Dante Moore Speaks Candidly on What Oregon Learned From Boise State's Near Upset

Quarterback Dante Moore spoke to the media ahead of the No. 2 Oregon Ducks' season opener against the Boise State Broncos, and Moore revealed what the program has learned from the last time these two teams played.

Moore was on the team in 2024 when Oregon narrowly defeated Boise State 37-34 with former Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel leading the offense, and Moore shared what the Ducks are focusing on in preparation of the upcoming rematch:

Oregon Ducks dante moore boise state broncos evan stewart dakorien moore college football playoff nfl draft dan lanning — Oregon quarterback Dante Moore speaks during a press conference on Aug. 18, 2026, at the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex in Eugene, Oregon. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

How the Team is Learning From the Last Boise State Game

"Yeah, that was a great team that we played. Still the same coaching staff. Of course, I give them the credit. Yeah, that game was just a learning moment for the offense just to start fast as an offense, just going out there, you know, not getting punched in the mouth, but going out there and just doing. what the coaches are teaching us this whole week. But, yeah, just an opportunity for us to go out there and start fast, learn from the mistakes, the coverages they do and things. So it's a great game to look back at and, you know, learn a lot from."

Everything Dante Moore Said on Tuesday

What He's Learned About This Oregon Ducks Team

"Yeah, this team, some new faces from the last time we played them. But same, you know, staff, like I said, some great, you know, defensive coverages they do. Of course, they have some exotic looks they do, and it's just being prepared when they're bringing it and when they're not bringing it. Of course, just watching film every day. It's been a new year. A lot of defenses have changed, so there's going to be some things out there that we haven't seen from them at all, and just got to adjust on the fly."

Not Making the Game Bigger Than It Is

"Yeah. I mean, we play in so much work when it comes from winter workouts, summer workouts, spring ball, fall camp. And it's going to feel great when you go out there and don't go against your defense. Our defense is very competitive and very challenging. And it's just going to be great to go out there and play in Autzen, playing the best fans in the world and just be a kid out there playing the game that we love."

"So it's going to be, you know, a lot of emotions, a lot of energy out there when it comes game day, but we're going to be prepared, and it's going to be a great day for us to go out there and play football."

Dierre Hill Jr.'s Growth in Pass Protection

"Yeah, this is someone that has really took blocking serious when it comes to actually doing the right form of blocking, knowing not to miss a block, knowing coverages, where they're blitzing from, when they're showing one way, going the other way. I mean, Dierre's done a great job, and it's just been watching the film of last year, watching the film of Noah (Whittington) from last year, just all these vets that have done it at a high level."

"And he's done a great job just really appreciating it and taking it serious. He's always making sure every time we go out there and take the field, he's like, I got your back, I'm going to protect you. And as a quarterback, you've got to love that. I think that room has done a great job just making sure that's something they emphasize, and they've been doing a great job."

Benefits of Facing Oregon's Edge Rushers

"Yeah, our D -line here is amazing when it comes to the coaches and also when it comes to the players. Its technique, speed, effort. Yeah, Boise State has some great edge rushers as well. But like I say, we've been going at each other for months now. Team against team, and we just kind of feel like we're getting better every single day. So when we go out there on game day, we'll be prepared and just, you know, learn the moments as the game goes."

What Gives Dante Moore Confidence in This Team

"I would say hunger is something that we've been kind of feeding off of this offseason, just how close we were last year and how many players came back. and how much fuel that has created us to go out there and make sure we dominate. So I think, you know, us going into this year, we're just going to take it one game at a time. But we're excited. We're going to enjoy it. We're going to embrace it. But we're hungry to get better every single day."

"Even if it's a bad day, we're going to, of course, learn from the mistakes. But we're just going to embrace it and enjoy it together."

Avoiding Distraction of National Praise

"Yeah, I think every day when we take the field, there's no egos at all. There's nobody that's ever saying, you know, 'Hey, I'm worried about myself.' Everybody on this team is worried about making the team better. And, of course, when it's the guys that's going out there on the field, and it's the guys on scout team, whatever it is, everybody is pouring into this team. And there's nobody that you would see and be like, you know, he doesn't love us or he doesn't care about this play, whatever."

"Like everybody's giving us their full effort. And I think that's something Coach Landon has preached for us for years here. And it's just something that we've been, of course, embracing. There's no one having any egos. It's really, you know, thanking everybody as a teammate and playing for one another."

What Stands Out About Boise State's Edge Rushers

"Yeah, I mean, you know, the edge rushers, of course, as an edge rusher, you, of course, want to maintain the pocket, make sure the quarterback can't scramble. They've been doing a great job on film with its exotic-looking looks or if it's different looks and having an edge rusher float around, walk around. I mean, there's just so many different looks."

"But when it comes to Coach (A'lique) Terry, he's doing a great job with protection plans and making sure that we have everything dialed in. And, I mean, there's going to be moments, of course, where it's going to be one-on-one with our tackle against their end, and we have to win. And there's going to be plays where they make good plays. There's going to be players where they make great plays. So we just got to make sure we maintain and capitalize on the plays we make."

Difference in His Anticipation/Nerves

"Yeah, I got the same feeling of more excited than nerves. I think I'm excited to go out there and play for my brothers. I feel like we've been put in so much work. You know, when I had the chance to play last year, I learned so much. And I think some of the biggest things I learned is just, of course, everybody loves, I always say smile and enjoy it. And I've really been enjoying this process. Because, I mean, this might be one of the last times I played football with my brothers."

"So I think just being here and playing with them, really embracing every single day as we take the field. Every game is going to be a great learning curve and learning moment that I can get to tell my kids one day. So I'm just going to, of course, keep enjoying it and having fun with the whole process."

Teams Using Indiana's Success Against Him This Season

"Yeah, the game of football is just – that's just how it rolls. I feel like – of times when a team, you know, wins a national championship or teams do something great with a certain defense, a lot of defense coordinators want to, of course, pick it and look at it and try it in their defenses. So, yeah, Indiana did a great job with their schemes. That team was full of veterans. So a lot of times pre-snap they will hold something and post-snap they'll get to something completely different."

"So I feel like this whole summer having a chance to watch the film, get with the coaches, learn about the mistakes we made and next time if we see it, how we will attack it. So, yeah, Boise State's going to have, of course, their looks they've been doing for a while and then they're going to have some. the new things that we just got there and adapt and it's changed on the fly."

What Oregon's Offense Will Be Known For

"I think this offense, of course, you have the speed, you have the talent, but I would just say how dialed and connected we are on the field. I think this team has a lot of people that came back and have experience. A lot of the younger guys now have experience, especially talking about, you know, J.D. (Jordon Davison) and Dierre and Kori (Dakorien) and all these guys. So I think when you go out there, just the way we block up defenses scheme-wise, pass game, I feel like we're just going to be out there all on the same page."

"And that just comes with trust, preparation, us taking the field together every day at practice and embracing that. So I think just when we're out there on the field, I'm like, yeah, these guys have practiced this play a thousand times because the way it looked, it looked so clean."

Memory That Represents Oregon's Offseason Work

"Yeah, there's been times where we've had multiple workouts where Coach Love will call the end of the workout. I feel like this year we're such a player-led team that we said, 'No, we want one more rep.' And that kind of shows how much we've grown, how much of the times where last year we went to double overtime, all these overtime reps."

"When it comes to the way you attack the game and put so much effort into really your work and the hard work you're putting in, I mean, it's just all going to show at the end of the day. So I feel like we've just been embracing it. There's been many workouts I can pick up on. I think overall it's just we just go out there every day and it's really embraced the journey, embraced the hard work. And there's been times where people wanted to quit, but we just, you know, thought about the fuel from last year and just carried on to the workouts since the first upcoming season."

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