EUGENE, Ore. — Dante Moore threw four touchdown passes and ran for another score and No. 5 Oregon beat No. 19 James Madison 51-34 Saturday night in the first game of the College Football Playoff.
The Ducks (12-1) advanced to face Texas Tech in a quarterfinal game at the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1. Oregon won a playoff game for the first time since 2014, when the Ducks beat Florida State in the Rose Bowl semifinals before losing to Ohio State.
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James Madison (12-2) dropped Group of Five teams to 0-4 in CFP play. No. 17 Tulane fell 41-10 to No. 6 Mississippi as well as Saturday.
Moore completed a 41-yard touchdown pass to Jamari Johnson less than two minutes into the game to give Oregon a lead it would not relinquish. Johnson caught Moore’s pass with his right hand and rushed into the end zone while dragging down two defenders.
James Madison responded with a 30-yard field goal from Morgan Suarez on its next drive, which took 15 plays and burned 8:03. The Ducks took over, scoring four straight touchdowns before the Dukes scored another Suarez field goal before halftime, making the score 34-6.
By falling behind so wide, James Madison took a step back from its rushing attack, which ranked fifth in the nation in average yards per game heading into the evening. Sun Belt Player of the Year Alonza Barnett III completed 23 of 48 passes, including a 47-yard touchdown pass to Nick DeGennaro on James Madison’s first drive of the third quarter.
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Oregon quickly responded with two touchdowns, including wide receiver Malik Benson’s second touchdown and a blocked punt that Jayden Limar recovered and returned 15 yards for a score. James Madison scored the final three touchdowns.
It was the Ducks’ seventh straight victory since losing 30-20 to No. 1 Indiana on Oct. 11. James Madison had won 11 in a row.
Takeaways
Oregon: Standout freshman receiver Dakorien Moore, who missed Oregon’s last four games with a knee injury, returned to the Ducks’ lineup for the first time since Oct. 25 against Wisconsin. If Moore, the Ducks’ third receiver, is available for the remainder of the CFP, it would provide Oregon’s offense with another dynamic playmaker on the field when healthy.
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James Madison: The Dukes’ run defense, which ranked second in the nation in fewest yards per game against, struggled in its second matchup of the season with a Power Four opponent. After allowing less than two total rushing yards to opponents in three of his last four games, James Madison has allowed 201 rushing yards, including 150 before halftime.
