Dan Lanning, Dante Moore, Bryce Boettcher talk Oregon Civil War win

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Oregon’s start was sluggish, its finish emphatic. In front of a raucous Autzen Stadium crowd, the Ducks leaned into the same mantra head coach Dan Lanning has repeated since fall camp: do your job.

“Awesome crowd today… Thought we started off a little bit slow, and then obviously really came together in the second, third, fourth quarter,” Lanning said after the 129th meeting of the rivalry. “To be able to rush for almost 300 yards and hold them to under 100 rushing after we started so poorly was a big win for us. We’ve got to be cleaner from a penalty standpoint… but ultimately, a dominant performance and a really good challenge for us to go ahead into this next week as we go to Penn State.”

Finding rhythm after a shaky start

Oregon State moved the ball early, exploiting gaps in Oregon’s first-down defense. But on the sideline, Lanning’s message to his players was direct. “Do your job. Really simple. Do your job,” he said. “We lost a little bit of rhythm offensively, but we got it back.”

From there, Oregon’s defense locked in. Run fits tightened, passing windows closed, and the Ducks dictated the line of scrimmage. “Better in the second, third, fourth quarter,” Lanning said. “We just started playing our brand of football—get knocked back, winning, getting off blocks, not letting guys win one-on-ones, and finishing to the ball with relentless effort.”

Defense sets the tone

Linebacker Bryce Boettcher epitomized that relentless approach. He piled up nine first-half tackles, including back-to-back goal-line stops. “That’s just flow state… you just see ball,” Boettcher said. “We have a mindset when we’re on the goal line—they don’t score. QB under center, we’re thinking QB sneak… then I keyed the running back’s eyes, and they took me right where he was going.”

He credited Oregon’s defensive line for clearing the way. “Nine tackles in the first half—that does not happen without the defensive line,” he said. “If you’ve got that kind of energy on the D-line, we’re going to win some ball games.”

Defensive lineman Teitum Tuioti echoed the theme. “That’s something we talked about—being able to stop the run and it starts with us up front,” he said. “Even if you don’t get sacks, you can affect the quarterback by hitting him, getting your hands up for PBUs… all of that is great ways of affecting the quarterback.”

Moore’s redemption game

On offense, quarterback Dante Moore turned a personal corner. As an 18-year-old at UCLA, he left Corvallis with what he described as “mentally depressed” feelings. He carried that memory into Saturday.

“It was me remembering my 18-year-old self when I played at Oregon State… I used that as fuel to make sure I never get that feeling ever again,” Moore said. “Coach Lanning and I watched my UCLA game… he told me the best thing I’ve gotten to is just improving—making smarter decisions, putting the ball where it needs to go.”

Moore threw four touchdown passes and added timely scrambles. “They had a lot of great coverages… Coach always says you can use your legs as a weapon—go use them,” Moore said. “I’m not the fastest in the world, but if I can make a little play, I’m going to go get it done.”

One of his biggest connections came with Malik Benson on a third-and-long. “Knowing man-to-man on the outside, just got to give him a chance… our connection is unbelievable,” Moore said. “Today was personal for him… I hugged him this morning… got to give him a chance, and he used it as fire.”

Freshman wideout Jeremiah McClellan added his first Autzen touchdown, a moment that lit up both the locker room and his head coach. “That’s an unbelievable job by J-Mac… you never know where the ball’s going to go at wideout… he took advantage of it,” Lanning said. McClellan called the score “amazing… being excited with my brothers out there,” pointing to the team’s off-field connection as a foundation. “We’re really connected… outside the facility, we’re at each other’s houses… when one person scores, everybody scores.”

Complementary football

Even the special teams chipped in. “[James] Ferguson-Reynolds was able to execute a look that we thought might be there… did a really good job pinning them inside the 10,” Lanning said. “We didn’t really talk about momentum; we talked about making plays… stacking multiple plays… how many plays in a row can you win.”

The Ducks delivered a backbreaking sequence just before halftime: a two-minute touchdown drive, a defensive three-and-out, and another score to seize control. “To score with less than a minute left is huge… then get a three-and-out… that creates real separation,” Lanning said.

Big brother’s edge

For Boettcher, the rivalry carried extra weight as an Oregon native. He recalled a recruiting slight from Oregon State and smiled. “I was like, ‘Yeah, man… I’m going to be a Duck,’” he said. Then he offered a metaphor. “When you try to fight with your big brother… you can put up a little fight in the beginning like they did in the first quarter, but usually after four quarters… big brother usually wins.”

Tuioti broadened it to Oregon’s legacy. “This game means a lot… for our coaches, for Phil Knight… the alumni… it’s about respect and owning the state.” Lanning agreed: “It certainly means a ton to us… what was this, the 129th meeting? One that we have a lot of pride in.”

Leadership in the middle

Much of Oregon’s discipline and identity has run through Boettcher, whom teammates call “Mr. Eugene.” Moore raved: “Bryce is crazy… the guy you want to be your Mike linebacker… communication is amazing… every day I’m like, ‘Thank you—you’re my teammate. I’d hate to play against you.’”

Tuioti added: “He’s the leader of our defense… a true competitor… whatever he says on that field, I’m going to make sure the whole defense is playing that.” Lanning praised both the stat line and the hunger: “How many tackles did he finish with? 10… Bryce was hungry… this game meant a lot to Bryce… proud that he’s on our team.”

Looking ahead

If there’s a cautionary note, it’s the need for sharper starts. “You might not get those layups later… we’ve got to start fast—important for us in the future,” Lanning said. Moore echoed: “That’s just the game of football… not what you want, but when those things happen… relock back in… little adversity—how are you going to bounce back?”

With Penn State next on the schedule and ESPN’s College GameDay headed to Happy Valley, Oregon will need every bit of that resilience. “One game at a time… flip the switch quick and get ready for Penn State,” Lanning said. “They’re really talented… as schematically challenging as anybody… play with relentless effort… it’ll be a real challenge, but one we’re excited to attack.”

Moore, who watched a whiteout as a recruit, sees it as the stage he’s been waiting for. “These are blessings… we’ll celebrate tonight, recover tomorrow… it’s always us versus us… practice is going to be really competitive and really tough on us… another football game—we trust each other,” he said. He plans to reach out to Bo Nix for tips on the environment: “It’s going to be a great week… hostile environment… I’m going to reach out to Bo for sure.”

Tuioti boiled it down. “We’re going to start with recovery… once it hits Monday, we start our game plan… we excited. We ready to go.”

And Boettcher, who anchored Saturday’s win, set the tone for what comes next. “Mission accomplished” this week on early downs, he said. Then he added: “I love our team… the way everyone’s grown into their role is pretty incredible to watch. So, really looking forward to next week.”

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