Cristobal leads Oregon into Las Vegas Bowl

Oregon players made it known they wanted Mario Cristobal to be their next head coach, with left tackle Tyrell Crosby circulating a petition that was signed by more than 70 teammates.

The Ducks (7-5) will get their first chance to show why they believed in him when Cristobal leads them in his Oregon debut against No. 25 Boise State (10-3) in the Las Vegas Bowl, one of six games Saturday on the first day of bowl season.

“We definitely feel the need to go in there and show the administration, as well as everybody all around the country, that they made the right decision in picking coach Cristobal to be the head coach,” Ducks center Jake Hanson said.

Cristobal became interim coach Dec. 8, three days after Willie Taggart left to become the head coach at Florida State.

Briefly: Louisiana-Lafayette hired Arizona State offensive coordinator Billy Napier as head coach to replace Mark Hudspeth, fired after the Ragin’ Cajuns finished 5-7 this season . ... Toledo coach Jason Candle, who is 21-6 in two seasons, has signed a six-year contract that runs through the 2023 season and will pay him more than $1 million per year. ... In the Division III title game in Salem, Va., Mount Union limited Mary Hardin-Baylor to 144 yards total offense in a 12-0 victory that gave the Purple Raiders their 13th national championship.