Oregon Ducks' Dante Moore Takes Blame For Season-Ending Loss To Indiana

The Oregon Ducks' season came to an end in the College Football Playoff semifinals in a 56-22 loss to Indiana at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

Dante Moore finished with 285 yards through the air and two touchdowns. However, the Duck' star quarterback had three turnovers with two fumbles and one interception in what could be his final game in an Oregon uniform.

Oregon Ducks dan lanning schedule Dante moore College Football Playoff Indiana Hoosiers Fernando Mendoza Recruiting NIL — Jan 9, 2026; Atlanta, GA, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore (5) looks to pass against the Indiana Hoosiers during the first half of the 2025 Peach Bowl and semifinal game of the College Football Playoff at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

On Multi-Turnover Game

Moore hasn't had many multi-turnover games. He tossed two interceptions in the loss to Indiana during the regular season and he did it again in the first-round CFP win vs. James Madison. He didn't shy away from taking responsibility for the turnovers.

"First thing is first, the quarterback has to protect the football. They have a great defense, great disguise and different looks, but you can't win football games if you're causing turnovers. Something of course I need to work at. It comes with just reps. But overall, I mean, Indiana defense is great, defensive coordinator, but at the end of the day, we beat ourselves," Moore said.

On First Lost Fumble

Moore's first fumble came in the begininng of the second quarter as Oregon was attempting to make a comeback down 20-7. Backed up inside their own 15-yard line, Moore coughed up a costly turnover.

"On that play, it was running back was behind me in the pistol and tried to throw the smoke screen off the field. I gotta clear the midline better to make sure that when I am going to throw, I don't hit the running back in his elbow. So the ball hit his elbow, but at the end of the day, it's on me. I gotta take care of the ball and make sure they're out of the way and get the ball to the receivers," Moore said.

On Relationship With Ducks' Center Iapani Laloulu

After the final whistle, Moore embraced center Iapani "Poncho" Laloulu in a powerful moment that represented the Ducks' brotherhood.

"Poncho is somebody I love to death, and we've been through a lot this year, and I love him to death. And he's just somebody that's always willing to pray for me. He prayed for us in that moment, just prayed for the season. Just at the end of the day, Jesus won," Moore said.

"At the end of the day, you have to give him his glory. It is just two competitive teams that's playing on the biggest stages in the world right now. And at the end of the day, you gotta give God the glory win or loss," Moore added.

MORE: What Dan Lanning Said After Oregon's Loss to Indiana

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On NFL Aspirations

Regardless of how he played vs. Indiana, Moore is still seen as one of the top prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft if he chooses to declare. He gave a brief update on where he is with his decision process.

"I knew that question was coming. Yeah. I want to soak this moment up. That's most important. Just giving hugs and just thank yous to my teammates, but at the end of the day, I don't know my decision yet," Moore said.

I'm going to talk to Coach Lanning and talk to my family and everybody, but at the end of the day, I don't want to think about that right now. I just want to think about my teammates and give love to them. Appreciate you though," Moore continued.

On Indiana's Crowd Size

The entire Mercedes-Benz Stadium was filled with Indiana red. It became apparent very quickly for the Ducks that the Hoosiers would have the crowd on their side.

"I thought it was just the red seats, but it was the Indiana fans. They had a ton of fans here. Of course I'm just glad that the fans from Oregon were able to make it. I'm glad they came. Yeah, but it was pretty loud. At the end of the day, the dome gets pretty loud, but we prepared for loud situations and changed up the cadence. But yeah, they came out and showed out," Moore said.

On His Faith

"My faith has taken me a long way, my freshmen year at UCLA. That was the most adversity I've been in my life. Being 17 years old in LA, there's not many people I could rely on. You know, I am from Detroit, Michigan, very far from there," Moore said.

"I know God is always on my side through the good, bad and ugly. Just someone I relied on, prayed everyday to. And even right now, you know, the sun will come up in the morning and give me light, walk in His path, and trust in His journey that he has for me. It's God's time in everything I do," Moore added.

On Learning From Indiana Quarterback Fernando Mendoza

While doing game prep for the Hoosiers, Moore made it a point to study a bit of Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.

"Quarterbacks learn from each other. Of course when I watched the film, I'm not just going to watch our side of the ball. I'm going to watch him. He's done a great job all year especially in the red area protecting the football, scoring, doing what they've been doing. They're on the field for a reason," Moore said.

"I give him his credit. Somebody I'm going to stay in touch with when it comes to just talking ball, talking life, but quarterbacks learn from each other. And I'm excited how much I can learn from this game and learn from my future coming up," Moore continued.