Oregon Tight End Kenyon Sadiq Reveals Ducks' Mindset Entering Penn State Week

When the Oregon Ducks played the Penn State Nittany Lions in the 2024 Big Ten Conference Championship, tight end Kenyon Sadiq gave fans a preview of his physical dominance ahead of his breakout 2025 season.

With the No. 6 Ducks and the No. 3 Nittany Lions set to play in one of the conference’s biggest games of the regular season, Sadiq discussed with the media the team’s mindset heading into Penn State's White Out as well as what he’s seen from quarterback Dante Moore and his individual play so far.

What Sadiq Said

oregon ducks kenyon sadiq dan lanning penn state nittany lions recruiting big ten transfer portal nil dante moore tight end — Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq talks with reporters during Oregon football’s Media Day on July 28, 2025, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Mindset Going Into The White Out:

“I think coach (Dan) Lanning said it great today, it’s a white out because it’s Oregon. They know what's coming. We know what's coming. So, I said it's going out there, and who executes the best. It's just about eliminating the crowd aspect and going in there playing our game.”

On His Mentality Toward Blocking:

“It's just like people said I couldn't do it. So, I think every day I kind of got to remind myself that people said I wouldn't be able to do. I think I'm doing a great job of it. So just continuing that mindset going in, and we're start facing off against a lot better edge rushers and, you know, all that stuff. So just keeping that mentality going forward.”

If The Team Has The Same Mentality:

“I feel like everyone's kind of, especially at the beginning of the season, everyone kind of counted us off. They say we lost our whole offense, our whole defense, whatever it was. So yeah, this is kind of for all people that, you know, thought we couldn't do it. So just, it's about the going out there and showing what we can do.”

What’s Impressed Him About Quarterback Dante Moore:

“I would just say his mentality and his composure. I think he's one of the calm, if not the calmest quarterback I've ever played with. I don't think I've ever seen him panic. No, he just does a great job of keeping the vibe and that energy in the huddle very just where it needs to be. And I think he's very professional.”

When He Realized Moore Is Different:

“I think, after the first couple of games, just like the way he's handled, one, the amount of pressure he's had on him, and then two, just the command of the offense. I feel like we haven't necessarily skipped a beat from any quarterback. Like you said he's done a great job of not just sitting last year but preparing while he was sitting behind Dillon (Gabriel).”

How He’s Felt A Connection With Moore In The Zone:

“Each week, I think it continues to get better, just kind of a feel thing. You know, the more we play with each other, the better it gets. There's a big difference between game rep and a practice rep, honestly,” Sadiq said.

“So now getting those game reps and just starting to feel comfortable, I think you can kind of see the offense starting to translate to that comfortable state. So no, just keep repping it out and it's gonna be good.”

His Excitement For The Game:

“I mean, obviously it's kind of like a dream for, I think of a lot of people playing college football, so just going in and enjoying the moment and just executing.”

His Memories From The 2024 Big Ten Conference Championship:

“Last year I had a great game against Penn State. I'm trying to go out there replicate that. But no, they have a good returning players, a couple edge rushers, linebackers as well. So now those are all great players. Just got to go out there and execute.”

Preparing For A Loud Environment:

“I think the biggest thing is just like the mental aspect of it. I mean, we know it's gonna be loud, but we kind of go in there and play our game. You know, we're not gonna really be able to do anything about the crowd unless you go out there and play,” Sadiq said.

“So we are just keeping a strong composure, and, like you said, the cadence, those kind of things go into it, but at the end of the day, you just want to be rattled by the crowd.”

How His Physical Dominance In High School Translated To This Level:

“I just always my mindset, just being competitive. Like I said, there was a really big transition coming from like the Idaho football level up to the Oregon football level. So, once I just really got the fundamentals and the basics of what I need to get better at, coach (Drew) Mehringer did a great job of helping me put that to a plan. Once I started that plan, I really started to see improvement.”

What He Saw From Moore In The Two-Minute Drives Against Oregon State:

“I mean, you kind of said it, he just had the poise in the moment of just staying calm. I think if you watch both those drives, he did a great job of just keeping very levelheaded, not getting too high, not getting too low, just commanding the offense. Letting everyone know where there needed to be, just keeping the flow of the game going. I think he do a really great job of.”

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Having The Patience To Not Look Too Far Ahead:

“It's just kind of keeping that one week mentality at a time and not overlooking any team. Like I said, it is hard at times, just being honest, but just understanding we have a lot of things to improve on each week, and we need to really focus on things we need to improve on.”

If There’s Been Extra Work With Protection In Practice:

“I mean, yeah, we do a lot of that every week. Just mix it up, you know, keeping those guys guessing, you know, if they don't know what's going on, it's going to slow them down.”

On Facing Defensive End Dani Dennis-Sutton:

“He does a great job. He's quick, he's big, so he has a lot of attributes to him. But you know, so we do a lot of things to help, you know, our tackles out, and even if it's a single block or double, but at the end of the day he’s a great player which kind of go out there, like I said, just execute better than they do.”

How The Ability To Move Around Formations Helps Them:

“This is about creating mismatches. I think you know, if a team wants to play us in base or nickel. Then either, if they're gonna come out nickel, we can just run the ball or come on in base, we can do whatever we want. So, I think it's just about finding those mismatches and then just kind of honing in on them.”