Oregon outlasts James Madison in CFP first round, advances to Orange Bowl
Ducks hold off late rally, set up showdown with Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl
Oregon defeated James Madison 51-34 in the College Football Playoff first round Saturday at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon, to advance to a CFP quarterfinal against Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1.
The Ducks (12-1) built a 34-6 lead by halftime and held on as JMU staged a late rally, scoring 20 points in the final 1 1/2 quarters. This marked Oregon's first playoff win since 2014, when the Ducks beat Florida State in the Rose Bowl semifinal before losing to Ohio State.
Dante Moore connected on a 41-yard touchdown to Jamari Johnson less than two minutes into the game to put Oregon ahead. James Madison answered with a 30-yard field goal on its next drive, one which required 15 plays and burned 8:03 off the clock. The Ducks rattled off four straight touchdowns before halftime, and a late field goal by Morgan Suarez trimmed the margin to 34-6 at the break.
Three minutes into the third quarter, James Madison's Alonza Barnett III, who completed 23 of 48 passes, connected with Nick DeGennaro for a 47-yard touchdown on the Dukes' first drive of the period to pull within 34-13. Oregon answered with two more scores, including Malik Benson's second touchdown of the night and a 15-yard scoop-and-score by Jayden Limar after a blocked punt, pushing the Ducks back ahead by 27.
James Madison finished with the last three touchdowns of the game, but Oregon's early lead proved insurmountable as the Ducks closed it out for the 51-34 win.
Oregon improved to 12-1 and extended its winning streak to seven games since a loss to No. 1 Indiana on Oct. 11. James Madison, which had won 11 in a row, saw its run end in the CFP first round. The Dukes also dropped to 0-4 in CFP games against Power Five opponents this season, while Tulane's 41-10 loss at Mississippi earlier Saturday left Group of Five teams at 0-4 in CFP games.
Oregon will face Texas Tech in the CFP quarterfinal at the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1. The Ducks will look to advance to the national semifinals with another strong performance in a bid to repeat as a conference contender.
