Oregon Ducks revealed exactly how they can win a championship in first round College Football Playoff win

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The Oregon Ducks completely obliterated James Madison in their first round College Football Playoff game on Saturday. Don't let the final 51-34 score fool you. The game was over halfway through the second quarter.

Yes, the defense needs to clean some things up and not get lazy with a big lead like they did, but the Oregon Ducks revealed exactly how and why they can definitely win a national championship this year. Their offensive weapons are so explosive, and deep at every position, that they can create mismatch problems all over the field on 100% of snaps. Coming into their first round playoff game everyone knew quarterback Dante Moore was special. Tight end Kenyon Sadiq is a consensus first round pick. Now their running backs and wide receivers are clicking on all cylinders too, making this Ducks offense look unstoppable.

Dierre Hill & Oregon Ducks look unstoppable in the run game

The Oregon Ducks run game has been a strength all season long, but it had been stalling a bit down the stretch prior to the College Football Playoff. That wasn't the case on Saturday. It didn't matter who touched the ball out of the backfield. The Oregon Ducks were going to get their chunks of yardage on every single carry.

Jordon Davison ended up leading the team in rushing yards with 90, averaging nine yards per carry. The Ducks' leading rusher on the year only tallied five touches, but took those for 36 yards. The breakout star of the game on the ground was true freshman Dierre Hill Jr., who had flashed some this season, but exploded for 116 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown Saturday. The Ducks will need this unbelievable momentum to continue from their running backs if they want to win it all, but they're certainly getting hot at the right time.

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Malik Benson and wide receivers creating explosive plays easily

When Dakorien Moore went down with an injury after the Wisconsin game there were questions about the wide receiver depth for the Ducks. Not anymore. Moore actually saw some limited game action against James Madison for the first time since his injury, but it was breakout star wide receivers Malik Benson and Jeremiah McClellan who stole the show on Saturday. Head coach Dan Lanning was asked about both of them, especially Malik Benson (5 receptions, 119 yards, two touchdowns), after the game and he was excited to sing his praises:

"Yeah, Malik [Benson] has showed up for us, certainly down the stretch of this season. He was certainly great today. Obviously had some big balls that he caught and I've been really proud of his progression and growth for us in this program."

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Malik Benson and Jeremiah McClellan are both going to need to draw significant attention against Texas Tech if Oregon wants to win again in the quarterfinal round because the Red Raiders have one of the best pass rushes in the country. Tight ends Kenyon Sadiq and Jamari Johnson will need to step up much more than they did against James Madison as well. However, regardless of where the targets go exactly moving forward, it's clear that Oregon's skill position groups are stacked to the brim at every spot, playing their best football at just the right time.

We’ll be back with more Oregon Ducks coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!

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This story was originally published by A to Z Sports on Dec 21, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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