Oregon uses big plays to beat JMU in College Football Playoff
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Big plays early doomed James Madison in its first appearance in the College Football Playoff.
Oregon scored on its first five drives of the games, going on to win 51-34 in the first round of the playoffs.
No. 5 Oregon will play No. 4 Texas Tech in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. The game will be played Jan. 1 in the Capital One Orange Bowl. Kickoff is scheduled for noon.
No. 12 James Madison, champions of the Sun Belt Conference, earned a berth in the College Football Playoff in just its second year of eligibility. JMU joined the FBS in 2022, but had a two-year transition period before it was eligible for postseason play.
Oregon (12-1) had seven plays of 20 or more yards in the first half, and scored quickly. The longest scoring drive in the first half for Oregon was 2:37. Four of its touchdowns came on drives of 1:45 or less. The Ducks had scoring drives of four plays for 68 yards, five plays for 75 yards, three plays for 78 yards, four plays for 63 yards and five plays for 80 yards.
Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, a projected top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft if he decides not to return to Eugene, finished the night 19-of-27 passing for 313 yards and four touchdowns. He did throw two interceptions.
Moore hit Jamari Johnson for a 41-yard touchdown pass less than two minutes into the game for the first points of the game. He added two more passing touchdowns, plus a rushing one, in the first half.
Meanwhile, James Madison (12-2) managed just two field goals in the first half and punted three times. The Dukes also missed a field goal and went into halftime trailing 34-6. JMU’s Morgan Suarez hit field goals of 30 yards and 38 yards for the Dukes’ first half scoring.
JMU’s offense came alive in the second half, putting up 28 points, but it wasn’t enough to rally from the early deficit.
JMU quarterback Alonza Barnett III finished the game 23-of-48 passing for 273 yards with a pair of touchdowns. Running back Wayne Knight added 110 yards rushing, while Barnett and Lacota Dippre both scored on the ground for the Dukes.
The final yardage totals were fairly even, with Oregon finishing with 514 yards and JMU with 509 yards. Penalties hurt the Dukes though. JMU was penalized 13 times for 113 yards.
Although this was the first time in the playoffs at the FBS level, JMU won two FCS national championships during its time in that division. The Dukes won the title in 2004 and again in 2016.
The game marked the final one at JMU for Coach Bob Chesney, who had agreed to become the head football coach at UCLA. Former Florida coach Billy Napier will be JMU’s next head coach.
Patrick Hite is a reporter at The News Leader. Story ideas and tips are always welcome. Connect with Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and on Instagram @hitepatrick. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: JMU can’t find answer for Oregon offense in College Football Playoff
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