How Did Oregon Ducks Mascot Lose Head? Viral Costume Malfunction

The Oregon Ducks kicked off their 2025 season against the Montana State Bobcats. During the pre-game, Oregon’s mascot “The Duck" suffered an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction.

The Duck’s head fell off, causing the mascot to immediately run to the tunnel to avoid his face being seen by the cameras and the crowd.

The Oregon Duck Has Mascot Head Blunder

Oregon Ducks Mascot Head Montana State Bobcats Autzen Stadium Eugene Season Opener Dante Moore Austin Novosad Big Ten — Nov 30, 2024; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Puddles the Oregon Ducks mascot takes a bow during the second half against the Washington Huskies at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

The Oregon Ducks got off a a flying start against Montana State, taking a 31-0 lead out of the gates in the first half. It wasn’t a great start for the Oregon mascot however. The Duck lost his balance, tripped, and had his head fall off while he was running out onto the field before the team was set to come out of the tunnel. It appeared that he was carrying something out to the field before falling.

Take a look at the video below that was recorded by a fan in the stands.

Not a great start to the season... pic.twitter.com/UrPknaajW9
— Matt_Hardie (@matt_hardie) August 30, 2025

Losing the mascot head is a big “no-no” in the mascot game. After his head came off, he did the right move and made a mad dash for cover before being able to be recognized. Now hopefully nobody will be able to identity who it was.

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Ducks Cruise to 1-0 Start

The Oregon Ducks got off to a 1-0 start in a dominant victory over the Montana State Bobcats. Montana State came into this game ranked as the No. 2 team in FCS, behind only the North Dakota State Bison. Montana State lost to North Dakota State in the FCS Championship game last season.

Oregon on the other hand is the defending Big Ten champions and ranked No. 7 in the country in the AP Top 25 preseason poll. The Ducks won every game last season until they faced the Ohio State Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl. Oregon will look to get back to the playoff this season to get the sour taste of their 41-21 Rose Bowl defeat to the Buckeyes out of their mouth.

Oregon got out to a lighting fast 14-0 start in the opening five minutes against the Bobcats and never looked back. The Ducks turned to quarterback Dante Moore as the starter. Moore sat behind Dillon Gabriel last season. Moore has big shoes to fill as the past two Oregon quarterbacks; Bo Nix in 2023 and Dillon Gabriel in 2024 led the team to 12-plus wins and finished third in Heisman trophy voting.

In about three quarters of action, Moore went 18/23 passing for 213 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions. Austin Novosad subbed in for Moore to close out the game. Moore and Novosad both saw limited action last season.