Oregon quarterback Dante Moore has quickly made his presence felt in his first season as the starter, guiding the Ducks to a 3-0 record. The team has cruised through its opening slate with commanding victories over Montana State, Oklahoma State, and Northwestern.
Head coach Dan Lanning praised Moore’s early success on his weekly radio show on Wednesday, but he emphasized the importance of the players around him.
“You can’t be a great quarterback unless the people around you play well,” Lanning said. “Dante would be the first person to tell you that the people around him are creating opportunities for him to play well. He can’t catch his own passes, and he can’t block for himself. He’s done really well for us, and excited to see how he continues to grow.”
The Ducks’ passing attack has been balanced, with 11 different receivers registering at least one catch through three games.
Five players have already topped 75 receiving yards, including Malik Benson and Dakorien Moore, who have combined for more than 300 yards and three touchdowns.
Moore’s efficiency has stood out. He has completed 50 of 64 passes (78.1 percent) for 657 yards with seven touchdowns and one interception. He has also added 34 yards on the ground.
Lanning compared Dante Moore’s poise to Dillon Gabriel
Lanning compared Moore’s poise to former Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, now with the Cleveland Browns, saying his young starter is beginning to show command of the offense.
“I think that he knows I have an unbelievable amount of confidence in him with the way he preps and how he works,” Lanning said. “He’s a really special person. I think it’s unfair that our players get judged just on how they perform. And I was just visiting with some of our friends outside that the best thing about our team is we have unbelievable people.”
Moore entered college football as a five-star prospect and one of the nation’s top quarterbacks. He started his career at UCLA, where in 2023 he became one of only nine Bruins quarterbacks to start as a true freshman.
After transferring to Oregon in 2024, he appeared in five games, completing 7 of 8 passes for 49 yards.
The Ducks will put their unbeaten record on the line Saturday against rival Oregon State before resuming Big Ten play with back-to-back matchups against No. 2 Penn State and No. 19 Indiana.