Oregon Quarterback Dante Moore Silences Doubters With 4-Touchdown Statement Game At Rutgers

Quarterback Dante Moore played arguably his worst game in an Oregon uniform when the No. 8 Ducks lost to the No. 3 Indiana Hoosiers at Autzen Stadium in week 7.

After the loss, Moore said that it’s all about how he responds to adversity. Moore responded in a big way against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, perhaps having his best performance as a Duck.

Moore was pulled in the third quarter against Rutgers after throwing for 290 yards and four touchdowns, completing 75 percent of his passes. Moore also added three rushes for 49 yards, but Oregon's rushing attack was led by running backs Noah Whittington, Jordon Davison, and Dierre Hill Jr.

Moore exited the game while Oregon led 56-3.

Moore, Oregon Offense, Face Doubts

oregon ducks dante moore dan lanning quarterback big ten college football kenyon sadiq rutgers scarlet knights offensive line — Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore before the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions | Oregon Ducks on SI's Jake Bunn

Several fans across the country questioned whether or not the Ducks would bounce back against Rutgers or if they’d encounter a Penn State-type of skid.

Moore’s chances of winning the 2025 Heisman Trophy also took a massive tumble with his two-interception showing. Once again, Moore’s doubters wondered if he’s changed since his freshman season at UCLA.

The quarterback put his maturity on display immediately after the loss to Indiana by taking accountability and showing his eagerness to turn the page.

“Nobody is perfect, except for God. Everybody is going to make their mistakes and, of course, it's about how you bounce back,” Moore said. “But I've got to make sure I'm continuing to talk to the offense and defensive side of the ball.”

Coach Dan Lanning said during his week 8 press conference that Moore had the right approach in practice leading up to the trip to New Jersey.

“He's handled it the right way. Everybody looks internally and then goes back and says, 'Okay, what can I have improved on? What could I have done better?' And I think he saw a lot of moments in that game that he could have played to a higher degree and what he's capable of,” Lanning said.

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The Ducks’ Offense Fires On All Cylinders

Oregon started the game against the Scarlet Knights in disastrous fashion. On the first drive of the game, wide receiver Gary Bryant Jr. fumbled the ball. Rutgers recovered and converted on the ideal field positioning with a field goal to go up 3-0.

The Ducks didn’t let the first drive get in their head. Moore backed up his work ethic with his performance against Rutgers, as the visiting side ended up scoring on every other drive in the first half.

Moore threw four first half touchdowns – which was his career-high in a single game entering the matchup. He completed 14 of his 18 passes on 279 passing yards in the first half. Oregon went into halftime up 42-3.

The redshirt sophomore quarterback recorded eight completions of 20 or more yards in the first half. Moore’s connection with tight end Kenyon Sadiq was stronger than even in the first half, with Sadiq receiving two of Moore’s touchdown passes, both over 20 yards.

The offense as a whole responded in a positive way versus Rutgers. Sadiq and running back Noah Whittington were responsible for five of the Ducks’ six touchdowns in the first half after neither contributed much against the Hoosiers.

The Oregon offensive line was another position group that faced criticism in week 7, as it allowed six quarterback sacks. The unit up front did a significantly better job of protecting the quarterback versus the Scarlet Knights, and the Ducks finished the first half with 441 yards of total offense.