Consistently short drives aren’t always a great sign for an offense. Generally speaking, it is harder to score on a 75-yard drive when running five plays versus possibly 10 or more. 

However, the Ducks’ short drives became their ace-in-the-hole as they pummeled the No. 12 James Madison University Dukes 34-6 in the first half of the College Football Playoff First Round at Autzen Stadium on Saturday. 

During the first half, the Ducks’ longest drive spanned just 2:37. In fact, during each of the first five drives, Oregon scored a touchdown in fewer than five plays from scrimmage. 

“I thought (the offense) had a great plan,” head coach Dan Lanning said. “Starting out, they had loaded boxes, so we were able to get the ball out on the perimeter and we were able to take shots where we knew we could win.” 

These weren’t fluke plays either. 

To kick it all off, on just the game’s fourth play from scrimmage, Oregon quarterback Dante Moore found tight end Jamari Johnson ripping through the seam and almost missed the mark. It took a bold one-handed reach from Johnson and a dive into the endzone to convert that into a 41-yard touchdown. On the ensuing four drives, however, Moore wouldn’t miss his mark. 

He swung a screen out to running back Dierre Hill Jr., who took advantage of a violent Dakorien Moore crack block, stiff-armed the first man and darted down the sideline into JMU territory for 40 yards. That explosive led to the red zone just a play later and a Moore rushing touchdown on a textbook read option from the 5-yard line. 

Nine plays, two touchdowns. 

“The first couple drives were great, we executed and we knew a lot of their defensive scheme coming into the game. Coach (Will) Stein and the offensive crew did a great job dissecting their defense,” Moore said. 

Just three plays later, Hill caught a pitch and, moving through a perfectly sealed edge by Kenyon Sadiq, Jordon Davison and Isaiah World, found paydirt this time. No stiff-arms were needed either, as Hill dusted the entire Dukes defense. The closest defender stood about five yards behind him at any given point during the 56-yard score. 

Davison was rewarded with a 30-yard rumble into the red zone which set up Moore’s second touchdown pass of the evening. Moore led Jeremiah McClellan open in the back corner of the endzone, and despite defensive holding, the freshman receiver fought through and secured the tough grab. 

Moore’s magnum opus of the night came late in the second quarter just four more Oregon offensive plays later. Seeing a heavy box and a one-on-one on the outside for the Ducks’ top receiver Malik Benson, Moore unleashed a 46-yard moonshot that landed right in the basket for Benson, who caught in stride, space and the endzone. 

“James Madison’s a heavy one-high man or no deep man outfit, so we knew going into this game, we had to get the ball to the perimeter early,” offensive coordinator Will Stein said. “A lot of the plan going into this was to attack them and there were some personnel mismatches we felt we could take advantage of.” 

The opening 25:38 saw just 21 Oregon offensive plays, with an average drive time of 1:46 and average plays per drive just above four. The quick and utter domination of the Dukes in the first half fueled the Ducks’ cruising the rest of the way — for better or worse. 

The second half proved a different story, as James Madison outscored Oregon 28-17, outgained the Ducks 312-154 and won the turnover battle 2-0. The Dukes’ resurgence proved futile, however, as Oregon proved slightly too much for the Sun Belt Conference Champions. 

The Ducks leaned on another chance one-on-one for Benson that led to a home run, this time for 45 yards, and a blocked punt with a gratuitous bounce that Jayden Limar scooped for a score. Players and coaches alike know that as Oregon progresses through the playoffs, it will need to start sustaining its elite first half production. 

“Credit to JMU for figuring out some stuff at halftime,” Lanning said. “No credit to us for not being able to sustain and play the way we need to be able to play down the stretch. I think our team realizes this is a growth moment for us.”

The Ducks will retool and return to action down in Miami at the Orange Bowl against the No. 4 seed Texas Tech University Red Raiders on Jan. 1.