Oregon win against JMU felt 'almost like a loss,' Ducks must improve in Orange Bowl

EUGENE, Oregon – It’s been nearly a year since the greatest season in Oregon history crashed and burned in college football’s most iconic setting.

Last year, the No. 1-ranked Ducks completed the school’s first 13-0 regular season and won their first Big Ten title. Then the Rose Bowl happened. Before halftime, the Ducks were cooked: down 34-0 to Ohio State in an eventual 41-21 loss in the College Football Playoff.

For the past 353 days, Oregon coach Dan Lanning has thought about that loss, a nightmare finish to a dream season, seemingly every single day.

“I wake up thinking about that Rose Bowl game,” Lanning said earlier this season. “Didn’t do it the way I wanted to do it, so it motivates me. It makes me hungry to go back to work.”

The Ducks went back to work Saturday in their second College Football Playoff appearance in as many years. The result was much different, a comfortable 51-34 victory against outmatched James Madison, but it still felt “almost like a loss,” Oregon senior wide receiver Malik Benson said. 

Oregon scored touchdowns on its first five drives. Oregon was so dominating, so thorough, so brutal to JMU at the outset that the Ducks would have been charged with criminal assault in 37 states.

It was 34-6 at the half — and it wasn’t that close.

“We started off hot,” Lanning said. “We can be better. In the second half, as a team, we didn’t play the way we needed to play. You have to find moments like that when you have a big lead, to be able to choke somebody out and we didn’t do that.” 

Oregon’s early dominance was the latest example that the Group of 6 simply cannot compete in college football’s new Transfer Portal ecosystem, which rewards power-conference programs with the deepest pockets and, it seems, unlimited resources. Schools without multi-million dollar war chests that can wheel and deal on a whim to secure a $5 million quarterback can’t realistically compete in today’s “collegiate” environment.

BTP – Before Transfer Portal – non-power conference schools could compete with the big boys. There are plenty of examples of major upsets, but those days are nothing but a fleeting memory.

Since the College Football Playoff expanded to 12 teams two years ago, non-power-conference teams have lost their three games by an average of 22 points and have been outscored 41-3 in the first quarter.

Oregon contributed to that lopsidedness. Each of Oregon’s first five drives against James Madison resulted in touchdowns: 4 plays, 68 yards; 5 plays, 75 yards; 3 plays, 78 yards; 4 plays, 63 yards and 5 plays, 80 yards. The Ducks’ offense was a blur. Not even the Oregon Duck mascot goes that fast on his famous pre-game motorcycle entrance.

After Oregon jumped to its 34-3 lead, the only suspense after halftime was whether the Ducks’ mascot would survive. The Oregon Duck does one push-up for each Oregon point after each Oregon score. At halftime, he was on pace for over 350. He ended up “only” doing 240.

That’s because, as Lanning called it, the Ducks’ lackadaisical second-half performance. James Madison, which was held to 14 points at Louisville in its only power conference games this season, had 28 points after halftime against a mixture of Oregon’s starters and backups.

“It (the result) was bittersweet,” Lanning said. “Defensively in the second half we didn’t play close to our standard. To not have the same success as we did in the first half and what we did in the second half is disappointing.”

Instead of celebrating Oregon’s first playoff victory in 11 years, the Ducks were infuriated with the final score. The Ducks actually allowed more yards in Saturday’s victory against James Madison (509) than they did in last year’s devastating Rose Bowl loss to Ohio State (500).

“Normally, you hear the music (after a win), but we’re kind of down right now because we didn’t play to our standard,” said Benson, who had five catches for 119 yards and two touchdowns. “Usually when we come in locker room, we’re dancing and all that. (Tonight) it’s almost like we felt like we lost.”

Saturday’s game was the first for Oregon since offensive coordinator Will Stein and defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi accepted head coaching jobs at Kentucky (Stein) and Cal (Lupoi).

Both coordinators will remain with Oregon through its playoff run. Stein said he tries to “compartmentalize” his days now that his days are divided between Oregon and Kentucky. 

“I definitely wear two hats,” Stein said. “In between it’s about winning and getting this team to where we want to get to and spending all my efforts into these players, the reason why I’m in this position, and to Dan Lanning. I owe it to them to finish it the right way.”

Oregon’s finish is what every player, plus Lanning and his two coordinators, were disgusted with.

“This is an unacceptable performance in second half by our defense,” Lupoi said. 
“I’m pissed off right now, quite frankly. I made that clear in the locker room.”

Up next for Oregon is Big 12 champion Texas Tech in the playoff’s quarterfinal round at the Orange Bowl. Oregon, a three-touchdown favorite against James Madison, is projected as a 1-point favorite against the Red Raiders.

Lupoi knows the Red Raiders will be a much different test.

“It’s a bittersweet feeling we get to move on,” Lupoi said. “If we play anywhere remotely close the next game (against Texas Tech) the way we did in the second half (against James Madison), we’re going to have a disappointing feeling after the game.

“Thankfully, you get the ability to win and continue and make these corrections.”