Orange Bowl Showdown: Texas Tech, Oregon Set for Explosive Quarterfinal Clash
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. - When No. 4 Texas Tech and No.
5 Oregon step onto the field at Hard Rock Stadium, it won’t just be a clash of top-five teams - it’ll be a collision of mirror images. Both programs bring 12-1 records, high-octane offenses, and stingy defenses into Thursday’s Orange Bowl quarterfinal, and the men leading them see more similarities than differences.
“We were talking earlier, and it’s like looking in a mirror,” said Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire during Wednesday’s joint press conference with Oregon head coach Dan Lanning. “You’ve got great defenses.
You’ve got explosive offenses. I think both of our offenses probably produced the most explosive plays in college football this year.”
McGuire wasn’t exaggerating. Both teams have made a living off chunk plays this season - the kind that flip fields, swing momentum, and light up scoreboards. And with two of the most dynamic offensive units in the country set to square off, expect fireworks from the opening kick.
For McGuire, it’s all part of the plan. “We’re excited to be here and we got a big day today.
It’s our ‘Fast Friday’ on a Wednesday,” he said, referencing the team’s weekly high-tempo walk-through. “We’ll be ready to go tomorrow.
I promise you we’ll be ready to go!”
Oregon, fresh off a 51-34 win over James Madison in the first round of the College Football Playoff, has proven it can handle the postseason spotlight. But the Ducks didn’t just arrive here on the back of one big win - they’ve racked up victories over six other bowl-eligible teams, showcasing a balanced and battle-tested roster.
“Something we’ve talked about since we arrived here is our ability to create explosive plays and eliminate explosive plays,” said Lanning. “When you look at both these teams, they’re two of the best in the nation at doing that. So, this will be an exciting game and certainly an exciting opportunity for us.”
Lanning and McGuire share more than just top-tier teams - they also share a common coaching origin. Both men began their careers under the Friday night lights of high school football. McGuire built a dynasty at Cedar Hill in Texas, winning three state titles, while Lanning got his start as an assistant at Park Hill South in Kansas City, Missouri.
“It’s really an honor to get the opportunity to share a stage with Coach McGuire,” Lanning said. “Both of us started off as high school coaches. I’m sure he’s very similar to me in the sense that we pinch ourselves every day to get to do what we do.”
This isn’t the first time these two programs have met in recent memory. Back in 2023, Oregon edged Texas Tech 38-30 in a game that featured a quarterback duel between Bo Nix and Tyler Shough - both now playing on Sundays in the NFL. This time around, it’s Dante Moore for the Ducks and Behren Morton for the Red Raiders.
McGuire has high praise for Moore, calling him the best quarterback Texas Tech has faced all season. “He extends plays with his feet.
Whenever you turn on the tape, he’s as accurate as anybody that we’ve played - and he’s really more accurate when he throws the deep ball,” McGuire said. “He’s got great skill around him.”
But McGuire’s confidence in his own quarterback is just as strong - maybe even stronger. Morton, a Lubbock native with a Texas Tech degree, has become the heart and soul of this Red Raider team.
“My quarterback’s been here from day one,” McGuire said. “He’s born in Lubbock, he’s got a Texas Tech degree.
There’s not a lot of people that do that. They don’t want to sit.
They want to play right now. He redshirted and grew as a quarterback, and then I just think he’s dynamic.”
The stage is set. Two explosive teams.
Two coaches who’ve climbed the ladder from high school sidelines to the national spotlight. And two quarterbacks ready to write the next chapter in their programs’ postseason history.
Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. ET in Miami Gardens. If you're a fan of big plays, bold coaching, and postseason drama, this one’s got everything you could ask for.