Dante Moore, in his third year of college football, will enter the 2025 season as Oregon‘s starting quarterback. After transferring in from UCLA prior to last season, Moore sat behind Heisman Trophy finalist Dillon Gabriel and played in just five games. Just three weeks away from Oregon‘s season opener against Montana State however, it appears […]
Dante Moore, in his third year of college football, will enter the 2025 season as Oregon‘s starting quarterback. After transferring in from UCLA prior to last season, Moore sat behind Heisman Trophy finalist Dillon Gabriel and played in just five games.
Just three weeks away from Oregon‘s season opener against Montana State however, it appears as if Moore didn’t quite produce in the Ducks’ first scrimmage on Saturday. Oregon head coach Dan Lanningrevealed that the defense dominated in the scrimmage, extremely limiting Moore and his production.
“I don’t know that anything necessarily stood out,” Lanning said. “Like I said, I think defense won the day. They were able to get some three-and-outs. The [offense] operated efficiently but we just didn’t create any explosives and didn’t have some of the downfield passing attack that we have had in other days of fall camp. I’ve come in here before and told you that offense had won the day, but today I feel like defense won that.”
Moore has big shoes to fill in Eugene, as Dillon Gabriel was one of the best quarterbacks in all of college football last season. Gabriel passed for 3,857 yards, 30 touchdowns and just six interceptions in his lone season as a Duck, leading to him getting drafted in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns.
A strong start for Dante Moore would ease Ducks fans nerves
The Detroit native was tabbed as the No. 3 ranked player in the Class of 2023, but hasn’t quite looked the part yet. He played in nine games as a freshman at UCLA in 2023, passing for 1,610 yards, 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
“I feel like it’s better if I throw the ball or hand the ball off to people and they score and they get in the end zone,” Moore said at Oregon Media Day. “I like to see their reactions and I like to see how excited they are. So it makes me excited. I think that’s the biggest joy. Also when you score a touchdown, if I run and a lineman picks you up. I don’t know it’s a lot of joy to it. I’m just blessed to be a quarterback for sure.”
Oregon and its new quarterback open the 2025 season on Aug. 30 at home against Montana State. A strong start for Moore would be encouraging, as Dillon Gabriel passed for 380 yards and two touchdowns in Oregon’s season opener against Idaho last season.
Category: General Sports
