No. 2 Oregon 38, No. 3 Colorado 16

Jan. 1, 2002
Tempe, Ariz.
Attendance: 74, 118

Joey Harrington threw for four touchdowns and Steve Smith intercepted a bowl-record three passes as No. 2 Oregon pounded No. 3 Colorado in the 31st Fiesta Bowl.

Heisman Trophy finalist Harrington became the first Pac-10 quarterback to lead his team to three bowl wins, and ended his career third at Oregon in passing yards (6,911) and touchdowns (59).

After a first-quarter Buffalo touchdown, the Ducks scored 38 consecutive points. The game’s offensive MVP led the charge with a 28-yard scoring strike to Keenan Howry and a season-long 79-yard TD pass to Samie Parker on subsequent drives. The latter marked Oregon’s longest scoring play in bowl history and tied for the longest pass in Fiesta Bowl history. On the ground, Maurice Morris brought the crowd to its feet in the second half with a dazzling 49-yard touchdown scamper though a half-dozen would be tacklers, as he rolled off the back of another. His 89 rushing yards at game’s end also made him the first back in Oregon history to run for 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons (1,049). Freshman kicker Jared Siegel also booted a career-long 47-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.

Colorado tried its luck in the air in the second half, and salvaged a couple of late scores to avoid the biggest defeat in Fiesta Bowl history. The Duck defense held the Buffalo rushers to a combined 49 yards — far below their previous 228.5 avg. that ranked eighth nationally. Wesly Mallard and Dave Moretti led the Duck defenders with 13 and 11 tackles, respectively, while Smith earned the game’s top defensive award.

SCORING
CU......Brandon Drumm 1 run (Brougham kick), 6:26, 1st
UO......Keenan Howry 28 pass from Joey Harrington (Siegel kick), 3:48, 1st
UO......Samie Parker 79 pass from Harrington (Siegel kick), 3:13, 2nd
UO......Onterrio Smith 6 pass from Harrington (Siegel kick), 2:29, 2nd
UO......Maurice Morris 49 run (Siegel kick), 12:33, 3rd
UO......Siegel 47 FG, 12:03, 4th
UO......Justin Peelle 4 pass from Harrington (Siegel kick), 9:38, 4th
CU......Flores 39 FG, 5:47, 4th
CU......Daniel Graham 4 pass from Craig Ochs (kick failed), :18, 4th

Individual Leaders

Rushing
Morris (UO) 11-89, O. Smith (UO) 14-51.
Brown (CU) 9-30, Johnson (CU) 8-24, Purify (CU) 6-19.

Passing
Harrington (UO) 28-42-1-350.
Pesavento (CU) 11-27-2-139.
Ochs (CU) 13-20-1-140.

Receiving
Parker (UO) 9-162, Willis (UO), 6-62, Peelle (UO) 5-66, Howry (UO) 3-33.
Graham (CU) 10-89, McCoy (CU) 5-66, Johnson (CU) 3-50, Brunson (CU) 3-35.