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Independence Bowl 1992
Wake Forest 39 Oregon 35
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The Ducks appeared to be clicking on all cylinders building a 22-10 halftime lead, then adding another TD late in the third period that left the Deacons trailing, 29-10, with less than 20 minutes remaining in the game. Wake Forest had been victimized by five turnovers and the Ducks had taken full benefit.
Oregon appeared to be cruising early in the second half. The Ducks realized no points from still another defensive gem by O’Berry, his seventh interception of the year, but cornerback Alex Molden duplicated it moments later and literally walked the eight yards to the end zone (video).
However, the shift in momentum after that was dramatic. Ned Moultrie scored on a short run, then Todd Dixon, who was named the game’s Most Outstanding Player, exploded with TD receptions of 30 (video) and 61 yards (video) in less than four minutes to give his team a 31-29 edge that it would never relinquish. John Leach, who ran for 116 yards, added what proved to be the deciding score later in the final quarter. Oregon’s offense had gone dry and Wake Forest had cruised to scores on four straight possessions to take control.
Quarterback Danny O’Neil hit 24 of 40 passes for 227 yards, but the Ducks managed just 112 yards rushing and not many after Sean Burwell’s 40-yard scamper early in the game. Dixon finished with five receptions for 166 yards and two TDs, O’Berry was honored as the game’s outstanding defensive player after two fumble recoveries and an interception. Wake Forest Coach Bill Dooley completed his outstanding career with victory No. 162.
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| Richard Goodpasture stops Oregon rusher. | |
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| Bobby Jones celebrates his fourth quarter touchdown pass to Todd Dixon. | |
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| Dooley left Wake with a bowl victory. | |
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Attendance: 31,337
Scoring Summary
First Quarter WF- Leach 1 run (Green kick) UO- Burwell 40 run (Thompson kick) UO- O’Berry 24 yard fumble return (pass failed)
Second Quarter WF- FG 38 Green UO- Ferry 4 pass from O’Neil (Thompson kick blocked), 4:03 UO- FG Thompson 48
Third Quarter UO- Molden 8 yard interception return (Thompson kick) WF- Moultrie 1 run (Green kick) WF- Dixon 30 yard pass from West (Green kick)
Fourth Quarter WF- Dixon 61 yard pass from Jones (Leach pass from West) WF- Leach 6 run (Green kick) UO- Harris 10 yard pass from O’Neil (pass failed)
Individual Statistics
Rushi ng WF- Leach 21-116, Moultrie 11-60 UO- Burwell 11-48, Whittle 7-27
Passing WF- West 15-27-262 UO- O’Neil 24-40-227
Receiving UO- Harris 6-74, Dixon 5-166 UO- Burwell 5-39, Mills 4-83
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Wake Forest staged a stirring second half
rally for a 39-35 victory over Oregon before 31,337 fans and a national
television audience on ESPN, concluding a stunning year in appropriate
fashion. The Deacons had been 1-3 in September until reeling off six
straight wins to climb into the national polls for the first time in 13
years and capture the imagination of college football followers
everywhere. Oregon’s third consecutive
post-season game went down to the wire, but Wake Forest wound up in the
winner’s photo on the strength of a fourth-quarter stretch run in the
first-ever meeting between the intersectional rivals. 
