https://www.foxsports.com/college-football/cfp-first-round-game-james-madison-dukes-vs-oregon-ducks-dec-20-2025-game-boxscore-42770

JMU put up 500+ yards against Oregon.

I'm not sure there is a lot to say following that.

I won't say anything bad about the team, but watching the second half was very difficult as a fan.

It was like the person singing the national anthem forgot the words halfway through the song.

It was like that bowl game vs TCU when Oregon lost after going up by 31.

And they still won!!!

Maybe this is the best thing for the team... to lose some focus and get smoked by a team they were blowing out a half hour ago. Maybe this is better than them putting away JMU and thinking they are great and have the playoffs in the bag.

This team has been like Jeckel and Hyde in bits and pieces all season long. Which team is going to show up vs. Tech?

Did the coordinators getting new jobs have anything to do with it?

My take: I think they were mentally getting ready for Christmas stuff at the end of the first half. They thought the game was over, but it wasn't. They were dominating them so hard that they lost respect for their opponent.

JMU knew they were not going to win, but they wanted to control the narrative of what kind of a season they wanted to be known for. Those players had a lot of pride.

On the extremely positive side - the Ducks put in a defense that pressured the QB. Which was very nice to see. No more letting the QB sit back in the pocket and wait for somebody to get open. But the Ducks still need someone(s) who is an NFL type of pass rusher.

And McClellan looked like one of those great USC receivers from the Pete Carroll era - he was unstoppable.

DL took the starters out too early, particularly on defense. The 2nd string performed ok but as soon as the 3rd stringers were put in they struggled hard. He should have left the starters through the end of the 3rd.

DL isn't happy.

https://247sports.com/college/oregon/article/oregon-football-playoff-win-james-madison-dan-lanning-267388258/

The video of Davison needing to be helped to the locker room after the game in what looked like a very bad ankle bumbed me way more than some bad garbage time. ☹️

This game was vey similar to the season opener versus Arkansas State (MM8’s first start) back in 2012. At one point Oregon was up 50-3 midway through the 2nd quarter and Chip pulled all of the starters. Oregon ended up winning 57-34 but ASU controlled the 2nd half. The game was never in doubt but you could tell the team lost focus.

16 minutes ago, DrJacksPlaidPants said:

This game was vey similar to the season opener versus Arkansas State back in 2012. At one point Oregon was up 50-3 midway through the 2nd quarter and Chip pulled all of the starters. Oregon ended up winning 57-34 but ASU controlled the 2nd half. The game was never in doubt but you could tell the team lost focus.

Couldn't have said it better. The intensity was totally gone. Killer Instinct. The one team that executes it better than anyone else is Georgia. They don't care if your QB had a career ending injury. You disrespect them by saying you deserve to be in the playoff against the team that won it the year before and lost a close game to be included-you picked the wrong team.

OBD took offense to JMU saying they were going to give them a game. Then this happened...

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I agree with the Jekyll and Hyde comment completely. That’s exactly what worries me going forward. We can’t keep doing the tale of two halves thing and expect to survive against better teams. If Oregon plays like they did in the first half against JMU, that team can absolutely win a national championship. I don’t think that’s crazy to say at all. But the second half version is not getting through this playoff.

What Ohio State did last year was just play their best football and keep playing it. No letups. No drifting. That’s what it takes now. It doesn’t matter if it’s the starters or the backups on the field, the standard has to stay the same. Focus, discipline, and resilience are non negotiable at this point. If Oregon can be the same team for four quarters, they’re good enough to win it all. If not, they won’t get there.

Maintaining top to bottom buy in has to be trickier than ever in today's college football environment. When your OC & DC coordinators are wearing two hats and working for two programs, and many of your teammates are weighing their portal (income) options (or have already left), and your first round opponent is down 34 to 3, well, you get what you got last night.

I thought the portal losses to the secondary were particularly evident in the second half. Seemed like the old Brady Hoke days when they didn't have a clue what defense they were trying to execute or who they were trying to cover.

Oh well, as always, Go Ducks!

Edited 3 hours ago3 hr by Chas Man

I was not pleased with the final score, I will lead with that first. I did NOT like the defense in the second half, regardless of it was the 2's, 3s, 4s, or some local high school talent. We expected more from the defense, and I know DL and TL did as well. OBD's size, athleticism, and skill SHOULD have held JMU to less yards and points. I know it our secondary is young (except Thieneman), but the play needs to improve. I get that DL probably wanted to get some guys into a playoff game, knowing that the next one won't be the same.

Now, nobody watching this game thought the outcome was in doubt. The offense scored at will. I can only imagine Dante in the huddle telling Malik, "Just go long, I'll hit you". I really wish that DL would have run up the score, not to embarrass JMU, but to create that foot-on-the-throat mentality. The offense seemed to pull back, the defense played soft, and we are left with question marks. I don't like that. From a personal level, it doesn't sit well with me. I was always told by my coaches to NEVER get comfortable or play down to your competition.

The first half, the Ducks showed who they were, an elite offense and defense. The second half, it was almost like they said "Hey JMU, you came all this way, we'll let you have some fun." Do I sometimes care to much what the national media thinks of the Ducks? Yes, and I think we gave them a lot to criticize. I DO think things will be cleaned up against TTU on the defensive side. Mentally, the players know that TTU is a whole different level than JMU and I believe they will bring the intensity.

One last thing. This offense. HOLY CRAP!! The embarrassment of riches (when we get everyone back) is ridiculous. E-Stew, DAK, McMillian, Benson, GB Jr, and ohhh, let's put Sadiq as a wideout. OBD can outscore anyone, yes even Ohio State. No team out there can match the Ducks for skill/speed/athleticism in skill positions. So, clean up the defense, Dante do your thing, and OBD may be hoisting the first NC in football in program history. It's there for the taking.