Dan Lanning Delivers Critical Dante Moore, Aaron Flowers Injury Updates

For the second consecutive week, all eyes are on the Oregon Ducks’ Wednesday injury report ahead of a critical Big Ten matchup at Autzen Stadium.

Unlike the Week 6 availability report, whether or not quarterback Dante Moore is available against the Nebraska Cornhuskers will provide less clarity as to who the starting signal caller will be. Moore sustained a concussion in Week 4 against the USC Trojans and missed the Ducks’ 17-15 against the now-ranked No. 12 UCLA Bruins.

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning runs off at halftime as the Oregon Ducks host the UCLA Bruins on Oct. 10, 2026, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Coach Dan Lanning hesitated to provide much of an update on Moore’s status on Wednesday, but did speak on his recent involvement in practice.

“Yeah, I'll let it lean on the availability report,” Lanning said. “Obviously, no advantage there for us one way or the other. To communicate that again, he's out there at practice today, throwing the ball. Looked nice, right? It's exciting to see, but we'll let that play out as we communicate it.”

Lanning did, however, provide unfortunate injury new regarding starting safety Aaron Flowers. Flowers also missed the game against the Bruins.

Dec 20, 2025; Eugene, OR, USA; James Madison Dukes running back Wayne Knight (3) rushes as Oregon Ducks defensive back Aaron Flowers (21) defends during the second quarter at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“Yeah, update on Aaron, (he) had surgery, so he's going to be done for the foreseeable future,” Lanning said. “Something that he tried to tough out. Credit to him. Sometimes you can you can play through that, but you're probably not going to play as well. But it's one of those ones where it made sense to get it repaired for him.”

While Lanning didn’t definitely say that Flowers would be out for the rest of the season, his comments indicate that the Ducks will need to find other options at safety through the next stretch of Big Ten play.

Lanning spoke about a pair of safeties stepping up, as well as the quarterback competition and offensive changes during his Wednesday press conference.

Everything Dan Lanning Said

Opening Statement:

“Yeah, good attack day. Really tough team to prepare for when you talk about situational ball that we have today with red-area, third down. Obviously, best in the nation right now on defense on third down.”

“So that's an area that's really focused and super important in this game, and as we talked about before, it's about being able to stay on schedule on first and second, right, to create better, advantageous situations. But good energy and good attack from the guys today.”

Starting Experience With Starting Quarterbacks:

“Yeah, I think everything weighs into that for sure.”

If Akili Smith Jr. is Part of the Quarterback Battle:

Oregon quarterback Akili Smith Jr. throws a pass as the Oregon Ducks host the Portland State Vikings on Sept. 18, 2026, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

“Absolutely, and Akili’s done a really good job and he's probably the one that's the most different from a from a package standpoint and things that you can carry and do different with Akili.”

“But he has a really strong arm, been able to connect vertically on shots. Obviously, his feet become a weapon, right, and are a real tool for us as well. But yeah, he's done a really good job.”

Conversations About Blocking Out Social Media:

“Yeah, I don't know, again, what's been going on, but you can assume, because you know what it looks like. I think I always just tell them, ‘Hey, this is how I'm operating.’ I think we're all guilty of it.”

“You know, you're guilty of what you do when you're brushing your teeth in the morning, clicking your phone, and just challenging yourself to avoid that. But I think we had that conversation with Zach a little bit the other day.”

“You don't necessarily avoid it with an 18, 22 year old. You hope that there's a maturity level of what what's the reality of that, and how does that affect the result, right? And to think it's not there and doesn't exist, I think that's probably unfair.”

“And like I said, I can't check in their phones. You know, if we all turned our phones in preseason, myself included, we'd probably all be better versions of ourselves. So, but that's just not reality. So, coach them through what it looks like for me, and you know, and hope that they're able to fall off of that.”

Characteristics in Naming a Starting Quarterback:

“Yeah, timing is a piece of that. Operating what we're doing and making sure that we can do it at a high level. And I think evaluating efficiency through practice, so you can take the practice results and let it carry right over to game results, right?”

“And be able to build off of okay, what's it look like in practice? Where's it been the most consistent? And grading that with a fine-tooth comb, and then making sure you have as many guys prepared as possible, right, to be able to evaluate that.”

Believing in a Single-Game Two-Quarterback System:

“Yeah, I believe in doing whatever it takes to win. Right, whatever it takes to win. I think that's our job: to challenge yourself to find what does it take to win. I've seen those happen, and at times successful. I think we've all seen the result of when that's not successful, too.”

“But I think all things are on the table for you to make sure you have success. The other damage piece of okay, let's go prepare three or four or two or one. When you start preparing multiple people for looks, you just subtracted reps from another person's reps, and there's just only so much time in the week, and you can say, ‘Hey, let's just practice longer. Let's get more reps.’”

Oregon quarterback Dylan Raiola celebrates a touchdown by Oregon running back Dierre Hill Jr. as the Oregon Ducks face USC — Oregon quarterback Dylan Raiola celebrates a touchdown by Oregon running back Dierre Hill Jr. as the Oregon Ducks face the USC Trojans on Sept. 26, 2026, at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

“At this point in the season, there's your body fatigue starts to set in. You want to make sure that you're fresh in the game as you attack it, and it's been a really physical practice so far this week.”

“So, I think that's the other piece that all has to play into that and be conscientious of. But I think you guys have seen us here in our history, use a lot of different personnel groups.”

“You know, you talk about injuries that have occurred in previous we started off last year as really an 11-team, right, and quickly became a 21 and 12-personnel team and even a 13-team attack. So, I think knowing that we have with any position, quarterback, backs, tight ends, wideouts.”

“We've always been able to change that and change pictures of what that could look like. So could be a 10 game, could be, as you know, double zero game. Like use your best personnel. Make sure that's simple enough that you can execute at a high level. And then the challenge is, can you get enough looks at the variety that you're going to have.”

Performances From Safeties Peyton Woodyard and Devin Jackson:

“What am I about to say? You know, some good, some bad. Yeah, I mean, it's that, but I think you look at where we're at total in the game. I think there was some real positive.”

“Touchdown run that we gave up that we fit wrong at safety, that we should have had an extra hat there, but there was some positive. There's still room for improvement from both. But I think there's some bright spots there, and certainly happy with the growth and what that's looked like if we continue to grow. I think you can see all those guys.”

Difference in Offensive Communication This Week:

Oregon tight ends coach Drew Mehringer works with players during practice with the Ducks Thursday, April 11, 2024, at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex in Eugene, Ore. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

“What did what did (Dakorien Moore) say? He said a mix of all of them. Yeah, that's a pretty good answer. Yeah, I'd say I'd say it's a little bit everything. There's a lot of hands on deck. Obviously, I spent a lot more time on the offensive side of the ball this week.”

“It's been a different picture over there. I think a little bit more again collective effort, a lot of coach communication, a lot of player communication.”

First Defensive Play Being a Problem:

“I'd say that all almost all of our big plays this year have been high-discipline violations. So, and then they're also different, right? Oklahoma State was an ill-prepared situation for us. Didn't do a good job of getting that hat in the box that needed to be there in the box.”

“I think I call that a preparation error, right? Meaning we didn't have the right look. We didn't create that motion, that QB keep, where it becomes that person responsible for the QB, so that was that piece in the last game, it was an eye violation in the back end that has to be better.”

“But I'd say that's been one of ours that we have to really target as a whole is our eyes, you know, and making sure that they're disciplined on what they're supposed to do. Every play has a strength, every play has a weakness. And if you can take advantage of it, that could be an issue. But if a guy does his job, you're going to be ultimately in all those. If we did our job, we'd be in the right spot. It wasn't that it was unsound defensively.”

What Stands Out About the Team’s Response:

A pass falls just out of reach of Oregon wide receiver Dakorien Moore as the Oregon Ducks host the UCLA Bruins on Oct. 10, 2026, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

“Yeah, just, again, I don't see everything, so I see why I see why they're here at the building. But I've been proud of the way that they've worked, right? And I don't see a lot of hanging heads. I think that's challenging too, especially when you're young to not lose a little bit of gusto. And not lose a little bit of belief.”

“But I feel like that energy's been there for guys going to attack and wanting to do right, and even accountability from a standpoint of ball-in-jeopardy type situations that we've had too many of, and certainly too many of last game, where guys realize if they have bad ball security or they put the ball in jeopardy.”

“They're taking off and they're running all the way across the field to go touch the other side of the wall. Like they're holding themselves to that standard if it doesn't get called out by a coach first. So, the response I think from that standpoint has been really good.”

Edge Rusher Matayo Uiagalelei’s Sack Production:

“Yeah, I just think that Matayo’s second effort is operating in a really high clip right now. If you went back to the spring, I could almost point it and said this guy’s going to have an unbelievable season because of how hard he worked in the offseason with his diet, his nutrition, and even he wants that extra reminder of like this week it's going to be huge.”

“The quarterback can run, right? And he's a great scrambler, right? But the second effort is going to be the difference. It's not going to be necessarily the primary rush wins, and I always say if you watch sacks in the NFL, the number one rush getter is effort, and Matayo’s effort's been outstanding this year.”

“He's played really hard, and he ran our fastest speed of the bigs yesterday in our high-speed goat drill, and that means he's worked at it and pushed at it because that wasn't always necessarily the case last year. But I think if you watch (Nasir Wyatt), Teitum (Tuioti), Matayo, what drives those guys is high effort and then discipline to do the do your job and technique. So, I think that's what showed up for him.”

Third Down Defense Improvement:

“There's been some wrinkle adds, which I think credit to our coaches for searching for some wrinkle adds. There's been some simplification, right? And again, it's that fine-edged sword because we were just talking about, oh, Matayo's got sacks and I still remember early in the season you guys, ‘Why are you not getting sacks?’”

“So, it's funny how that plays out. It wasn't like we reinvented and did something different. We've done some stuff better, but probably a little more focus on rushing coverage. Who are the guys that are going? Maybe not as much bringing some crazy pictures of bringing blitzers that aren't great, but it's really a compilation of all of that.”

“Now that being said, and it was good in the last game, but fourth-down stops, right? You still remember early, like, don't forget those hiccups. Oh, you got to stop on third down. It's really conversion downs. It's third-down and fourth-down together. That is like the really revealing stat.”

“And if you remember, you think to the Oklahoma State game, we have a fourth-down penalty. They kept the drive going, that was able to lead to a score. You think to Boise, we weren't winning on fourth down. So, like, I'm remembering those moments.”

“And as good as it's been. At times, there's still certainly some room for improvement. I think the other area that's really stepped up for us, and I want to see to continue to be a strength, is red-area defense. And I don't know where we rank when it comes to scoring percentage, but the one that I always evaluate is touchdown percentage.”

“When they get in the red area, are they scoring a touchdown? And that's light years ahead of where it was last year, and it's only going to get harder and harder. Once you start playing teams that now they're seeing your body of work.”

“But I'd say we're probably different if you evaluate our last year's film to this year's film. It's at times in those situations, so it's probably hard to game plan when you're starting to get some different pictures from us than what you've seen in the past.”

Meaning Behind the Logo on His Sweatshirt:

“It was a donor event in Bend called Maarty Graz, and it's a competition between Maarty Leunen and Graz – why am I drawing a blank, who played quarterback here – Tony Graz.”

“Yeah, sorry, I haven't slept a lot. And they made it, and it kind of looks like Mardi Gras, I guess, with the UO on it. So blessed enough to get to hang out with some of those guys and bend in the offseason, and so yeah, it’s probably not available for purchase if anyone was looking for it.”

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