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Liberty vs Oregon: Vrbo Fiesta Bowl
The undefeated Liberty Flames will round up against the Oregon Ducks in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Monday. Even though the Liberty has not lost a single game this season, they are major underdogs against the Ducks.
Liberty regular season breakdown
The Liberty Flames finished the regular season on top of CUSA with a perfect 13-0 record. They were so dominant all season long that only 3 of their 13 wins came with a single-digit margin. The Flames are coming off a 49-35 win over New Mexico State. Liberty is ranked first in the country with 302.9 rushing yards per game, and they are ranked third with 514.9 total yards per game. Defensively, the Flames are 48th in the country, allowing 356.5 yards per game.
Oregon regular season breakdown
The Oregon Ducks finished second in the Pac-12 with an 11-2 record. Both losses in the season came against the Washington Huskies, both by only three-point margin. The second one came in the conference finals, as the Ducks lost 34-31. Oregon is ranked second in the country with 527.4 yards per game, 7.8 yards per play, and 342.8 passing yards per game. They lead the nation in past completion with 77.1%. Defensively, the Ducks are 22nd in the country with 320.3 allowed yards per game.
Betting Trends
The Oregon Ducks are 9-3-1 ATS for the season and 9-3-0 ATS as favorite.
Player to watch
Kaidon Salter is the quarterback who led the Flames to a perfect season. The sophomore from Cedar Hill finished the season with 2,750 yards and had 31 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. These numbers sound impressive, but Salter has not faced a defense like the Ducks this season.
Injury Report
TE Jacob Jenkins, WR Victor Jones Jr., and WR Reese Smith are out for Liberty while WR Troy Franklin, WR Josh Delgado, K Andrew Boyle, and RB Noah Whittington are out for Oregon.
Prediction and Conclusion
The Oregon Ducks are coming into this game as a 16.5-point favorite against Liberty. At first, this spread looks way too high, but knowing the difference in the conference these two teams played in and how vulnerable Liberty is on the defensive end, there is no doubt that the Ducks are a major favorite to win this one. Both teams have the majority of their players available for this game, something that adds extra excitement to this Bowl game. This year, both teams are very aggressive on the offensive end, but the Ducks are the only ones capable of making some stops. Given that the Ducks will be able to shut down the Flames just enough to cover the spread.
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