12/20/25 10:47:00
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12/20 22:45 CST No. 5 Oregon beats No. 19 James Madison 51-34 in College
Football Playoff opener
No. 5 Oregon beats No. 19 James Madison 51-34 in College Football Playoff opener
By ANDREW DESTIN
AP Sports Writer
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) --- Dante Moore threw four touchdown passes and ran for
another score and No. 5 Oregon beat No. 19 James Madison 51-34 on Saturday
night in a College Football Playoff opener.
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 semifinal before losing to
Ohio State.
James Madison (12-2) dropped Group of Five teams to 0-4 in CFP games. No. 17
Tulane fell 41-10 at No. 6 Mississippi as well 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
hauled in Moore's pass with his right hand, and romped into the end zone while
dragging a pair of defenders.
James Madison responded with a 30-yard field goal from Morgan Suarez on its
next drive, one which required 15 plays and burned 8:03. The Ducks took over
from there, rattling off four straight touchdowns before the Dukes snuck in
another field goal from Suarez ahead of halftime, which brought the score to
34-6.
In falling behind by such a wide margin, James Madison went away from its
rushing attack, which ranked fifth in the nation in average yards per game
entering 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.
Oregon promptly responded with two touchdowns, including wide receiver Malik
Benson's second TD and a blocked punt that Jayden Limar scooped and returned 15
yards for a score. James Madison scored the last three touchdowns.
The victory was the Ducks' seventh straight since losing to No. 1 Indiana 30-20
on Oct. 11. James Madison had won 11 in a row.
The takeaway
Oregon: Standout freshman wide 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-leading
receiver, is available for the remainder of the CFP, it would provide Oregon's
offense with another dynamic playmaker in the open field when healthy.
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
its opponents in three of its last four games, James Madison allowed 201 yards
on the ground, including 150 before halftime.
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