Ignore the scoreboard. Ignore the stat sheet. Ignore the litany of things that Dan Lanning, Tosh Lupoi, and Will Stein said after the game.
This was an ass-kicking by the Oregon Ducks, who beat the James Madison Dukes 51-34 on Saturday night in the first round of the College Football Playoff. Anyone who tuned in could see that. It doesn’t take advanced stats or high football IQ to see that the Ducks were the better, more talented team, and for the better part of 60 minutes, they did what they wanted to on the field.
Sure, giving up 34 points and over 500 yards of offense to a Group of Six team may not qualify as “championship-level” football to Lanning and his staff. However, if you’re going to mention what Oregon gave up, you have to also mention that those numbers were achieved by the Dukes late in the third and fourth quarter, when Oregon had literal fourth-string guys out there on the field.
Regardless, the standard is the standard in Eugene, and that wasn’t met for half of the game on Saturday. Ultimately, though, the Ducks won and will now move on to face the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the quarterfinals of the CFP. Before we preview that game, though, let’s further dive into this one and see what we can take away from the blowout.
A Pissed Off Dan Lanning
If you want to look at things in a positive manner — which Oregon fans often do not, for some reason — then the result on Saturday night is just about as perfect as you could ask for. The Ducks destroyed their first-round opponent with a zero-stress game from start to finish, knocked whatever rust there may have been off, and left with a pissed off head coach who will be demanding better from his players for the next 10 days leading up to the quarterfinal matchup vs. the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
Sounds pretty great when you put it that way, doesn’t it?
There were a lot of positives to take away from the day, but ultimately, it’s the way that Oregon finished that left Lanning calling this game “bigger sweet” after the game.
“The second half, as a team, we didn’t play the way we needed to be able to play,” Lanning said. “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.”
While the Ducks didn’t choke JMU out, and instead gave up a 99-yard touchdown drive late in the 4th quarter that allowed the Dukes to cover the 21.5-point spread, it was still a convincing enough win to give Oregon hope for the remainder of the CFP. When the starters were on the field, and the Ducks were clicking, they looked as good as any team we’ve seen in the nation this year, and one that can give a great game to the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the Orange Bowl.
Couple that with a pissed off Dan Lanning who wants more, and you might have a perfect storm brewing in Eugene.
No Rust to be Found
Coming into this game, there was a question about how the Ducks would deal with the rust that likely built up during the three weeks since their last game in the end of November. A year ago, during Oregon’s 25 days off between the Big Ten Championship and the Rose Bowl, we saw Oregon lose a step, which proved fatal against the Ohio State Buckeyes.
If there was any rust that accumulated this year, it was not noticeable against James Madison.
The Ducks’ offense was a freight train early in this game, scoring on average a touchdown every four plays, and displaying an efficiency that we haven’t seen since the Chip Kelly era of Oregon football. At one point late in the second quarter, the Ducks had 34 points on 21 plays, with an average of 16.6 yards per play, 15.0 yards per carry, and 19.9 yards per completion. A few plays later in the third quarter, they took it up another level.
I thought we might see a drive or two stall out in the first quarter of this game because of the rust, but that wasn’t the case. Instead, Oregon became the first team in CFP history to have five different players score five touchdowns on the first five drives of the game.
Rust wasn’t a factor here, to say the least. It will be interesting to see if Texas Tech can say the same thing 10 days from now.
Oregon’s WR Duo
Oregon’s WR health has been in question all year long, but on Saturday night, they finally got good news on that front. Both Dakorien Moore and Gary Bryant Jr. — Oregon’s two leading WRs who have been out since the beginning of November with injuries — suited up and got into the game for the Ducks. Of course, neither had a massive impact — Moore had one catch for five yards, while Bryant didn’t record any stats — but it was a great opportunity for both to knock some rust off and get back into the game before the stretch run of the playoffs.
There’s been an idea that, if Oregon could get healthy at the right time this year, they might be dangerous. Well, they appear to be healthy, with Evan Stewart potentially returning next week as well, and it’s coming when they need it the most.
Benson and McClellan Make Statements
Despite Moore and Bryant Jr. returning to the field on Saturday, it was still clear that Malik Benson and Jeremiah McClellan have their roles in this offense, and they aren’t about to give them up any time soon. For starters, Benson was incredible in this game, hauling in five catches for 119 yards and two touchdowns. The chemistry that he has developed with Dante Moore has been impressive to see, and his ability to use speed to get over the top of the defense is unmatched. He truly has turned into a game-breaking weapon for the Ducks over the past two months.
Similarly, McClellan has really blossomed and become one of the Ducks’ best possession receivers on the roster. His ability to make tough, contested catches dazzles each and every game, and it showed up once again on Saturday night, as he finished with six catches for 83 yards and a touchdown.
Oregon’s offense might be getting Dakorien, Gary, and Evan back in the near future. However, that’s not going to detract from what Malik and Jeremiah can do on the field. Ultimately, it’s only going to make them harder to stop.
Look Out for Dante Moore Draft Buzz
One of the biggest narratives for Oregon this year has been about what QB Dante Moore plans to do after this season: stay in Eugene for another year or head to the 2026 NFL draft.
If he continues to perform like he did on Saturday, then a draft declaration feels like a foregone conclusion.
Moore was magnificent, particularly early on, going without an incompletion until late in the second quarter while spreading the ball around and making big-time plays. In the end, he finished with 313 yards and four touchdowns on 19-of-27 completions, while also adding a rushing TD as well. He also had a pair of interceptions that he would want back, but ultimately, it was an impressive performance.
Now, it will be interesting to see how his NFL stock rises because of it. In the first round of the CFP, there wasn’t particularly much great QB play to speak of, with the likes of Carson Beck, Ty Simpson, Trinidad Chambliss, John Mateer, and Marcel Reed all being the biggest names. Moore was far more impressive than that group.
So how will he compare against the likes of Fernando Mendoza, Julian Sayin, and Gunner Stockton? That’s going to be something to monitor. If he looks anything like he did in Round 1, though, the Ducks have a long CFP run ahead of them, and Moore might be off to the NFL in April.
Contact/Follow @Ducks_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinions.
