One USC Investment that Must Show Up Against Oregon Quarterback Dante Moore

USC’s defense will face arguably its toughest challenge at quarterback this weekend in Oregon’s Dante Moore, a projected top pick the 2027 NFL Draft.

Moore leads a Ducks offense with an abundance of weapons at his disposal that can put a lot of stress on defenses because of their ability to create explosive plays on any given play.

Dante's Moore Struggles

USC Trojans Lincoln Riley Oregon Ducks Jahkeem Stewart Injury Indiana Hoosiers College Football Luke Wafle Jide Abasiri — Sep 18, 2026; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore (5) waves to a fan before a game against the Portland State Vikings at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When Moore took over as the Oregon quarterback a year ago, he quickly began to validate his five-star ranking. The Ducks signal-caller is an effortless thrower with his 6-foot-3 frame. The ball zips out of Moore’s hand with a ton of velocity. When he gets in a rhythm, it can be surgical.

A big topic of discussion around Moore this season has been about him tipping off plays based on stance. But a matchup against Indiana in last October exposed a major flaw in Moore’s game. He struggles mightily under pressure.

Indiana caused some serious problems for the #Oregon offensive line that affected Dante Moore. They owned the line of scrimmage.

And there were plenty of plays the Hoosiers forced Moore to panic back there. pic.twitter.com/tZV5TdZioh
— Kendell Hollowell (@KHollowell_) October 16, 2025

Hit Moore early and it can get him off his path the rest of the game. Moore is a slow processor. Speed it up with pressure and late coverage rotations, and Moore quickly becomes uncomfortable and can panic.

#Indiana TT Stunt

Show a Cover 3 look pre-snap and drop into Cover 2 post-snap.

Dante Moore holds onto the ball too long. Indiana made Moore look uncomfortable all game. pic.twitter.com/eFMFnQcUsO
— Kendell Hollowell (@KHollowell_) October 12, 2025

It was an issue for Moore down the stretch last season and in Indiana's rout over the Ducks in a rematch in the College Football Playoff.

#Indiana ran this TT stunt a few times and found different ways throw #Oregon QB Dante Moore off his spot.

Great pursuit from LB Rolijah Hardy.

In coverage. Show single-high pre-snap, rotate to a two-high shell post-snap. pic.twitter.com/0oDG3BgURZ
— Kendell Hollowell (@KHollowell_) October 16, 2025

Early in the 2026 season, Moore hasn’t quite looked like a player that would be the No. 1 overall pick. Oregon is struggling upfront. He was able to bounce back in the second half after a slow start against Group of Five Boise State in week 1.

Moore had a poor showing against Oklahoma State week 2, completing less than 50-percent of his passes, and the former five-star recruit was outdueled by Drew Mestemaker, a zero-star recruit. In his first eight quarters, Moore has clearly missed former offensive coordinator Will Stein, who left to take the head coaching job at Kentucky, and slow starts have been an issue.

Nothing was learned about Moore last week against a supremely inferior opponent in Portland State. All eyes will be on how Moore performs against another Power Four opponent and another top quarterback in USC's Jayden Maiava.

More Production from USC's Front Four

The Big Ten is built on toughness and it’s impossible to be a great team in this conference without a strong defensive front. And USC understands that, at least in the offseason.

Freshman defensive end Luke Wafle, the No. 1 overall prospect, was one of the prized recruits in the Trojans No. 1 class in the 2026 cycle. He lines up opposite of Kameryn Crawford, a top 100 recruit in the 2024 class. In the interior, transfer Alex VanSumeren is an experienced veteran and Jide Abasiri is in third-year with the program and has a ton of college experience.

Through four games, that group has a combined 1.5 sacks. Kennedy Urlacher has more sacks himself from the nickel position. It’s an underwhelming number considering the investment the Trojans have made it in building that unit. They were nonexistent in a 42-35 win over Rutgers in week 3. Quarterback Dylan Lonergan picked apart the Trojans defense as he sat comfortably in the pocket all game.

And had it not been for a pair of bad throws from Lonergan that resulted in interceptions, one of which was returned by USC safety Prophet Brown 99 yards for a touchdown, it could have been a different story in New Jersey.

Abasiri had been a force in the Trojans first three games against lesser competition. If there was ever a game for that version to come out again it would be this Saturday against the Ducks, especially considering it appears highly unlikely sophomore Jahkeem Stewarts makes his debut.

Even without Stewart, defensive line was expected to be one, if not the strongest position units on the team. A group that could potentially go three-deep with talented and so far, that depth has not showed up.

Moore sat comfortably in the pocket against USC in last year’s game up in Eugene. In that game, the Trojans were without a starting safety and nickel and once again, they are dealing with multiple injuries in the secondary. The Trojans cannot afford for its defensive front to be a no show again. This has to be the game where that investment in NIL resources and development has to pay dividends.

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