Oregon's Dante Moore opens up on why Oregon State win meant more than any other

Douglas Santo

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Oregon's Dante Moore opens up on why Oregon State win meant more than any other image

The Oregon Ducks welcomed their in-state rivals, the Oregon State Beavers, to Eugene, Oregon, on Saturday for the two programs' final scheduled meeting.

The Ducks and Beavers are now in separate conferences and will have to work on future contracts if they want to keep the rivalry alive.

However, for Oregon's quarterback Dante Moore, it was about more than just the in-state rivalry on Saturday, it was about proving himself since the last time he stepped on the field against Oregon State.

Dante Moore Earns Mental Win Over Oregon State

In Moore's freshman year at UCLA, arguably his worst performance of his career came against the Beavers. The sixth start of the now-Oregon quarterback's career came in Corvallis and Moore completed just 14 of his 33 passes.

The Bruins' quarterback, at the time, threw for 165 yards, one touchdown, and threw three interceptions. UCLA would lose the game, 36-24, and it's stayed in Moore's mind ever since.

So, Saturday was a chance for Moore to put the memory of that game to rest, and create a new one. That's exactly what the Ducks' quarterback did, throwing for 305 yards and four touchdowns, and adding 53 yards on the ground.

"It was me remembering my 18-year-old self, when I played at Oregon State and I was mentally depressed," Moore said. "The way things were going and everybody knows the struggles that happened. I used it as fuel to make sure that I never get that feeling ever again."

Moore did just that, and put together the best game of his young career, and it meant something extra special because it came against Oregon State.

"I think every game means a little bit to him, but I certainly think that this game is one that (was) resonating since his time there at UCLA and it wasn’t his performance that he felt like was his best," coach Dan Lanning said. "He went out there and operated really well today."

Moore's excellent performance against the Beavers was just the latest of a great start to the 2025 season. The Ducks' quarterback has led the team to a 4-0 start, with 962 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and just one interception.

Now, Moore and the Ducks will face their biggest test of the season next week when they travel to Happy Valley for the White Out game against Penn State.

Douglas Santo

Douglas Santo is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. As a senior at Arizona State University, he will complete his B.A. in sports journalism with a minor in business in December 2025. Before his time with Sporting News, Douglas covered the NFL and MLB for Athlon Sports and contributed as a digital reporter for Arizona PBS/Cronkite News. He is also the head of Sun Devil Daily, managing all content produced about Arizona State Sports.