2026 College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl
January 1, 2026
By George Richards
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — A dominant defensive performance helped the Oregon Ducks move on in the semifinal round of the College Football Playoffs with a 23-0 victory over No. 4 Texas Tech in the 92nd Capital One Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium on Thursday afternoon.
The No. 5 Ducks (13-1) advanced to the CFP Semifinals against the winner of Thursday’s Indiana and Alabama in the Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta on Jan. 9.
Texas Tech ends 12-2 with a Big 12 championship.
“Unbelievable game. A lot of fun. We’ve talked to our guys about being battle tested all year and having to win in different ways,’’ Oregon coach Dan Lanning said.
“That game went back and forth in a lot of ways, [we] struggled at times to go score points, and our defense did an unbelievable job getting the ball back. And then our offense showed up when it mattered most at the end of the game. I think we out-physicaled our opponent at the end. …
“Proud of our players, the resiliency they showed, their ability to stay calm and poised and collected under pressure. It’s not easy in big moments. But these guys have shown and proven time after time, these two guys up here, that team in that locker room have shown time and time again that they’re ready for big moments.”
The defense on both sides was the story of this game.
Oregon held the Red Raiders to 215 yards of offense and forced four turnovers.
Brandon Finney Jr., a freshman defensive back, was named Orange Bowl defensive MVP after intercepting a pair of passes in the win.
Oregon’s defensive gem is the first shutout in the history of the College Football Playoffs.
“I feel like our defense is the best at preparing in the nation,” Finney said, “so what Coach Tosh Lupoi and what Coach Lanning do just throughout the week, just preparing us as players, getting ready for the game plan, just helps us as players to just be ready and execute. That’s our job.”
The Ducks got a 50-yard field goal from Atticus Sappington on their opening drive after Oregon forced Texas Tech into a 3-and-out to start things off.
Yet despite a dominant defensive performance — and some pretty good numbers by Offensive MVP Dante Moore — Oregon only led 6-0 at halftime.
That gave Texas Tech hope for a big second half.
It just did not come.
“It’s no fun being in that locker room right now,’’ Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said. “I’ve said it all year long: Been doing this for 31 years. I’ve never been a part of a closer group of men and never been so proud.
“One thing that I told them, and I truly believe it, like when you do something that nobody has ever done, nobody has ever done what these guys did wearing this uniform, ever, so the standard is set. That’s where you start building something really special. I can’t thank them enough. This is going to hurt for a long time. I know these guys are hurting right now. But can’t be more proud of my football team.”
It would not take long for Oregon to give itself some needed breathing room.
Oregon gave Texas Tech the ball back at the 32 by coming up short on a scramble by Moore on a fourth-and-2.
On third down, linebacker Matayo Uiagelelei stripped Tech quarterback Behren Morton of the ball and rumbled all the way down to the 6.
Freshman running back Jordon Davison went around right tackle on the very next play, scoring the first of his two touchdowns — the only touchdowns of the game — for a 13-0 lead with 11:20 remaining in the third.
“It was a crazy turn of events,’’ said Davison, who put an exclamation mark on the win by scoring from the 1 with 16 seconds remaining.
“We always practice sudden change, so we were prepared. And excited.”
The opening half of the game was dominated by the excellent defenses of both teams.
Oregon led 6-0 at halftime off a pair of field goals after holding Texas Tech to 88 yards of total offense — 50 of which came off a nice run from J’Koby Williams early in the second.
The Ducks forced two turnovers in the first half, the second of which lead to a 39-yard field goal from Sappington for the final points before intermission.
Sappington was 3-for-4 on field goals, accounting for 11 (with two PATs) of Oregon’s 23 points.
Moore did not lead the Ducks to the end zone in the first half, but he put up some fantastic numbers throwing for 192 yards on 22-of-27 passing.
He ended up completing 26 of 33 for 234 yards with an interception.
“Like Coach Lanning always says, ‘you never want to look too far ahead.’ You want to be where your feet are at, being in the present moment,’’ Moore said
