Oregon To Face No. 21 USF

In The 74th Annual Brut Sun Bowl

Oregon's Nick Reed will lead the Ducks into El Paso to face BCS No. 21 USF in the 74th annual Brut Sun Bowl.

EL PASO, Texas (December 2, 2007) - The University of Oregon has accepted an invitation to play in the 74th annual Brut Sun Bowl, announced Sun Bowl Association football committee chairman John H. Folmer. The game will pit BCS No. 21 University of South Florida against the Ducks on Monday, Dec. 31 at noon (MT) at Sun Bowl Stadium.

"We are truly excited about having the opportunity to host the University of Oregon," said John H. Folmer. "The opportunity to have two former No.2's in the Brut Sun Bowl was something that we could not pass up on. It truly is an exciting storyline that I think fans nationwide would be interested in seeing on CBS."

Oregon (8-4, 5-4 Pac-10) was ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation after starting the season 6-1. The Ducks have wins over five bowl-bound teams, including Michigan, USC and Arizona State.

The Ducks will be playing another former No. 2 in USF (9-3, 4-3 Big East), who started the season 6-0 and have wins over five bowl-bound teams as well, including Auburn and West Virginia.

This is the fourth appearance in the Brut Sun Bowl for Oregon, who last appeared in El Paso in 2003. The Ducks were also in 1999 and 1963 editions of the game.

"I've enjoyed attending previous Sun Bowls as a fan and now have a greater anticipation of doing so in another capacity as part of the university's official party," said Oregon's first-year athletics director Pat Kilkenny. "The hospitality exhibited by the people of El Paso has been unprecedented. At the same time, we recognize that we are playing a great team in South Florida. I think it is appropriate that two teams that may not have finished the season the way they had envisioned after getting off to great starts would get a chance to face one another."

This marks the 11th bowl appearance in 13 years under head coach Mike Bellotti, who is making his third Sun Bowl appearance, joining an elite group that includes Fred Akers (Texas), Mike Brumbelow (UTEP), Vince Dooley (Georgia), Hayden Fry (SMU and Iowa), Johnny Majors (Iowa State, Pittsburgh and Tennessee) and Joe Tiller (Purdue).

"We could not be more pleased for the opportunity to return to El Paso and welcome the chance to face an outstanding opponent in the University of South Florida. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to play in the Sun Bowl before recognize what a great job they do to make both teams feel welcome and I can attest to the fact that the city of El Paso hosts a great event," said Bellotti.

"Obviously we did not finish the season in the manner we would have preferred and look at this game as an opportunity to close the year on a winning note. Despite our injuries, we have said that we can't worry about those players we won't have available to play, only those who will. And I've already challenged our players to go to El Paso with every intention of winning this game."

The Ducks currently rank 12th in the nation in total offense, averaging 462.1 yards per game. The Ducks are eighth nationally in rushing. Leading the Oregon attack is the nation's 10th leading rusher - Jonathan Stewart. The 5-11 junior has amassed a school-record 1,469 yards rushing with 10 touchdowns.

The 74th Annual Brut Sun Bowl is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 31 at noon (MST). CBS Sports will broadcast the game for the 40th consecutive year, which is the longest running partnership between a network and a bowl game. Ticket prices for the game are $15, $20, $30, $40, $50, and $60. Tickets can be purchased at the Sun Bowl Association office (915-533-4416, 800-915-2695 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ), online at www.ticketmaster.com or at any TicketMaster outlet.