Oregon surged to a 34-3 lead with a brilliant start, then took their foot way off the gas over the final 35 minutes as a stubborn James Madison team scored 31 points in a game that was long since decided.
Though the Ducks didn't cover and James Madison came away with a moral victory, the 51-34 final puts No. 5-seed Oregon in the Orange Bowl versus Texas Tech on New Year's Day.
While the second half sloppiness won't win them any style points, the first half included a flurry of explosive plays. Jamari Johnson opened the scoring with a 41-yard touchdown catch, pulling the ball in one-handed and diving into the end zone as he was tackled.
Malik Benson sped free for touchdown catches of 45 and 46 yards. Freshman running back Dierre Hill scampered 40 yards with a screen pass down the right sideline, then added a 56-yard touchdown run down the left.
Bombs away pic.twitter.com/xPGKYW7192
— LandonTengwall (@LandonTengwall) December 21, 2025
The game got weird after the brilliant start. Dante Moore threw a pair of interceptions that led to two James Madison scores. On the first, Malik Benson was knocked down before the throw and the ball bounced off his arm and into the defender's.
In the third quarter he threw a second, throwing off his back foot under pressure as Johnson fell down at the goal line coming out of his break.
Defensively the Ducks were a mess. They gave up 34 points and 509 yards to the Group of 5 Dukes, who played with great effort for 60 minutes. Tosh Lupoi's last Oregon defense suffered missed tackles, missed assignments and lapses in coverage, and they fell victim to trick plays, a double pass and a fake punt both working for big yards.
James Madison finished the game with three straight TD drives, the last for 99 yards and a backdoor cover. "Somewhat of a bittersweet game," Dan Lanning said. "We didn't play our best football."
The Orange Bowl against Texas Tech will demand a much better one.
Malik Benson said after the game, "Normally you hear music in the locker room after a win. It wasn't like that (tonight). It's almost like we lost"