Oregon
Fiesta Bowl: Undefeated Liberty faces its stiffest test yet against No. 8 Oregon
GLENDALE, Ariz. — No. 23 Liberty rolled through its sixth season as a Division I program undefeated, earning a spot in Monday’s Fiesta Bowl.
Awaiting the Flames in the desert is something unlike anything they’ve faced, maybe ever: the big, bad Oregon Ducks.
“It doesn’t take a lot of time to watch the video to know how talented they are,” Liberty coach Jamey Chadwell said. “We shared with (the team), and I think I’ve said it before, they’re six points away from playing for a national championship. That’s how good they are. Going into championship weekend, they were the favorites to win the national championship. They’re tremendous.”
Oddsmakers certainly think so.
No. 8 Oregon is a 17 1/2-point favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, one of the most lopsided betting lines during bowl season.
The Ducks (11-2) steamrolled through their schedule, outside of two games against No. 2 Washington, one of four College Football Playoff teams. Oregon lost by three in both games, including the Pac-12 title game.
The Ducks are led by quarterback Bo Nix, a Heisman Trophy finalist who has put up gaudy numbers and has a chance to break the NCAA single-season record for completion percentage.
Oregon has one of the best offensive lines in the country, a group that allowed an FBS-low five sacks this season. The Ducks’ pass-blocking grade of 92.0 is the best in the country, according to Pro Football Focus.
Oregon’s defense has been just as good, finishing 12th against the run (97.5 yards per game) while giving up 10 points or fewer six times.
The Ducks aren’t about to take the Flames lightly either.
“Several of the players on their team started off at Power Five schools, and I don’t know if everybody realizes this, they’ve won every single game they’ve played,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said with a touch of sarcasm. “That’s a pretty good team and our players recognize that.”
Liberty (13-0) has played the best season in program history despite enduring a tragedy before it even started.
Early in camp, freshman offensive lineman Tajh Boyd died, ruled by the medical examiner as a suicide.
The Flames bonded around their fallen teammate throughout the season.
“When things like that happen, you can either fall apart or you can make it a point to be around each other and be together and try to stay together,” Liberty offensive lineman X’Zavea Gadlin said. “We really did that.”
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No one would have blamed Nix for skipping the Fiesta Bowl to prepare for the NFL draft.
The senior already proved himself during the regular season, throwing for 4,145 yards and 40 touchdowns with three interceptions. His completion percentage of 77.2% is right behind the record of 77.4% set by Alabama’s Mac Jones in 2020.
Nix wasn’t interested in riding off without his teammates.
“You go the whole season, you’re playing and you’re going week by week, and things get crazy,” Nix said. “When you get to the bowl game, it’s like your last hurrah for the whole team and your last time to be together to maximize that time with your teammates and coach.”
Oregon’s offensive line may have had the nation’s best grades, but Liberty’s group is also first class.
Liberty arrives in the desert with the nation’s best rushing attack at 302.9 yards per game — more than 20 ahead of Air Force, the next-closest team.
The Flames also are the only FBS team with two 1,000-yard rushers. Quinton Cooley is 13th nationally with 1,322 yards, and quarterback Kaidon Salter added 1,064. Salter also has thrown for 31 touchdowns and accounted for 43, both school records.
Oregon
Oregon City health care facility sees measles exposure, Oregon Heath Authority warns
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Oregon
Oregon Top High School Baseball Players For 2026
The 2026 MLB Draft is approaching, and Baseball America is providing a comprehensive, state-by-state look at the talent across the country with our rankings of the the top 2026 high school baseball players by state.
Our state lists collectively include rankings for more than 1,000 players from across the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada, offering an in-depth look at the 2026 high school class. Players are listed in the state where they attend high school, with the depth of each list varying depending on the level of talent in each state.
More MLB Draft Rankings
These rankings are based on Baseball America’s extensive scouting coverage, combining first-hand evaluations and industry feedback to line up players based on their projected future talent. The rankings reflect the full spectrum of talent in the 2026 class. The players who project to be the best major league players—and thus will likely end up being high draft picks—are at the top of our rankings.
In addition to elite draft prospects, these lists include high-end college recruits, many of whom project to be impact college players who could raise their MLB prospect profiles after getting to campus. They also include other players who have the potential to be quality Division I regulars.
The players at the top of the lists stand out right now with the highest long-term major league projection, but there are future major leaguers throughout these lists. Player further down the rankings have a greater chance of getting to college, where they have the potential to emerge after more development at that level.
These lists offer a resource for tracking the best 2026 high school baseball prospects who could shape the 2026 MLB Draft and make an impact on college baseball programs in the years ahead. For college programs, major league teams and fans, these lists provide a deeper look into the pipeline of talent that will shape the 2026 MLB Draft class, future draft classes and the next half decade of college baseball.
Oregon Class Of 2026 Baseball Rankings
| RANK | PLAYER | POS | SCHOOL | COMMIT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grady Saunders | RHP | Thurston | Oregon State |
| 2 | Sawyer Nelson | SS | South Salem | Loyola Marymount |
| 3 | Teagan Scott | C | South Salem | Oregon State |
| 4 | August Ware | LHP | Gencoe | Oregon State |
| 5 | Trenton Hertzog | C/3B | Tualatin | Oregon |
| 6 | Jake Rolling | SS | Jesuit | Gonzaga |
| 7 | Zack Hankins | LHP | Taft | Oregon |
| 8 | Ryan Hemsley | RHP | West Linn | Portland |
Oregon
Oregon tattoo artists push back on topical anesthetic ban
PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) – Tattoo artists across Oregon are voicing concerns after a recent rule clarification from the Oregon Health Authority says topical anesthetics cannot be used by any tattoo artist.
Sean Lanusse has been tattooing for nearly two decades, and sits on the committee that reviews curriculum for Oregon tattoo schools. During their last committee meeting, a memo was introduced with little warning.
“They just kinda slid it out and said we are not going to talk about this because it does not pertain to this meeting but here is this information,” Lanusse said.
The practice clarification says under no circumstance can tattoo artists in Oregon apply topical anesthetics. The reasoning: it could constitute practicing medicine.
Only one other state in the U.S. bans all topical anesthetics for tattoo purposes.
Lanusse said it’s common to see a numbing agent like Bactine in a tattoo studio.
“I did use bactine for a while just to ease it up a little bit, help the client through the extra 20 mins or whatever but generally I’m not using those things,” Lanusse said. “I don’t think it’s as big of a problem for us as it is for cosmetic tattooing.”
Cosmetic tattoo artists say ban will hurt business
At her private studio, Exuvium Studios Body Art & Beauty, Kaysie Anderson tattoos more than just permanent makeup. She does a lot of work with scar camouflaging and post-mastectomy areola reconstructing tattooing.
“I have used numbing creams up until this clarification for nearly every single service I perform,” Anderson said.
After the new rule came out, she sent a poll to her clients asking if they would be willing to get their tattoos without numbing cream. Since most of the tattoos Anderson applies are in very sensitive areas of the body, a vast majority of her clients said no.
“This will 100% drive business out of our state, this will also drive licensees out of our state so the HLO will loose that revenue too,” Anderson said. “If I am not able to get clarification on how this is to be enforced or applied then I would have to relocate.”
In an email from the Oregon Health Authority, the agency cited two instances of topical anesthetics being used during a cosmetic tattoo appointment that led to the client going to the hospital for eye irritations. Both of those cases were from more than 10 years ago. One happened in Albany in 2016, the other in Bend in 2012.
Both Lanusse and Anderson are hoping for more clarity from the Health Licensing Office as to why they are making these clarifications now.
“The ideal answer would be to have the HLO reconsider their interpretation of existing policy because it doesn’t seem to be supported by and existing statute,” Anderson said.
“I don’t like that they did it that way because this effects thousands of tattooers, cosmetic and artistic tattooers,” Lanusse said. “The rollout of this was very surprising, very sudden and not well communicated to everyone, it’s going to have far-reaching impact and no plan going forward.”
The organization “Reform Oregon Tattooing” said they will be lobbying this next legislative session to separate the licensing process for artistic tattooing and cosmetic tattooing.
Copyright 2026 KPTV-KPDX. All rights reserved.
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