Oregon vs. Texas, 2013 Alamo Bowl: Mack’s swan song done in by Ducks

Offensive touchdown scored by Oregon in the Alamo Bowl. The Ducks did gain 469 yards (6.9 per play) on Texas, but the Longhorns were able to limit damage on third downs (4-for-12), and special teams gave Oregon long fields from which to work all night despite six Texas three-and-outs -- nine of 11 Oregon drives began at the Ducks’ 25 or further back.

Texas bent but rarely broke and did what a defense has to do to give itself a chance against the Oregon offense. Unfortunately…

Box Score Hero:

Marcus Mariota: 18/26, 253 yards, 1 TD; 15 carries, 133 yards

Mariota was pretty upset with the referees for not making the call, and the Oregon coaches box was livid. Mariota is already dealing with an MCL injury that really limited in the final month of the season, and him being yanked backwards like that could not have felt good. He also suffered a head injury in a loss to Arizona on Nov. 23 that may still be bothering him a bit.

It looked to be unintentional, but still ... that’s an awfully curious no-call. Here was one opinion from the former Pac-12 Coordinator of Officials.

Oregon will get the football to begin the third quarter.

Johnstone was the anchor for the Ducks’ offensive line this season. He was a Freshman All-American last year and received an honorable All-Pac-12 mention for his work along the line in 2013.

• Bowl season TV schedule, with scores and recaps along the way

Mack Brown’s not the only longtime coach saying goodbye after the Alamo Bowl. The Ducks made sure defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti’s last game started off in style:

That was Oregon’s 18th pick-six since 2007, one of the highest totals in the country.

Ole Miss vs. Georgia Tech

Ole Miss, loaded with superstar freshmen like Tunsil, is a team to keep in an eye on in the future. For now, they’re light on NFL prospects.

But there’s a reason to wonder about the mental state of both teams. Oregon is a month removed from being on track for the national title game, but two late-season losses to Stanford and Arizona ended any chances there. If Texas would’ve come out on top against Baylor in its regular-season finale, the Longhorns would’ve been BCS bound. The team ended up losing in a blowout.

Here is everything you need to know to get ready for the game in San Antonio.

Beware, Oregon.

On paper, it’s difficult to figure out exactly how Texas is supposed to beat Oregon in the Alamo Bowl. The Ducks’ offense is much better than the Longhorns’ defense, and the Oregon defense, though off the pace of previous Duck Ds, is still better than the offense Texas will put on the field in San Antonio. Oregon is a top-10 team, and Texas is barely a top-40 team.

The Alamo Bowl odds see Texas as a 13.5-point underdog going up against the Oregon Ducks in San Antonio, Texas.

Brown is set to resign from Texas (Big 12, 8-4 SU, 6-6 ATS, 5-7 OU) when the season ends, after getting off to a slow start of 1-2 straight-up and against the spread before going on a solid 6-0 straight-up and 4-2 against the spread run that included outright upsets over Oklahoma and TCU.

If there is a surface of clothing that Oregon can make colorful and/or shiny, the Ducks are gonna take that opportunity. Doesn’t matter if that surface will spend most of the Alamo Bowl facing the ground:

No wings!?!?!?

Oregon defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti will retire after the Ducks’ Alamo Bowl matchup against Texas, the school announced Friday afternoon. Aliotti has served as DC in Eugene since 1999.

“After coaching for 38 years, it is time for a new chapter in my life,” Aliotti said in a statement. “Coaching is all I’ve ever known but it has been a labor of love and a fantastic ride.

Brown will resign after the game, giving way to a new era in Texas football, but the Longhorns will first play what is essentially a home game against one of the most explosive offenses in college football.

Barking Carnival had some fun with Brown’s final game, retelling the story as Game of Thrones’ author George R.R. Martin would. A sample:

Sure, Oregon has worn pink helmets, HydroChrome™ helmets, and every shade of highlighter. But come on. Look at the new uniforms for the Alamo Bowl.

Spencer Hall, man of letters that he is, aptly dubbed these “the Eagleducks and the Steelerducks.” He probably wins.

Former Alabama offensive coordinator Jim McElwain has taken Colorado State bowling for the first time since 2008, going 7-6 and finishing third in the Mountain division of the Mountain West. Out of those seven wins, none came against teams that finished with a winning record, but the Rams have a legitimate star in running back Kapri Bibbs. The sophomore led the nation with 28 touchdown runs this season on fewer than 20 carries per game, and has set school records in rushing touchdowns, total touchdowns and points scored.

Carr is one of the very best quarterbacks in the country, passing for 48 touchdowns and nearly 5,000 yards on the season. The Bulldogs started the year 10-0, with notable wins over Rutgers, Boise State and San Diego State before a dramatic Friday night loss to San Jose State. Fresno State still won the conference, defeating Utah State in the conference title game.

Michigan started the season 4-0, with tight wins over suspect opponents like Akron and Connecticut balancing out a win over a ranked Notre Dame. A four-overtime loss to Penn State ruined the team’s perfect record, and Michigan would end up losing to Michigan State, Nebraska, Iowa and Ohio State. The Wolverines will hope to get more consistent play on both sides of the ball against Kansas State.

Well, this isn’t exactly where either of these teams wanted to end up, is it? This is one of those situations where you have to decide whether you want to judge a bowl by its reputation or its matchup, because this is certainly a fun matchup.

Troy Hill, a junior defensive back at the University of Oregon, was arrested by Eugene Police on Friday for menacing and fourth degree assault.

Via CSN Northwest, UO coach Mark Helfrich released a statement on Hill:

Marshall suffered an ankle injury in the first quarter of Oregon’s blowout loss to Arizona, missing the remainder of that game and the entirety of the next one against Oregon State. He finished the regular season with 955 rushing yards on 155 attempts, good for nearly 6.5 yards per rush, with 14 touchdowns.

• Interactive bowl season calendar with picks and links to more coverage:

Mack Brown is done at Texas. The head coach resigned on Saturday, according to the Longhorn Network, meaning that perhaps the best job in all of college football is now available. Brown will stay on to coach the Longhorns in the Alamo Bowl against Oregon.

Update: Statements are here.

Despite numerous reports suggesting Texas head football coach Mack Brown would step down this week, he’ll try to remain on the job, according to a report from 247 Sports. The news arrives after public remarks at an Austin banquet on Friday night, in which Brown and other Texas dignitaries made no indications of his exit.

(The news also arrives minutes after Nick Saban signed a long-term deal at Alabama, for what it’s worth.)

Most of the press conference was spent talking about the upcoming matchup between the two teams, but Brown addressed rumors about his job status in his opening statement, apologizing to Helfrich for taking attention away from the game.

“There’s been a little speculation about my job situation throughout this week, if you all haven’t noticed,” Brown said at the conference broadcast by ESPN. “We’re here to talk about the bowl game, we’re not here to talk about me.”

Longtime Texas Longhorns head coach Mack Brown will step down, according to Orangebloods’ Chip Brown. Brown would end his 16 years at Texas with a 158-47 record, with 15 bowl appearances, 11 bowl wins (two of which were BCS bowls), and a national championship.

Update: Texas denies the report, and has a meeting on the subject scheduled for Thursday. It’s worth noting Texas also denied Chip Brown’s report of athletic director DeLoss Dodds stepping down before eventually confirming. Mack Brown himself also denies the report, as does Dodds. Yahoo!‘s Pat Forde reports Brown is still fighting for his job. CBS’ Bruce Feldman also reports Brown isn’t expected to be back, as does ESPN’s Brett McMurphy.

To our disappointment, the game is not actually held in the Alamo. Remember the Alamo, but more importantly, remember the Alamo Bowl, y’all.

Date and time, ET: Monday, Dec. 30 at 6:45 p.m. ET