Sidebar: Dante Moore’s Poise Sets New Tone for Oregon’s Offense

EUGENE, Ore. — Oregon didn’t just debut a new season Saturday; it debuted a steadier version of Dante Moore. The sophomore quarterback, now QB1, traded flash-for-force-it for command and composure in a 45–10 win over Montana State — exactly the evolution Dan Lanning wanted to see.

“He was sharp,” Lanning said. “He knew where to go with the ball. He was decisive with his reads. He was able to make some checks. We had a simple plan and a plan that we could execute at a high level, and he went out there and executed it really well.”

Moore’s touch showed up as much in what he didn’t do as in what he did. The play Lanning kept coming back to wasn’t a highlight throw but a red-zone decision in the first half: rolling right on third-and-goal, Moore tucked it, took what was there, and lived to kick.

“One of the plays I was most proud of was down in the red area,” Lanning said. “He’s rolling to his right and maybe there’s an opportunity to punch one into a tight window… He tucked it and ran it, and we ended up kicking the field goal. That’ll get no hoopla… What did he do? He protected the ball and we walked away with points.”

Moore laughed about how that growth was earned Monday through Friday.

“Yeah, he cussed me out pretty bad at practice,” Moore said with a grin. “It reflects back to my freshman year — forcing throws, not making the right decisions. He showed me clips of Dillon [Gabriel] too — red area, forcing throws. Now I hear him in the back of my head: ‘Don’t throw it, don’t throw it.’ It was great for me to run out, get what I can get, field-goal unit comes out. We have Aticus [Sappington] — who would never miss a field goal — and it was the right decision.”

If restraint was one pillar, distribution was the other. Moore completed passes to 10 different targets, a snapshot of an offense built on options and timing more than hero ball.

“As a quarterback, it feels great when other people catch the ball and we’re using everyone as a unit,” Moore said. “We’ve got great guys who can make contested catches, make plays with the ball in their hands — it’s easier for me to just put the ball out there and let them work.”

Transfer receiver Malik Benson said the quarterback’s shift from hunting explosives to staying on schedule has been deliberate.

“Just him knowing we should stay in front of the chains,” Benson said. “Not every play needs to go deep… just because we don’t get 50 on this play, you can check it down and we can get 50 on the checkdown.”

That mindset fueled Oregon’s end-of-half two-minute drill, which Moore capped with a strike to Benson.

“We practice two-minute so much,” Moore said. “One timeout, one minute — we’ve repped it over and over. I used the checkdown to Mai, hit J on the fallout, and then the post to Malik. When you practice something that much and then you do it in the game, it feels great.”

The ground game made everything easier. Oregon’s first snap was a 35-yard outside zone from Noah Whittington, a tone-setter that let Moore conduct rather than chase.

“When you have a good run game, you can have a good pass game,” Moore said. “It starts up front with the front five. Poncho does a great job communicating… when the run game is there, everything’s good.”

Whittington, who earned the start with what Lanning called “everyday” consistency, said Moore’s command showed up in the quiet ways.

“We had a couple pressures and he got us into checks we talked about all week and they created explosives,” Whittington said. “For him, this only being his second year really being the leading quarterback, he did a great job of taking what we did all week and applying it today.”

Moore credited the apprenticeship behind Dillon Gabriel for the week-to-week approach.

“Preparation, of course,” Moore said. “Dillon was a vet — the way he prepared, the way he attacked every day. He’s always listening for feedback. You can be so grown at some point that you don’t want to hear feedback, but Dillon always showed me you always want to learn.”

Even the receivers’ gritty details reflect Moore’s imprint. On Gary Bryant Jr.’s touchdown, true freshman Dakorien Moore detonated a pancake block that Lanning joked targeted “the wrong guy,” but at full speed, with full effort.

“He did block the wrong guy — it’s crazy how it happens,” Dante Moore said, smiling. “But he finished him in the end zone. Our receivers did a great job on the perimeter. Don’t let Kori’s size fool you — he’ll attack you.”

The bigger picture? Moore says the Ducks’ internal standard, not last year’s opener or the Rose Bowl loss, is what’s steering him.

“We’re not thinking about Idaho [2024 opening game] or anything else,” he said. “We’re thinking about how we’re going to attack as a unit on the first drive. That mindset — only caring about the people in the room — that’s what we had in camp and still have now. When we’re a unit and we care about each other in that room, we’re unstoppable.”

Lanning echoed the one-game lens — and the one trait he wants most from his quarterback as the schedule stiffens.

“It’s important that we continue to grow,” he said. “This is one step in the right direction… But it’s just one game. With Dante, it’s the timing and the decisions. Protect the ball, take the points, move on to the next series.”

Moore’s checklist for Week 2 sounded like a veteran’s: fix the small stuff, polish the mechanics, get the conditioning right for long drives.

“There’s always a lot to learn,” he said. “Enjoy the positives, fix the late throws, the body language, the checks in the run game. And for me — get my breath right. If you can’t breathe, you can’t do what you have to do.”

On Saturday, he exhaled. And Oregon’s offense looked like it could breathe easy with him.