Mighty Ducks Win Holiday Bowl Thriller

Updated 8:07 AM PST, Wed, Dec 31, 2008

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Now this was a Holiday Bowl.

Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli ran through and over Oklahoma State's defense for three touchdowns and threw for another to lead the No. 15 Ducks to a 42-31 win over the No. 13 Cowboys in a wild, record-setting Holiday Bowl on Tuesday night.

Masoli, who quickly moved up from No. 3 on the depth chart this season due to injuries, scored on option keepers of 1, 41 and 17 yards in the third quarter, then threw a 20-yard scoring pass to Jaison Williams in the fourth quarter. Masoli, who ran over OSU free safety Quinton Moore on his 41-yard jaunt, gained 106 yards on 16 carries and threw for 258 yards.

There were big runs, big passes and big hits in a game showcasing two of the nation's most prolific offenses featuring the spread option.

There were five lead changes in the second half.

Oregon finished 10-3, the fourth time it's had double-digit wins in Mike Bellotti's 14 seasons as coach. Oklahoma State finished 9-4 under Mike Gundy, the winning quarterback for Oklahoma State in the 1988 Holiday Bowl.

Oregon's LeGarrette Blount put an exclamation point on the victory with a 29-yard touchdown run during which he hurdled Moore and stiff-armed cornerback Perrish Cox with three minutes to play.