Oregon vs. Texas Tech CFP takeaways: Ducks stifle Big 12 champs for third shutout in CFP era
The Ducks are now as close to a national title as they have been since reaching the championship game of the first four-team CFP.
By Ralph D. Russo, Manny Navarro and Sam Khan Jr.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Oregon successfully completed the first of what it hopes will be three cross-country trips for the College Football Playoff, smothering fourth-seeded Texas Tech 23-0 in the Orange Bowl on Thursday.
The fifth-seeded Ducks advance to play the winner of the Rose Bowl between No. 1 Indiana and Alabama on Jan. 9 in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta. The national championship game is back here at Hard Rock Stadium on Jan. 19.
That’s a lot of miles for the Ducks, but there were no body-clock or jet-lag issues on New Year’s Day.
Quarterback Dante Moore and the Ducks did have their hands full against a talented Texas Tech defense, led by All-America edge rusher David Bailey, but Oregon responded with four takeaways of its own in a dominant defensive performance. It was the third shutout pitched since the introduction of the College Football Playoff, joining Alabama’s 38-0 win over Michigan State in the 2015-16 semifinals and Clemson’s 31-0 win over Ohio State the following year.
Matayo Uiagalelei’s strip sack of Texas Tech’s Behren Morton set up the first touchdown of the game in the third quarter for the Ducks, and Atticus Sappington made three field goals.
“We just felt like in this moment it was going to be about chipping away, and eventually it was going to break. It kind of broke open with us creating some extra opportunities there with takeaways, opportunities on special teams. I thought our special teams played really, really well,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said.
Moore was solid, going 26 of 33 for 234 yards with one interception, while getting little help from Oregon’s running game, which averaged 1.4 yards per carry.
After being knocked out in the quarterfinals by Ohio State as the No. 1 seed in the first 12-team Playoff last season, the Ducks are now as close to a national title as they have been since reaching the championship game of the first four-team CFP after the 2014 season.
Oregon spent most of the first half in Texas Tech territory but came away with only six points to show for it.
Ducks head coach Dan Lanning took a typically aggressive approach, going for it five times on fourth down in the first half — including a fake punt from Oregon’s side of the field that worked.
Nothing worked to get into the end zone, though. Texas Tech stopped the Ducks on a fourth-and-goal from the 2 in the second quarter, batting down Moore’s pass at the line of scrimmage.
The Ducks struggled to run it all day, and the Red Raiders had eight tackles for loss in the first half, a couple thanks to Oregon ballhandling miscues.
Sappington made a 50-yard field goal in the first quarter and a 39-yarder in the second quarter, and the Ducks led 6-0 at the break, despite outgaining the Red Raiders 198-88 and coming up with two turnovers in Texas Tech territory. Bailey was a handful for Oregon’s tackles with two tackles for loss and two passes broken up.