Can JMU’s offense keep pace, or will Oregon’s speed and depth take over?
Oregon cruised past James Madison 51–34 on Saturday in the first round of the College Football Playoff, though the final score was closer than the game appeared for much of the night.
The Ducks built a commanding 48–13 lead midway through the third quarter, putting the outcome largely out of reach. James Madison made the margin more respectable late, outscoring Oregon 20–3 over the final quarter and a half.
With the win, Oregon (12–1) advanced to face Texas Tech in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1. It marked the Ducks’ first playoff victory since 2014, when they defeated Florida State in the Rose Bowl semifinal before falling to Ohio State in the national title game.
James Madison (12–2) saw its season end as Group of Five teams fell to 0–4 in CFP games, following No. 17 Tulane’s 41–10 loss to No. 6 Mississippi earlier Saturday.
Oregon quarterback Dante Moore set the tone early, throwing a 41-yard touchdown pass to Jamari Johnson less than two minutes into the game. Johnson made a one-handed catch and powered into the end zone while dragging two defenders.
The Dukes answered with a 30-yard field goal by Morgan Suarez on a methodical 15-play drive that chewed up more than eight minutes. From there, Oregon took control, scoring four straight touchdowns before James Madison added another Suarez field goal just before halftime to make it 34–6.
Forced to abandon its run-heavy attack after falling behind, James Madison leaned on quarterback Alonza Barnett III, the Sun Belt Player of the Year. Barnett completed 23 of 48 passes, including a 47-yard touchdown to Nick DeGennaro on the Dukes’ opening drive of the second half.
