Our Oregon football team has had a great offseason overall, but there’s a lot more question marks in the air from fans and writers around the sport that are hesitant to buy stock Of Oregon’s new starting quarterback: Dante Moore. Even ol’ Mr. FishDuck took a break from his gaming fun at MLB betting picks to give me his take on ...

Oregon Football: Expectations of Dante Moore

Alex, great article as usual. I think the only way the Ducks floor is lower than 10-2 is if they are snake-bit by injuries.

If Dante is comfortable running the offense by the time they head to Penn State, I think the game will be electric. We all have to remember that this is only the 2nd time that this staff has had a QB that has been in the system for more than a year.

The last time that happened Bo Nix was a Heisman finalist. If he stays healthy, this season will be special. GO DUCKS!!!

Alex, great article as usual. Managing expectations this early in the season with a team that still has so many questions surrounding it isn’t something we’ve had to worry about for awhile.

I just have to remember to breathe, and that we are just watching, while these young men are actually living this in real time. What a time to be a duck.

So far Dante Moore has only had to play 7 on 7 with the occasional shuffling of feet in the pocket.

Moore was a 5 star based on his 7 on 7 abilities.

Obviously I'm not giving him full credit for running the offense, which isn't easy to do, but he still hasn't seen anything in the way of pressure that got him to make mistakes at UCLA that got him benched.

How does he handle a defense having some success getting into the backfield consistently, and how does he handle the pressure of executing a game winning drive when he's forced to throw every down because there isn't enough time left to run? Does he have the clutch to put the team on his shoulder in key moments?

I guess it's conceivable we are so good and will be so lucky that we win a national championship without either of those things happening to him, but I wouldn't bet on it.

Edited Monday at 10:53 PM2 days by Solar

20 minutes ago, Solar said:

...but he still hasn't seen anything in the way of pressure that got him to make mistakes at UCLA that got him benched.

Something I noticed at UCLA was a complete lack of pocket presence, and he stood flat-footed in the pocket, and thus between those two elements...got sacked easier. It appears he is not flat-footed in the pocket now, and I did not see any of the lack of pocket presence these last two weeks that I noted he had at UCLA.

He might have felt quite a lot of pressure in Westwood to create something special, whereas the weapons he has here at Oregon would give anyone more confidence. In both Oregon games thus far, he has thrown the ball away when nothing was open, as opposed to forcing throws for the Bruins that created Pick-Sixes.

As I ponder it...he looks completely different at Oregon than his UCLA days, IMHO.

Agree with Charles 100%. Of course being 2 years older and wiser helps a lot too! It's important for a high-end QB to be humble.

Speaking of the dumpster fire, UCLA program is really hot now, LOL

UCLA Unlocked: Someone must take accountability for this dreadful football product - Los Angeles Times

Edited Monday at 11:45 PM2 days by DuckFan93

5 hours ago, Charles Fischer said:

Something I noticed at UCLA was a complete lack of pocket presence, and he stood flat-footed in the pocket, and thus between those two elements...got sacked easier. It appears he is not flat-footed in the pocket now, and I did not see any of the lack of pocket presence these last two weeks that I noted he had at UCLA.

He might have felt quite a lot of pressure in Westwood to create something special, whereas the weapons he has here at Oregon would give anyone more confidence. In both Oregon games thus far, he has thrown the ball away when nothing was open, as opposed to forcing throws for the Bruins that created Pick-Sixes.

As I ponder it...he looks completely different at Oregon than his UCLA days, IMHO.

I'm glad the early returns are promising!

Hummmm Heisman buzz

College football betting: Updating the Heisman, national champion markets - ESPN

On 9/8/2025 at 3:51 PM, Solar said:

Moore was a 5 star based on his 7 on 7 abilities.

Dante was a 4 year starter in high school. He helped lead his team to the state championship three times, and the team won two titles in their division. As far as I can see from his high school highlights they play 11 man football.

Any last minute drive requires an extraordinary team effort. I feel comfortable giving him the ball. When he is done at Oregon he will probably be playing on Sundays.

Through 2 games, Dante Moore has exceeded my expectations.

I knew he had arm talent (that was apparent from his high school tape, particularly the HS All Star Game where he threw for 3? TDs) but I had concerns about the picks at UCLA, particularly his ability to read defenses and the vision to see defenders.

Sitting last year behind DG and rebuilding his confidence made a noticeable difference in his development (credit the young man for his vision and patience). It’s clear he understands the offense and is looking to check down, instead of forcing throws. I have high hopes for Dante’s upside but we’ll have to see how he performs against elite defenses (Penn State will be a huge midterm but it’s not the final exam).

Go Ducks!!!

I was wondering how he would do. At UCLA he was a frosh and the comfort he played with in high school changed as the high D1 college game was so much faster than high school. A lot of good football players struggle as a college freshman, especially QBs.

I am tickled pink with his play through the first two games. He has been poised, comfortable in the pocket and rolling out or scrambling a bit to buy time. He has a great arm, but has also been throwing with some touch when needed and he's a big, strong, fast runner who can do some damage with his feet when needed.

In all likelihood the Ducks are 4-0 traveling out to out in the middle of nowhere valley and facing Penn St. Watching the Nittany Lions the first two weeks I haven't been that impressed actually. Let's just say they seem to have a lot of Mario Cristobal in them. Oregon looks bigger, faster, stronger and deeper on both sides of the ball.

The one question mark for the Ducks pre-season was Dante Moore, if he continues to play at a high level and even improves from week to week, I believe he will be up to the Penn St. challenge and beyond.

Go Ducks!

I am sure there will still be a few growing pains here and there. I am more worried that DM is going to be so good (with a so far mixed predicted NFL QB draft class) that the NFL is going to come hard at him.

Before the first snap, a good season and a return for 2026 seemed a possibility. Already it seems much less likely.

6 hours ago, AnotherOD said:

I am sure there will still be a few growing pains here and there. I am more worried that DM is going to be so good (with a so far mixed predicted NFL QB draft class) that the NFL is going to come hard at him.

Before the first snap, a good season and a return for 2026 seemed a possibility. Already it seems much less likely.

Maybe but DM will have to prove it against better competition (e.g., Penn State, potential opponents in the B1G Conference Championship Game and playoffs/bowl game - assuming we make them). Lots of football left to play.

Dream scenario - The Oregon Ducks win the 2025-26 College Football National Championship and Dante Moore goes #1 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Edited 7 hours ago7 hr by OregonDucks

Dream scenario DM stays for another year