CFP Bad Beat: Late James Madison TD Dooms Oregon Spread Backers
A dominant Oregon performance over James Madison turned into a brutal College Football Playoff bad beat for bettors who laid -20.5 with the Ducks.
A late James Madison touchdown in the final minutes flipped what looked like an easy Oregon cover into a losing ticket for spread backers.
1.0
Default
Oregon backers burned by late James Madison score
Bettors who backed Oregon -20.5 saw their tickets flip on the final possession of Saturday night’s game against James Madison, turning a nearly guaranteed win into a last-minute loss.
Ducks dominate early and build huge lead
The Ducks dominated from the jump, jumping out to 27-3 lead with over nine minutes left in the second quarter. After forcing a punt on the following possession, Dan Lanning & Co. only took five plays to drive 80 yards and make it 34-3 with four minutes left in the half.
The second half was no different, with Oregon jumping to a 41-13 lead after a 45-yard TD pass from Dante Moore to Malik Benson with just under 11 minutes in the third quarter.
Special teams swing and late James Madison push
With 7:05 left in the third, the Ducks blocked a JMU punt— leading to a 15-yard TD return to make it 48-13. The game would end up 48-20 going into the fourth quarter, and the Dukes would make it a bit more interesting, scoring a TD with 10:26 left in the game to make it 48-26.
Still, the Ducks would give -20.5 bettors some cushion, kicking a field goal on the next possession to make it 51-26 with just 4:22 left.
Then, Bob Chesney's team went 99 yards in nine plays. James Madison scored a TD with 1:05 left in the game, making the score 51-34— ruining tickets for Oregon -20.5 bettors.