Oregon Quarterback Dante Moore’s Emotional Growth Is Elevating Ducks At Perfect Time

With the No. 5 Oregon Ducks staring down their first round College Football Playoff game against the No. 12 James Madison Dukes at Autzen Stadium, there's quite a few lessons to glean from the 11-1 regular season to take into the Ducks' post season run.

For Oregon starting quarterback Dante Moore, his major epiphany came during the Ducks' 30-20 home loss against the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers in late Oct., a turning point for Oregon's regular season.

Moore opened up more about his mindset during and after the defeat that's guided him to the first round of the playoff in a Monday press conference surrounding Oregon's upcoming game against JMU.

Oregon Offensive Coordinator Will Stein leads a drill with quarterback Dante Moore at Autzen Stadium in Eugene Dec. 14, 2025 before the first-round CFP game against James Madison. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Dante Moore Admits Overthinking During Indiana Loss

"Yeah, I'll say I learned. The biggest moment of that was the Indiana game this year," Moore said. "I made that game bigger than what it was. Had a lot of emotions that game, kind of the some of my teammates seen it. I didn't have that smile on my face. I didn't have that joy. I was kind of too locked in, to be honest."

Moore's overthinking reflected in his play, with the quarterback going 21-34 for 186 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions. That game counted Moore's second worst completion percentage of the regular season (61.8 percent) behind a downpouring-rain home game against the Wisconsin Badgers (60 percent).

Speaking of those interceptions, Moore's nerves especially shone through during those two passes, which were back-to-back pick offs between one field-goal-scoring drive from Indiana (his first multi-interception game of the season). As the clock winded down and Indiana kneeled for their final drive, Moore continued to scramble for a sign of life with 32 seconds on the game clock, but found none in the short passing game.

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore scrambles with the ball as the Oregon Ducks host the Indiana Hoosiers Oct. 11, 2025, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Indiana's Pressure on Moore

It's also important to note that against Indiana was when Moore felt the most pressure in the pocket. Moore was sacked six times for 35 yard against the Hoosiers, which contributed to Moore scrambling after his first read several times throughout the contest.

"I thought we beat ourselves when it comes to penalties, me missing simple reads. I feel like we didn't have our routine just from start to end. I feel like we kind of beat ourselves," Moore said after the loss.

Oct 11, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore (5) looks to pass the ball against Indiana Hoosiers linebacker Aiden Fisher (4) during the second quarter at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Moore Gains Confidence in Latter Half of the Season

There's something to be said about facing a loss early on in the college football season. For some athletes, there's a definitive push after experiencing a gutting loss to correct inefficient techniques and mindset. Moore is no different.

"But I feel like, from that game on, when it comes to USC, at Iowa, just so many different games. I feel like I just learned how to adapt and just treat it like, you know, like another day at practice to go out there, have fun, throw the ball, confidence, you know, if you make a mistake, cool, next play," Moore added.

That shift in attitude for Moore can be seen directly after the Indiana loss, with the quarterback putting up a season high four touchdowns against Rutgers (tied with Oregon State's touchdown passing numbers), season-high passing yards against Minnesota (306 yards), and a season high 90 percent completion rating also against the Golden Gophers (plus a 73.3 percent completion rating with two touchdowns against the then No. 15 USC Trojans).

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Oregon’s receiver Evan Stewart, left, quarterback Dante Moore and Dakorien Moore dance during an open practice session leading up to their first-round CFP game against James Madison at Autzen Stadium in Eugene Dec. 14, 2025. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Coming in Happy Against James Madison

Looking ahead, Moore hopes to take the lesson he learned against Indiana, and bring joy into Oregon's first ever first round College Football Playoff game against JMU not just for himself, but for the teammates fighting alongside him.

"With this game coming up, I think about every day, Bryce Boettcher, all these guys that are seniors or were on last year's team here. [My motivation] is to play for them and not be so tight on myself and just smile and have joy with them. So like just probably, from you know, my future moving on, I feel like I won't ever take a game bigger than what it is. I'll just be blessed to be able to play it," Moore said.