Saturday, December 20
Eugene, Ore.
4:30 PM
University of Oregon
12-1 , 8-1
51
vs
34
James Madison
12-2 , 8-0
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
James Madison
3
3
14
14
34
Oregon
13
21
14
3
51
Photo by: Eric Evans/GoDucks.com
Ducks Orange Bowl Bound After CFP Win At Home
12/20/25 | Football
Oregon held off James Madison on Saturday at Autzen Stadium to reach a College Football Playoff quarterfinal on New Year's Day.
EUGENE, Ore. — There were pyrotechnics at Autzen Stadium on Saturday, literally and then figuratively.
Fireworks shot from the stadium rooftops when the Oregon football team took the field for its first-round College Football Playoff game against James Madison. The Ducks then put on an explosive performance of their own, though it fizzled out a bit toward the end.
Dante Moore tied a UO postseason record by accounting for five touchdowns, and Oregon piled up 514 yards of offense Saturday to beat the Dukes, 51-34. The Ducks led 48-13 midway through the third quarter, having by then all but clinched a CFP quarterfinal berth in the Orange Bowl against Texas Tech on New Year's Day.
UO head coach Dan Lanning called the win "bittersweet" for the way the Ducks failed to sustain their early momentum. The postgame locker room was quieter than normal after James Madison's strong second half, but the Ducks also kept the big picture in mind.
"Winning in a playoff game — winning games in general — is really hard," senior receiver Malik Benson said after contributing two long touchdown receptions. "But when you win and you can look at things and clean things up, it's exciting to know that once we fully put the pieces together we're going to be even better."
Oregon (12-1) secured its third straight 12-win season, doing so for the third year in a row and eighth time overall. The Ducks' first-ever Orange Bowl appearance will be the program's second straight CFP quarterfinal berth, with only Ohio State and Georgia also having qualified for the round of eight each of the last two seasons.
Autzen Stadium's first time hosting a playoff game was one to remember, from the pregame fireworks to the halftime drone show. The performance by the home team was pretty darn good, too, as Oregon scored the most points ever by a Big Ten team in a CFP game and set a CFP record by averaging 9.7 yards per play.
"Overall, we won the game, we're advancing," Moore said. "Of course, the standard has to stay the standard through all four quarters. But overall that's what film is there for; film is there to make sure we get better before the next game. The whole team understands that this wasn't our best game, but at the end of the day we won the football game. In the playoffs, if you lose you go home. I'm glad we won."
Moore finished the night 19-of-27 passing for 313 yards and four touchdowns, plus a rushing touchdown. His five total touchdowns matched the UO postseason record set by Bo Nix at the 2024 Fiesta Bowl.
Benson caught two of those touchdown passes, on his way to 119 receiving yards. The Ducks also ran for 201 yards, and added some significant contributions on special teams — a blocked field goal, a blocked punt returned for a touchdown, and a 48-yard field goal by Atticus Sappington.
"I thought we played a really good first half in some ways, gave up a couple explosive plays," Lanning said. "Defensively in the second half, I don't think we played at all close to our standard. Credit to JMU for figuring some stuff out at halftime, and not credit to us for not being able to sustain and play the way we need to be able to play down the stretch.
"I think our team realizes this is a growth moment for us and an opportunity to continue to improve and get better. But we have to play better football to be able to reach our goals when it's all said and done."
The Ducks blocked a punt midway through the third quarter, and Jayden Limar scooped it up before returning it for a touchdown. That made it 48-13 before James Madison did the bulk of its scoring on the night.
The Dukes capitalized on some trick plays to score early, including a double pass and a fake punt. They also put together a few more explosive plays than the Ducks could have liked to see.
"We've just got to be better, especially with just focusing on one play at a time," said UO outside linebacker Teitum Tuioti, who was credited with three quarterback hurries and two pass breakups Saturday. "At the end of day, whoever's on the field is a starter for us, and we've got to make sure that we uphold the standard. It's good that we've seen it now, make sure that we can continue to fix it, continue to reflect on it, and then continue to develop from there."
By the time the Dukes got rolling, though, the outcome was all but decided.
The Ducks led 13-3 after one quarter, on an athletic one-handed touchdown catch by tight end Jamari Johnson and a rushing touchdown by Moore. Dierre Hill Jr. ran for a 56-yard touchdown in the second quarter, which also featured TD receptions by Jeremiah McClellan and Benson as Oregon took a 34-6 lead into halftime.
The third quarter saw Moore and Benson connect on another deep ball for a score, as well as Limar's touchdown on special teams.
"We started off hot, like I said," Lanning said. "Ultimately we can be better, even defensively in the first half. Being able to hold them to field-goal attempts instead of touchdowns there in the first was a positive, but the second half as a team, we didn't play the way we need to be able to play. You're going to find moments like that when you have a big lead to be able to choke somebody out; we didn't do that."
Saturday's game advanced the Ducks to Miami for the Orange Bowl, which will match Texas Tech's elite defense with Oregon's explosive offense. The Ducks welcomed receivers Gary Bryant Jr. and Dakorien Moore back from injury for brief appearances Saturday, and Evan Stewart warmed up in full uniform before changing into street clothes for the games.
So for as explosive as Oregon looked Saturday, the Ducks could be even more so in the Orange Bowl. They'll be looking to create more fireworks in Miami come New Year's Day, and to keep the pyrotechnics going from the opening kick to the final gun.
Fireworks shot from the stadium rooftops when the Oregon football team took the field for its first-round College Football Playoff game against James Madison. The Ducks then put on an explosive performance of their own, though it fizzled out a bit toward the end.
Dante Moore tied a UO postseason record by accounting for five touchdowns, and Oregon piled up 514 yards of offense Saturday to beat the Dukes, 51-34. The Ducks led 48-13 midway through the third quarter, having by then all but clinched a CFP quarterfinal berth in the Orange Bowl against Texas Tech on New Year's Day.
UO head coach Dan Lanning called the win "bittersweet" for the way the Ducks failed to sustain their early momentum. The postgame locker room was quieter than normal after James Madison's strong second half, but the Ducks also kept the big picture in mind.
"Winning in a playoff game — winning games in general — is really hard," senior receiver Malik Benson said after contributing two long touchdown receptions. "But when you win and you can look at things and clean things up, it's exciting to know that once we fully put the pieces together we're going to be even better."
Oregon (12-1) secured its third straight 12-win season, doing so for the third year in a row and eighth time overall. The Ducks' first-ever Orange Bowl appearance will be the program's second straight CFP quarterfinal berth, with only Ohio State and Georgia also having qualified for the round of eight each of the last two seasons.
Autzen Stadium's first time hosting a playoff game was one to remember, from the pregame fireworks to the halftime drone show. The performance by the home team was pretty darn good, too, as Oregon scored the most points ever by a Big Ten team in a CFP game and set a CFP record by averaging 9.7 yards per play.
"Overall, we won the game, we're advancing," Moore said. "Of course, the standard has to stay the standard through all four quarters. But overall that's what film is there for; film is there to make sure we get better before the next game. The whole team understands that this wasn't our best game, but at the end of the day we won the football game. In the playoffs, if you lose you go home. I'm glad we won."
Moore finished the night 19-of-27 passing for 313 yards and four touchdowns, plus a rushing touchdown. His five total touchdowns matched the UO postseason record set by Bo Nix at the 2024 Fiesta Bowl.
Benson caught two of those touchdown passes, on his way to 119 receiving yards. The Ducks also ran for 201 yards, and added some significant contributions on special teams — a blocked field goal, a blocked punt returned for a touchdown, and a 48-yard field goal by Atticus Sappington.
"I thought we played a really good first half in some ways, gave up a couple explosive plays," Lanning said. "Defensively in the second half, I don't think we played at all close to our standard. Credit to JMU for figuring some stuff out at halftime, and not credit to us for not being able to sustain and play the way we need to be able to play down the stretch.
"I think our team realizes this is a growth moment for us and an opportunity to continue to improve and get better. But we have to play better football to be able to reach our goals when it's all said and done."
The Ducks blocked a punt midway through the third quarter, and Jayden Limar scooped it up before returning it for a touchdown. That made it 48-13 before James Madison did the bulk of its scoring on the night.
The Dukes capitalized on some trick plays to score early, including a double pass and a fake punt. They also put together a few more explosive plays than the Ducks could have liked to see.
"We've just got to be better, especially with just focusing on one play at a time," said UO outside linebacker Teitum Tuioti, who was credited with three quarterback hurries and two pass breakups Saturday. "At the end of day, whoever's on the field is a starter for us, and we've got to make sure that we uphold the standard. It's good that we've seen it now, make sure that we can continue to fix it, continue to reflect on it, and then continue to develop from there."
By the time the Dukes got rolling, though, the outcome was all but decided.
The Ducks led 13-3 after one quarter, on an athletic one-handed touchdown catch by tight end Jamari Johnson and a rushing touchdown by Moore. Dierre Hill Jr. ran for a 56-yard touchdown in the second quarter, which also featured TD receptions by Jeremiah McClellan and Benson as Oregon took a 34-6 lead into halftime.
The third quarter saw Moore and Benson connect on another deep ball for a score, as well as Limar's touchdown on special teams.
"We started off hot, like I said," Lanning said. "Ultimately we can be better, even defensively in the first half. Being able to hold them to field-goal attempts instead of touchdowns there in the first was a positive, but the second half as a team, we didn't play the way we need to be able to play. You're going to find moments like that when you have a big lead to be able to choke somebody out; we didn't do that."
Saturday's game advanced the Ducks to Miami for the Orange Bowl, which will match Texas Tech's elite defense with Oregon's explosive offense. The Ducks welcomed receivers Gary Bryant Jr. and Dakorien Moore back from injury for brief appearances Saturday, and Evan Stewart warmed up in full uniform before changing into street clothes for the games.
So for as explosive as Oregon looked Saturday, the Ducks could be even more so in the Orange Bowl. They'll be looking to create more fireworks in Miami come New Year's Day, and to keep the pyrotechnics going from the opening kick to the final gun.
Team Stats
JMU
ORE
Total Yards
509
514
Pass Yards
323
313
Rushing Yards
186
201
Penalty Yards
113
71
1st Downs
23
22
3rd Downs
9
3
4th Downs
4
0
TOP
35:50
24:10
1st Quarter
JMU 0, ORE 6
ORE - Johnson,Jamari 41 yd pass from Moore,Dante () 4 plays, 68 yards, TOP 01:38
JMU 3, ORE 6
JMU - Suarez,Morgan 30 yd field goal 15 plays, 63 yards, TOP 08:03
JMU 3, ORE 13
ORE - Moore,Dante 5 yd run (Sappington,Atticus kick), 5 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:37
2nd Quarter
JMU 3, ORE 20
ORE - Hill Jr,Dierre 56 yd run (Sappington,Atticus kick), 3 plays, 78 yards, TOP 01:34
JMU 3, ORE 27
ORE - McClellan,Jeremiah 20 yd pass from Moore,Dante (Sappington,Atticus kick) 4 plays, 63 yards, TOP 01:18
JMU 3, ORE 34
ORE - Benson,Malik 46 yd pass from Moore,Dante (Hurych,Gage kick) 5 plays, 80 yards, TOP 01:45
JMU 6, ORE 34
JMU - Suarez,Morgan 38 yd field goal 9 plays, 33 yards, TOP 00:54
3rd Quarter
JMU 13, ORE 34
JMU - DeGennaro,Nick 47 yd pass from Barnett III,Alonza (Suarez,Morgan kick) 6 plays, 75 yards, TOP 02:52
JMU 13, ORE 41
ORE - Benson,Malik 45 yd pass from Moore,Dante (Hurych,Gage kick) 4 plays, 76 yards, TOP 01:40
JMU 13, ORE 48
ORE - Limar,Jayden 15 yd punt return (Hurych,Gage kick)
JMU 20, ORE 48
JMU - Pettaway,George 24 yd pass from Barnett III,Alonza (Suarez,Morgan kick) 4 plays, 36 yards, TOP 01:46
4th Quarter
JMU 26, ORE 48
JMU - Dippre,Lacota 2 yd run (), 9 plays, 89 yards, TOP 03:40
JMU 26, ORE 51
ORE - Sappington,Atticus 48 yd field goal 10 plays, 17 yards, TOP 06:04
JMU 34, ORE 51
JMU - Barnett III,Alonza 1 yd run (DeGennaro,Nick pass), 9 plays, 99 yards, TOP 03:17
Game Leaders
CMP
19
TD
4
YDS
313
INT
2
Players Mentioned
WR
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WR
/ Football
RB
/ Football
TE
/ Football
RB
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WR
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WR
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K
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WR
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OLB
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