GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Vrbo Fiesta Bowl is one of the premier games in college football. It is part of the New Year's Six, along with the Rose Bowl, Cotton Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Peach Bowl and Orange Bowl. Those games are meant to produce some of the best matchups each season.
However, that was not the case in this year's Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium in Glendale as the No. 18 Oregon Ducks blew out the No. 18 Liberty Flames, 45-6.
So, is that the most lopsided Fiesta Bowl in the 53-year history of the game? 12Sports took a look at the record books to find out.
It turns out that yes, Oregon's 39-point victory is the largest margin of victory in the history of the Fiesta Bowl. The record had previously been held by the 1996 game, where No. 1 Nebraska beat No. 2 Florida by 38 points.
How Oregon Won
Liberty opened the scoring in the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl on a 17-yard TD pass from Quarterback Kaidon Salter to Wide Receiver Bentley Hanshaw. However, the Flames would be shut out after that.
Oregon's first score came on their first drive thanks to a 37-yard field goal from Camden Lewis. That would be Oregon's only score of the first quarter and Liberty led 6-3 heading into the second quarter.
But that is when the Ducks took over as Oregon Quarterback Bo Nix threw four TD passes to give the Ducks a 31-6 lead at halftime.
Nix would add another TD pass on a reverse flea flicker in the third quarter to put Oregon up 38-6 and then Running Back Bucky Irving scored from one-yard out at the start of the fourth quarter to put the Ducks up 45-6.
In the game, Nix became Oregon's leader for single-season passing touchdowns and yards. He also tied the Fiesta Bowl record for most passing touchdowns with five. Nix also broke the NCAA record for single-season completion percentage.
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Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale. The Coyotes play at Mullett Arena on ASU's Tempe campus.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USheaL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
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