What Dante Moore's Latest Stats Say About the Oregon Quarterback

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Going into the No. 6 Oregon Ducks' week 8 game at SHI Stadium for their showdown against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, a large amount of eyes were on quarterback Dante Moore.
Just a week prior, the sophomore put in one of his worst college performances of the season against an undefeated No. 2 Indiana Hoosiers, as Oregon's nationwide longest home winning streak was broken. So, how did he respond?
According to the numbers, Moore completed one of the best games of his college career against the Scarlet Knights, and it's setting the tone for how Duck fans look at the rest of the season.

Blow Out In Piscataway
Against Rutgers, Moore finished the night completing 15 of 20 passes (75 percent) and picking up 290 yards with four touchdowns. Moore did have an interception, coming halfway through the third quarter with a pass intended for wide receiver Gary Bryant Jr.
Compare that to Moore's numbers against Indiana, and it's night and day for the Duck. Moore only completed 62 percent of his passes against the Hoosiers, with 186 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions to show for it.
Both interceptions came on back-to-back passing plays for the Ducks, with the final pick off of Moore leading to the Hoosiers' victory formation.

Moore Under Pressure Factor in Indiana Performance
It's also important to note that Moore also faced the most pressure he had ever seen in his college career in the pocket vs the Hoosiers. Moore was sacked six times against Indiana for a loss of 35 yards, and the amount he was roughed up played a toll, as Moore rarely went past his first check in the pocket before scrambling or passing to a faulty result while playing the Hoosiers.
Safe to say, Moore's numbers are a complete change from the week prior. Comparing them to the rest of the season's statistics, Moore had his worst game in college, followed by his best one.

PFF's Top Graded Quarterbacks Through Week 8
1. 93.2 Dante Moore, Oregon
2. 91.4 Julian Sayin, Ohio State
3. 88.1 Fernando Mendoza, Indiana
4. 83.7 Bryce Underwood, Michigan
5. 80.6 Aidan Chiles, Michigan State
6. 68.4 Drake Lindsey, Minnesota
7. 65.2 Mark Gronowski, Iowa
8. 64.7 Jayden Maiava, USC
9. 64.5 Malachi Singleton, Arkansas
10. 63.0 Nico Iamaleava, UCLA
MORE: AP Top 25 Poll Chaos After Ranked Upsets For Miami, Ole Miss, Texas Tech
MORE: Biggest Winners, Losers From Oregon's Resounding Win Against Rutgers
MORE: Oregon's Dan Lanning Gives Positive Injury Update on Kenyon Sadiq After Rutgers Win

Moore Took Moore Risks, and They Paid Off
When continuing to compare both the Indiana game and the Rutgers game in terms of Moore's performance, there's also a difference in the throws Moore decided to make.
Against Indiana, though there was the occasional deep ball downfield for the Duck quarterback, Moore kept things mostly to screens behind the line of scrimmage and short passes within five yards of the line.
In the game against Rutgers, Moore was a little more confident in his targets, and that shows in the length of his throws. Moore had an 83 percent completion rate on mid-range passes from 5-14 yards with six attempts, favoring heavily the middle and right side of the field.
Moore also clocked in an impressive 75 percent completion rate when it comes to long range passing with 15 or more yards. The Duck put in four throws downfield, which is similar to the amount of deep targets against the Hoosiers, but more of these passes landed.

For a quarterback who just a week ago seemed to have the Heisman Trophy race seep through his fingers, there may still be life in a late season run for the honor with a statement bounce-back game against the Scarlet Knights as the resurgence.

A born and raised Oregonian, Ally Osborne has a passion for sporting events across her home state. She began writing for Oregon Ducks on SI in 2021. Currently a morning talk show host and sports reporter for KOIN 6 and Portland's CW in Portland, Oregon, Ally is engrained in her community. Finding and sharing stories that highlight the unique culture and connectivity sports creates is a part of her DNA. She frequently contributes sports content to KOIN's broadcast and streaming platforms while hosting talk show "Everyday Northwest" and video podcast "Tower Talk Live" every weekday. With Portland being her third-worked television market (second in Oregon), Osborne brings hard-news and feature-reporting experience to compliment her expertise for sports storytelling. Her journalistic endeavors and art creations (many of which are inspired by the Oregon Ducks) can be found on her social media pages. Ally graduated from the University of Oregon's School of Journalism and Communications in 2021 after interning for the Oregon Sports Network with experience working on live sporting broadcasts for ESPN, FOX Sports, the PAC 12 Network, and Runnerspace.