EUGENE, Ore. — Dante Moore threw four touchdowns and ran for another score and No. 5 Oregon beat No. 19 James Madison 51-34 on Saturday night in the College Football Playoff opener.
The Ducks (12-1) advance to face Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl quarterfinals 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 and then lost to Ohio State.
James Madison (12-2) dropped Group of Five teams to 0-4 in CFP play. No. 17 Tulane also lost 41-10 to No. 6 Mississippi State on Saturday.
Moore threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Jamari Johnson less than two minutes into the game, giving Oregon a lead it would not relinquish. Johnson intercepted Moore's pass with his right hand and raced into the end zone, dragging a pair of defenders with him.
James Madison responded with a 30-yard field goal from Morgan Suarez on its next drive that took 15 plays and burned 8:03. The Ducks took over from there, scoring four straight touchdowns before the Dukes snuck in another field goal from Suarez before halftime to make it 34-6.
Trailing by such a large margin, James Madison came away with a rushing attack that entered the evening ranked fifth in the country in average yards per game. 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.
Oregon quickly responded with two touchdowns, including receiver Malik Benson's second touchdown and a blocked punt that Jayden Lemar picked up and returned 15 yards for the score. James Madison scored the last three touchdowns.
The win was the Ducks' seventh in a row following a 30-20 loss to No. 1 Indiana on Oct. 11. James Madison has won 11 in a row.
Oregon: Standout freshman wide receiver Dacorien Moore, who missed Oregon's last four games with a knee injury, returned to the Ducks' lineup for the first time since Oct. 25 against Wisconsin. If Moore, the Ducks' third-leading receiver, is available for the rest of the CFP, it would give Oregon's offense another dynamic playmaker in the open field when healthy.
James Madison: The Dukes' defense, which ranked second in the country in fewest yards per game, struggled in its second game of the season against a Power Four opponent. After allowing less than two yards to its opponents in three of its last four games, James Madison allowed 201 yards on the ground, including 150 before halftime.
