Defense carries the day for Oregon, as Ducks move into CFP semifinals by topping Texas Tech

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The first thing that Oregon quarterback Dante Moore did after winning the Orange Bowl was salute the thousands of fans who made the cross-country trip to South Florida. If the Ducks' defense keeps playing like this, those fans might be back in Miami before long. Matayo Uiagalelei caused a fumble to set up an Oregon touchdown, freshman Brandon Finney Jr. had three takeaways — two interceptions and a fumble recovery — and the fifth-seeded Ducks silenced No. 4 Texas Tech's offense for a 23-0 win in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Orange Bowl on Thursday. "They've earned this opportunity," Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. "I told them go get their pound of flesh today. They did that today." Jordon Davison rushed for two scores, Moore threw for 234 yards and Atticus Sappington kicked three field goals for Oregon (13-1), which will play either No. 1 Indiana or No. 9 Alabama in the Peach Bowl — a CFP semifinal — on Jan. 9. The Peach Bowl winner will be back in Miami Gardens for the national title game on Jan. 19. "I believe we have the best defense in the country," Finney said. Texas Tech probably wouldn't argue with that. Texas Tech — which finished at 12-2 — came into the day second nationally in points per game (42.5) and fifth nationally in yards per game (480.3) but got absolutely nothing going. The Red Raiders turned the ball over four times, were stopped on fourth downs three other times and had four three-and-outs. "Texas Tech fans, I'm sorry that we let you down," coach Joey McGuire said. "I hope you've enjoyed every second of this year. Man, this was such a special team and I'm so proud of them. Hats off to Dan Lanning. Hats off to the Oregon Ducks. Just an incredible football team ... and I told Dan after the game I hope he wins the whole damn thing." Tech quarterback Behren Morton — who finished 18 of 32 passing for just 137 yards — was stripped by Uiagalelei early in the third quarter in Red Raider territory. Uiagalelei rumbled deep into the red zone and Davison scored one play later to make it 13-0. Morton threw a red-zone interception early in the fourth quarter and a fourth-down stop from their own 30 midway through the fourth quarter doomed whatever comeback chances existed for the Red Raiders. Davison plunged in from the 1 with 16 seconds left to cap the scoring. "We had a great game plan," Morton said. "We just didn't execute base plays." And once again, a CFP bye meant a team went bye-bye. It was the sixth quarterfinal under this 12-team tournament format that started last year — there were two others coming later Thursday — and the sixth time that the team coming off an extended break lost to a team that played a first-round game. In 2024, Boise State (against Penn State), Arizona State (against Texas), Georgia (against Notre Dame) and Oregon (against Ohio State) all went out in the quarterfinals after first-round byes. Miami added to that list Wednesday night, beating Ohio State in a quarterfinal at the Cotton Bowl. In those six games, including Thursday, the team with the bye has held the lead for less than five minutes — combined — of regulation. Texas Tech thought it could avoid that fate. It could not, and Oregon finished off its first shutout of an AP-ranked opponent since 2012. Oregon was playing a top-10 team for the 113th time — and for the first time, allowed zero points. Oregon played James Madison in Round 1 this year, winning 51-34, and generally was unhappy afterward with how it played defensively. There wasn't anything to not like from that side of the ball on Thursday. "Last week a lot of people talked about our defense," Lanning said. "They showed up today." The takeawayOregon: The Ducks are flying home to Eugene, instead of staying in the Eastern time zone to prepare for the Peach Bowl in Atlanta next week. It was a decision the Ducks made not long after seeing how the CFP bracket could shake out. Texas Tech: It simply was an uncharacteristic offensive showing from the Red Raiders, who had scored at least 10 points before halftime in 26 of their last 27 games going back to 2023. "That was the best defense we have faced this year," McGuire said. Up nextOregon: The Ducks, who have tied the school record for wins in a season, await the Indiana-Alabama winner. Texas Tech: The Red Raiders are scheduled to open the 2026 season at home against Abilene Christian on Sept. 5.