Dante Moore delivered a playoff performance to remember, accounting for five touchdowns as No. 5 Oregon powered past No. 12 James Madison 51-34 on Saturday night in a College Football Playoff first-round game.
Moore threw four touchdown passes and added a rushing score to lead the Ducks (12-1) into the quarterfinals, where they will face Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl on Jan. 1. The victory marked Oregon’s first CFP win since the 2014 season, when the Ducks defeated Florida State in the Rose Bowl semifinal before falling to Ohio State in the national championship game.
For James Madison (12-2), the loss continued a difficult trend for Group of Five programs in the playoff. The Dukes became the fourth such team to fall in CFP action, joining No. 17 Tulane, which was routed 41-10 at No. 6 Mississippi earlier Saturday.
Oregon wasted little time seizing control. On the Ducks’ first offensive snap, Moore connected with Jamari Johnson on a 41-yard touchdown pass less than two minutes into the game. Johnson secured the ball with one hand, dragged two defenders and raced into the end zone, setting the tone for a night dominated by Oregon’s offense.
James Madison answered with a methodical response, marching 15 plays over 8:03 before Morgan Suarez drilled a 30-yard field goal. That proved to be a brief pause in Oregon’s surge. The Ducks rattled off four consecutive touchdowns, opening a commanding 34-3 advantage before Suarez added another field goal just before halftime to trim the margin to 34-6.
Facing a deep deficit, James Madison was forced away from its strength. The Dukes entered the game ranked fifth nationally in rushing yards per game, but the early hole pushed them into a pass-heavy approach. Sun Belt Player of the Year Alonza Barnett III finished 23 of 48 through the air and ignited a brief spark to start the second half with a 47-yard touchdown strike to Nick DeGennaro.
Oregon quickly extinguished any comeback hopes. The Ducks answered with two more touchdowns, including wide receiver Malik Benson’s second score of the night. Special teams added to the onslaught when Oregon blocked a punt, and Jayden Limar scooped it up and returned it 15 yards for a touchdown.
James Madison showed resilience down the stretch, scoring the final three touchdowns to make the score more respectable, but the outcome was never in doubt.
The win was Oregon’s seventh straight since a 30-20 loss to No. 1 Indiana on Oct. 11. James Madison saw an 11-game winning streak snapped in its playoff debut, but the Dukes’ breakthrough season still stands as one of the most memorable in program history.
For Oregon, the focus now shifts to South Florida, where Moore and the Ducks will try to keep their championship run alive against Texas Tech on New Year’s Day.
