Oregon silence Texas Tech in Orange Bowl to reach College Football Playoff last four | College football

Matayo Uiagalelei forced a fumble that set up an Oregon touchdown, Jordon Davison rushed for two scores and the fifth-seeded Ducks smothered No. 4 Texas Tech in a 23-0 victory in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals at the Orange Bowl on Thursday.

Dante Moore threw for 234 yards and Atticus Sappington made three field goals for Oregon (13-1), which will face either No. 1 Indiana or No. 9 Alabama in the Peach Bowl – a CFP semifinal – on Jan. 9. The winner will return to Miami Gardens for the national championship game on January 19.

Texas Tech (12-2) entered the game ranked second nationally in scoring (42.5 points per game) and fifth in total offense, but never found its footing. The Red Raiders turned the ball over four times, failed on three fourth-down attempts and produced four three-and-outs.

Quarterback Behren Morton finished 18 of 32 for 137 yards and was stripped by Uiagalelei early in the third quarter in Tech territory. Uiagalelei returned the fumble to the red zone and Davison scored on the next play to give Oregon a 13-0 lead.

Morton then threw an interception in the red zone early in the fourth quarter, before Oregon’s defense stopped Texas Tech on fourth down at its own 30 midway through the final period. Davison’s 1-yard touchdown run with 16 seconds remaining completed the scoring.

The result continued a striking trend in the expanded playoffs. Thursday’s game was the sixth quarterfinal under the 12-team format introduced last season, and the sixth time a team coming off a first-round bye lost to an opponent playing on opening weekend.

In 2024, Boise State, Arizona State, Georgia and Oregon were all eliminated in the quarterfinals after byes, while Miami added to the list Wednesday by beating Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. In those six games, the bye teams led for less than five minutes of regulation combined.

Texas Tech hoped to reverse this model. Instead, Oregon recorded its first shutout against an AP top 10 opponent since 2012. It was the Ducks’ 113th game against a top 10 team — and the first time they allowed no points.

After expressing dissatisfaction with its defense following a 51-34 win over James Madison in the first round, Oregon delivered a performance that left little room for complaint.