushers over-ran the quarterback, allowing him to scramble outside for 45 yards. In other third-down situations, Maye had no problem finding a tight end wide open in the middle. In those cases, nearly every secondary defender was playing man-to-man coverage while an inside linebacker was playing his own version of zone coverage, looking for an invisible receiver in the flat, leaving the tight end, alone, to gain first-down yardage.

Both Nix and Maye did not have their quarterback coach and play caller in San Diego as they were both settling into jobs at other schools; it seemed to show in the play and demeanor of both quarterbacks during the game. Nix, in particular, seemed solemn until the game went into the last 10 minutes. Not having your position coach to lean on during the game was a big loss for both quarterbacks and the relative conservative nature of play calling by both sides also seemed out of sorts.

Although Maye got three scores in the first half, the Duck secondary, particularly the corners, played one of their best games of the season; good because of the loss of All-Conference cornerback Christian Gonzalez choosing to sit out the game to rest up for the pros. Maye was a pedestrian 18-of-35 for only 206 yards and Oregon’s front seven, maligned by many for a meek season-long pass rush, put excellent pressure on Maye, blitzing linebackers (and a cornerback) more frequently than any other game this season. Something for the defensive coordinator to remember next season.

The defensive coaches made some good adjustments with their pass rush at halftime, looping the edge rusher wide to cut off Maye who was trying to scramble outside for a first down. In a couple of cases, that rusher was also able to get his hands up and deflect a pass, which goes to show that a pass rusher getting his hands up can be a huge part of good pass defense.

Nix was 23-of-30 passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns. Although he did suffer an interception, it was a World Cup soccer-style pick that went off the calf of a Tar Heel defender, then off his ankle, bumping the ball still in the air for the defensive back behind him who, bending to reach the pigskin, accidentally kicked the ball up in the air high enough for him to grab it and run 40 yards. Incidentally, Nix sprinted 50 yards to knock the defender out of bounds, the only Duck in a position to prevent a score.

With 26 seconds left in the half, Maye then threw a 49-yard scoring pitch to extend the ‘Heel’s lead to 21-14 and North Carolina turned the tables on the Ducks’ first part of the famed middle eight minutes of the game: scoring two touchdowns in the last four minutes while Oregon was shutout. Instead of the Ducks leading 21-14, it was the other way around.

Oregon Coach Dan Lanning made some adjustments with the defense and in a workman-like way, they brought the Tar Heels’ 40-point per-game machine to a halt, allowing only two field goals in the second half. The first field goal came after the Ducks stopped North Carolina on the two-yard line. That brave effort, while the offense was missing in action, turned out to provide the eventual margin of victory.

The Ducks scored touchdowns on two of their first three possessions of the game, primarily behind the broad backs of their fine offensive line. The most valuable offensive player of the game was Bucky Irving who rushed 13 times for 149 yards and two touchdowns, with a long gain of 66 yards. Noah Whittington added 27 yards as did Jordan James. Nix, still nursing a tender ankle, on the last drive of the game, when it was ”backs against the wall time,” the Ducks’ hard-nosed leader ran for 6 yards to North Carolina’s 8-yard line, and he didn’t slide on the play.

Lanning had said his goal was to “reset and correct mistakes” committed in the miserable two losses to Washington and Oregon State that brought the Ducks, and their fans, back to earth after inhaling vaporized dreams of a potential national championship. In many ways, the Ducks’ San Diego performance was a minor miracle as they came into town with broken hearts, a shoddy, under-performing defense and special teams that often put their offense and defense in nasty situations.

The special teams’ performance was not spectacular. Right after the Ducks took the early lead, the kickoff cover team gave up a 56-yard return that for a Tar Heel tripping, could have gone for 100. This group has not made noticeable improvement from game one against Georgia, allowing several returns of over 30 yards when players lose sight of the ball, get blocked, run into each other, bunch up, and then run out of their lanes without showing they know where they should be.

The long return looked easy as the Ducks left a 15-yard lane wide open for the Tar Heel running the ball. For many, the scariest part of the game was after Nix hit Chase Cota for the tying touchdown and Oregon had to kickoff. Visions of a long return to set up a North Carolina field goal that would crush the Ducks ran through the minds of Oregon’s faithful, but that did not happen, although a close look at the films will show open lanes the return man overlooked.

The Ducks won a tough game that many had written off in the fourth quarter. The defense, playing a lot of guys with little experience, held together and rallied to the football, particularly in the red zone. Lanning can be proud of their fight, allowing only three pass completions over 15 yards and three runs over 10 yards. A crucial difference in the game was Nix’s three completions for over 25 yards and five Duck rushes over 10 yards.

Nix has ice water in his veins and is gifted in moving his offense quickly in late-game situations. With him coming back next year and the running backs returning behind some talent and experience in the offensive line, it looks like the Ducks could be explosive. Lanning has some talent in the secondary, surprisingly more at the corner position than at safety, where he has to find more players with instincts better suited to covering the middle. Oregon’s linebackers, who seemed inconsistent, not physically strong or fundamentally sound need to improve the most, with the front four in the same boat with the loss of DJ Johnson and Brandon Dorlus.

Spring ball will be crucial to preparing Lanning’s second-year team for a conference title and national acclaim. This years’ Ducks were, at times, an average football team. Bo Nix made them special and can do it again. However, it’s going to take a mighty effort to get Oregon to the next level. It would be helpful to spend time re-looking at the Georgia film, especially their defense. If the Ducks want in on the ‘Naty, they’re going to need a more dominant, physical defense and special teams that contribute crucial plays that can turn a game in Oregon’s favor.