In the first screenshot above...note that it is 3rd and 14, and Dante had already thrown to the check-off receiver, but downfield we had Benson (green arrow) and Sadiq (yellow arrow) breaking open for the first down. Earlier in the play--you would see that Dante was not pressured at all, and could have easily stepped up in the pocket and delivered to either open receiver.

In the second screenshot above, it was 3rd and 11, and Dante already threw to Benson on a short slant that got six yards is all. Moore was not pressured, and you can see that Sadiq (yellow arrow) is breaking open. Throw it hard, and you beat the free safety instead of checking down for an eventual punt.

In the final example...everyone has seen or heard about this, but look at the above screenshot as it is 4th and 2, and Sadiq (yellow arrow) is breaking open long and Dante has time to throw!

So the questions are....is this Dante not progressing, and simply deciding in advance he's throwing to the check-off man, or was this the game-plan....to throw quickly no matter what?

Something to watch for against Indiana, because at least when we played the Hoosiers in October--Dante was under pressure and folded, while what you see above is either hesitation, or game-plan.

Which is it?

(Screenshots taken from the Skycast view offered by ESPN that we rarely have access to)

He did that numerous times through-out the season as well. He's still a young qb that needs more experience.

9 minutes ago, Charles Fischer said:

In the first screenshot above...note that it is 3rd and 14, and Dante had already thrown to the check-off receiver, but downfield we had Benson (green arrow) and Sadiq (yellow arrow breaking open for the first down. Earlier in the play--you would see that Dante was not pressured at all, and could have easily stepped up in the pocket and delivered to either open receiver.

In the second screenshot above, it was 3rd and 11, and Dante already threw to Benson on a short slant that got six yards is all. Moore was not pressured, and you can see that Sadiq (yellow arrow) is breaking open. Throw it hard, and you beat the free safety instead of checking down for an eventual punt.

In the final example...everyone has seen or heard about this, but look at the above screenshot as it is 4th and 2, and Sadiq (yellow arrow) is breaking open long and Dante has time to throw!

So the questions are....is this Dante not progressing, and simply deciding in advance he's throwing to the check-off man, or was this the game-plan....to throw quickly no matter what?

Something to watch for against Indiana, because at least when we played the Hoosiers in October--Dante was under pressure and folded, while what you see above is either hesitation, or game-plan.

Which is it?

Yes.......

I personally hope Dante comes back. He is still young at reading the defense, and needs to gain more confidence in remaining in the pocket.

The League is a major step up and adjustment. Guys need a minimum of snaps before moving up. I don't think DM is there yet.

I know it seems like a no-brainer to go 1st or 2nd qb in the draft, but you want the best chance of success. Those early draft picks go to lousy teams.

I hope for his sake (and ours!) he waits 1 more year.

Remember, both Justin Herbert and Bo Nix had some negative talk to overcome which allowed them to go to teams better suited for them.

Marcus didn't have such good fortune.

yep.

George Wrighster has a good analysis of the IU/UO game and shows where Dante missed several WR's on one play several times throughout the game. He's not ready for the NFL and hopefully comes back for another season. He's the key to a win Friday night.

Just now, GODUCKS15 said:

George Wrighster has a good analysis of the IU/UO game and shows where Dante missed several WR's on one play several times throughout the game. He's not ready for the NFL and hopefully comes back for another season. He's the key to a win Friday night.

Yep. I saw them, wrote about them here in the forum as well. But I had hoped he has improved since then....

I think he is good and improving and has potential to be great but I really don't get all the Number one pick hype. It seems like he needs a lot more development in reading the D scanning the field and finding the best option. The examples posted above prove the point. I saw a replay from the Indiana game of a 4th down play and an open receiver crosses right in front of him but he doesn't throw it. Instead he tucks and runs and comes up short.

Bo Nix completes that pass and the drive remains alive. Bo Nix was also a senior and is now leading an NFL team into the playoffs. So is Justin Herbert, another QB that stayed for his senior year. The NFL will always be there but the opportunity to train yourself for long term success will not and that in the end seems to me to be the most important factor.

Top college QBs might be getting over $5m this year…not sure the $$’s supersede all other considerations at this point. I get that it’s a lot less than a top 10 pick gets (Cam Ward 4 year, $12m/year I believe), but it’s really not a no brainer any more to jump at the money.

1 hour ago, Charles Fischer said:

In the first screenshot above...note that it is 3rd and 14, and Dante had already thrown to the check-off receiver, but downfield we had Benson (green arrow) and Sadiq (yellow arrow) breaking open for the first down. Earlier in the play--you would see that Dante was not pressured at all, and could have easily stepped up in the pocket and delivered to either open receiver.

In the second screenshot above, it was 3rd and 11, and Dante already threw to Benson on a short slant that got six yards is all. Moore was not pressured, and you can see that Sadiq (yellow arrow) is breaking open. Throw it hard, and you beat the free safety instead of checking down for an eventual punt.

In the final example...everyone has seen or heard about this, but look at the above screenshot as it is 4th and 2, and Sadiq (yellow arrow) is breaking open long and Dante has time to throw!

So the questions are....is this Dante not progressing, and simply deciding in advance he's throwing to the check-off man, or was this the game-plan....to throw quickly no matter what?

Something to watch for against Indiana, because at least when we played the Hoosiers in October--Dante was under pressure and folded, while what you see above is either hesitation, or game-plan.

Which is it?

(Screenshots taken from the Skycast view offered by ESPN that we rarely have access to)

$$$$. Whole lots of $$$$, I want that pie in the sky!

FWIW, the word 'on the street' has Sorsby transferring from Cincinnati to Texas Tech, and Hoover transferring from TCU to Indiana, vacuuming up $5 million each? 🤑

Instead of playing for NFL wannabes, both will have the opportunity to play for CFB PO contending teams.

And Chip and OBD were dinged for using a 'runner?' 🤬

Can't all of these billionaire boosters just get along? Like they do in the NFL.

Love the post and the illustrations.

Dante could use more experience. But after helping raise The Trophy in Miami? Why the encore? 😍

Dante, send the Hoosiers to the 7th Circle!

Indiana's defense had line control, brought pressure, and then those short passes were also bottled up....especially the ones behind the line of scrimmage.

I'm not sure Stein can scheme around that unless Dante shows some major improvement over what we saw in October.

I still don't understand why Indiana's D-coordinator didn't get more mention to be a candidate for a head coach opening. Their O-coord also helped them put a lot of points on the board. He didn't get any mention either.

Dante can make all the throws but till this game slows down for him he will struggle punishing overly aggressive defenses.

Time and time again, you hear QB's talk about how the game has slowed down for them and I don't think Dante can say that. Another year in college would greatly improve the mental side of his the game.

Dante is basically playing like a redshirt freshman (I don't count his year at UCLA, it was a very bad team and Chip Kelly had basically checked out).

He's certainly better than he was in the 1st half of the season, whether that's enough to beat IU at this time is anybody's guess.

Place me in the Camp that thinks Dante needs another year or two of development to be likely to reach his full potential in the NFL. Should he ball out in this game to put out the Cig, he is very likely to be the first QB off the board, be able to sign an absolute fully guaranteed monster contract, and would likely be headed to the Las Vegas Raiders--an absolute disaster for any hopes of development IMHO. But with 50-75 million guaranteed, he's set for life. My biggest fear in that scenario is that Dante will be immediately fed to the wolves behind a terrible OL and could illustrate the old NFL mantra that NFL means ""Not for Long".

Ten years...heck even just five years ago moving on to the NFL-Heavy as soon as you could possibly get drafted, was the goal. Grab that "💰 bag" before...you couldn't, or had to "settle" for a smaller bag o 💰.

NIL has significantly changed this mantra. Dante, his family, and even his agent have all spoke to the "positive" of Dante coming back for another year. So the advantage of returning is definitely part of the discussions regarding his future. I also believe this to be his best path for long-term football success.

Apparently top QB's in NFL-LITE are now making money similar to rookie contract for similar positions in the NFL-HEAVY. (starting to step on some toes in the league?? Careful NFL-LITE!). If your being drafted by a cellar dweller in the NFL-HEAVY as the "franchise" QB, the GM's are Expecting that drafted. QB to become that exactly....right away!

Dante definitely has that potential but absolutely will be closer to a franchise QB with one more year playing in the top competitive conference on the NFL-LITE, rather than being thrown to the (defensive) wolves on a crappy team in the NFL-HEAVY.

Let us all hope that regardless of OBD winning its first Natty, Dante comes back for the "polish" he will need to be another Duck QB success story on the NFL-Heavy.

GO DUCKS! GO DANTE, lead us to that promised (Natty) land.

The biggest reason for him to stay is to not end up with the Raiders or the Jets.

yeah, Dante not ready at all. Just hope his teammates have enough in them to take home the trophy. Im still satisfied with his overall play

I can't remember where I read it, but college QBs drafted in the 1st round tend to have a sweet spot of number of starts for success in the NFL. I think the number of starts is between 25-35 for their college career. I think 1 more year would be a benefit to Dante, but having a guaranteed 40+ mil is hard to turn down.

I hope the right people are talking to him and show him a long career vs a short career is a better choice.

The top NFL quarterbacks of today are also very good rushers - Mahomes, Nix, Allen, Jackson etc. Dante is not. Great arm, yes.

As Sark recently noted, the pay-for-play demands by player agents are often absurd, and the reported 'salaries' are exaggerated.

However, FWIW, QB Brendan Sorsby, transferring in from Cincinnati, has reportedly signed a deal with Texas Tech worth $5 million for one season, and Indiana is reportedly paying close to the same, bringing in QB Josh Hoover from TCU.

The NFL Billionaires have learned to play nice with one another. But CFB Billionaires?

Texas Tech and Indiana are currently at the top of the 2026 portal rankings. Neither program is going away.

"A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking real money."

Senator Everett Dirkson - 1962 - When a million dollars was a lot of real money 🤑

Johnny Manziel, sorry about that, chief. 🤪

People probably remember how harsh I was on Dante Moore for the IU loss.

Upon further reflection, I still haven't changed my mind.

Moore dropped back for a deep throw on his first pass and got sacked with IU and TTU which left him really concerned about the pass rush. Then his head and eyes were down, scanning the DL so his peripheral field of view is only 5-10 yards down field. WRs/TEs further than 10 yards down field are not in his field of view. He literally can not see them, because he's too scared to look up and take his eyes off the pass rush.

It's as simple as that. He doesn't trust his OL. He needs to trust the OL to do their job and focus more on doing his job. Move in the pocket based on peripheral vision but keep your eyes up to see open receivers down the field, not the other way around.

If we lose because the OL doesn't do there job I can live with that, and he should live with that. But playing scared is a horrible way to lose in the playoffs.

But if he can't figure out how to not play scared and wants to go pro, he'll have a fright fest playing behind that Raider OL...

Edited 17 hours ago17 hr by Solar

Crud, I just have/had a feeling that this could be the year. After seeing this I don't think he has improved that much at all. Ducks better run first and run often.

Solar, your “playing scared” supposition is a bit harsh. A QB has, as a primary obligation, to avoid getting sacked or getting hit while in the act of passing which often results in a turnover. At the time of the IU game Dante had been sacked only once in the previous four, maybe five games. IU sacked him six times and hit him late at least that many more. He definitely lost some faith in the pass protection, which was warranted and necessary for maintaining possession of the ball.

37 minutes ago, Grandpa Duck said:

Solar, your “playing scared” supposition is a bit harsh. A QB has, as a primary obligation, to avoid getting sacked or getting hit while in the act of passing which often results in a turnover. At the time of the IU game Dante had been sacked only once in the previous four, maybe five games. IU sacked him six times and hit him late at least that many more. He definitely lost some faith in the pass protection, which was warranted and necessary for maintaining possession of the ball.

Playing scared might be a bit harsh; however, Dante was probably responsible for over half those sacks in the first Indiana game. He has to read the defense, step up into the pocket (if necessary) and pull the trigger.

Geeze,

The comments are of the charts!

Charles (Forum Royalty),

This is what I call throwing the receiver open. The first case may be a little late, but both were open.

The second case requires the kind of trust and touch that should be developed in practice because it requires precision.

In both instances, it requires guts to throw knowing you may get hit, AND fitting the pass in tight windows(though the first screenshot is a clear case of TDs to either of them).

The other skill Dante needs work on is feeling out the pocket better. He needs to recognize when to shuffle into the pocket, or set his his get quickly enough to deliver a pass. Moore walked (ran) into several sacks this year.

Even if he leads OBD to a time this year, he needs to come back. He needs more experience against full speed scenarios isn't used to seeing.

Edited 13 hours ago13 hr by Mike West
Spelling

Screen shot #1 - The receivers are only just coming open, but there's already a Dlineman in the backfield touching him. There may be differing definitions of pressure, but the ball was snapped at the 9:33 mark, and the picture shows the Dlineman touching him at the 9:31 mark. He blew by the TE and Harkey. IMO, that's pressure. Granted, he could have bought more time by stepping up; doesn't help the OL by camping that far back.

Screen shot #2 - Disagree with "no pressure". The OL got blown up in no time; completely collapsing backward. Harkey got schooled by Bailey again, and if DM holds the ball 0.5 seconds more, he's getting crushed.

Screen shot #3 - Totally agree with everything here. Big time missed opportunity by DM

I'd be curious to see the all-22 view for Screen shots #1 and #2 at the point DM starts to throw the ball. The #1 and #2 screen shots are misleading since the ball is already in the receivers' hands, and the defense has already reacted to that. Watching the game video, those potential receivers were more covered prior to the throw.

Ultimately, DM still has some growth, but I give credit to TTU's defensive line blowing up our OL almost all game. It reminds me of the 2020 Super Bowl. Patrick Mahomes had already won a SB the previous year, but against the Tampa Bay Bucs, he had zero time to do anything because of the Bucs amazing DLine and LBs; they pressured him all game and made Mahomes look pedestrian.

I believe we have as good or better quarterback whisperers on staff as anywhere else in the country.

That said, as much as the vast majority of Dante’s issues can and need to be resolved through practice and game time experience, I occasionally wonder about that intangible connection between QB and offensive staff.

How tricky is it to find that right switch to flip that assists in allowing all those moving parts to slow down, and settle into a confident awareness of the game?

Edited 7 hours ago7 hr by Washington Waddler
word choice

I think Brock Thomas is better at handling pass pressure than Dante. If Dante gets too rattled maybe we make the swap?

(Relax, I'm only half trolling)

1 hour ago, OregonDucks said:

Playing scared might be a bit harsh; however, Dante was probably responsible for over half those sacks in the first Indiana game. He has to read the defense, step up into the pocket (if necessary) and pull the trigger.

This. If he doesn't do his job looking down the field to who he should be throwing to, then it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy to hold the ball too long and get sacked.

Dante needs to maintain better eye discipline after getting punched in the face so to speak. He will someday, but if he doesn't do it Friday night, our season will be over regardless of how good the rest of the team plays.

Edited 12 hours ago12 hr by Solar

It's interesting to read a lot of advice being given to a guy who, if he declares for the draft, is predicted to be the first or second pick.

As hurried as Dante was in the first game, and being sacked six times, Tom Brady would not win many football games.

It starts up front. The O-line no-showed in the first game vs. Indiana and against Texas Tech. If the O-line doesn't play better on Friday night, Indiana will be headed to Miami.

Well at least in his presser today he said he went through his progressions too quick in the first game...and film shows exactly that

2 hours ago, WTD25 said:

Screen shot #1 - The receivers are only just coming open, but there's already a Dlineman in the backfield touching him. There may be differing definitions of pressure, but the ball was snapped at the 9:33 mark, and the picture shows the Dlineman touching him at the 9:31 mark. He blew by the TE and Harkey. IMO, that's pressure. Granted, he could have bought more time by stepping up; doesn't help the OL by camping that far back.

Screen shot #2 - Disagree with "no pressure". The OL got blown up in no time; completely collapsing backward. Harkey got schooled by Bailey again, and if DM holds the ball 0.5 seconds more, he's getting crushed.

Screen shot #3 - Totally agree with everything here. Big time missed opportunity by DM

I'd be curious to see the all-22 view for Screen shots #1 and #2 at the point DM starts to throw the ball. The #1 and #2 screen shots are misleading since the ball is already in the receivers' hands, and the defense has already reacted to that. Watching the game video, those potential receivers were more covered prior to the throw.

Ultimately, DM still has some growth, but I give credit to TTU's defensive line blowing up our OL almost all game. It reminds me of the 2020 Super Bowl. Patrick Mahomes had already won a SB the previous year, but against the Tampa Bay Bucs, he had zero time to do anything because of the Bucs amazing DLine and LBs; they pressured him all game and made Mahomes look pedestrian.

I did not include the video, but in each case--Dante could have thrown to the space before the receiver gets there as he has done tons of times, and those plays were without defensive pressure.

I can't show everything, but I have to show where the receivers were and how they could have been "thrown open" as Mike referred to above.

Or we will disagree about what we see.