Oregon Ducks beat James Madison 51-34 in College Football Playoff
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Oregon defeated James Madison 51-34 in the first round of the College Football Playoff on Saturday.
The first three quarters looked like the scoring would be more lopsided, as Oregon took a 48-13 lead over JMU midway through the third quarter.
JMU managed to make the deficit look a little more aesthetic by outscoring the Ducks 20-3 in the final quarter and a half.
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Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore (5) runs for a 20-yard field goal in the second quarter during the College Football Playoff first-round game between the Oregon Ducks and James Madison Dukes on December 20, 2025 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. (Icon Sportswire via Brian Murphy/Getty Images)
The Ducks (12-1) face Texas Tech in the 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.
James Madison (12-2) dropped Group of Five teams to 0-4 in CFP play. No. 17 Tulane also fell to No. 6 Mississippi, 41-10, on Saturday.
Oregon quarterback Dante Moore threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Jamari Johnson with less than two minutes remaining to give Oregon a lead it would not relinquish. Johnson intercepted Moore’s pass with his right hand and advanced toward the end zone while dragging a pair of defenders.
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Oregon Ducks running back Jordon Davison (0) runs the ball against James Madison Dukes linebacker Xavier Holmes (9) and linebacker Drew Spinogatti (56) during the College Football Playoff first round game between the Oregon Ducks and James Madison Dukes on December 20, 2025 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. (Icon Sportswire via Brian Murphy/Getty Images)
James Madison responded with a 30-yard field goal from Morgan Suarez on its next drive, which required 15 plays and burned 8:03. The Ducks took control before halftime, scoring four consecutive goals before another Suarez shot put the score at 34-6.
By falling behind by such a wide margin, James Madison pulled away from its rushing offense, 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.
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Oregon Ducks running back Dierre Hill Jr. (23) scores on a 56-yard run against James Madison Dukes safety Jacob Thomas (7) in the College Football Playoff first round game between the Oregon Ducks and James Madison Dukes on December 20, 2025 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. (Icon Sportswire via Brian Murphy/Getty Images)
Oregon responded immediately with two touchdowns, including a second TD by wide receiver Malik Benson and a blocked punt that Jayden Limar collected and returned 15 yards. James Madison scored the final three goals.
The victory was the Ducks’ seventh straight since losing 30-20 to No. 1 Indiana on Oct. 11. James Madison had won 11 in a row.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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