Las Vegas Bowl Moment 7: Underdog Oregon explodes on offense

To celebrate the local bowl’s 25th anniversary milestone, the Review-Journal will rank the top 25 moments in Las Vegas Bowl history. We’ll relive one moment per day until game day on Dec. 17 at Sam Boyd Stadium:

No. 7: Underdog Ducks cruise by Air Force

Date: Dec. 20, 1997

Score: Oregon 41, Air Force 13

Back story: The Las Vegas Bowl unveiled a new format that matched a representative from the WAC against an at-large opponent. The game featured an offensive explosion from Oregon versus then-No. 21 Air Force. The Falcons entered the matchup with a 10-2 overall record while the Ducks had a rocky season at 6-5.

Game: Oregon, which was considered the underdog, exploded for 583 yards of offense and scored the first 26 points of the game. The Ducks were led by quarterback Akili Smith, who connected on a 69-yard touchdown with wide received Pat Johnson to open the game. Johnson scored a second touchdown and was named MVP of the sixth Las Vegas Bowl.

Since: Expectations were high for Smith after he was selected third overall by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 1999 NFL draft. Smith only lasted four years with the Bengals and is considered one of the biggest busts at quarterback in draft history. Oregon’s offensive coordinator in 1997 was Dirk Koetter, who is now the head coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Contact Gilbert Manzano at gmanzano@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0492. Follow @gmanzano24 on Twitter.