EUGENE, OR — Before Oregon’s offense was headed out onto the field against Oklahoma State on Saturday, Sept. 6, quarterback Dante Moore walked up to coach Dan Lanning.
Moore just gave him a simple message: “I feel really comfortable about this.”
That was the vibe for much of the day at Autzen Stadium, as Moore diced up the Cowboys defense en route to a dominant 69-3 win.
It’s become a common occurrence for the Ducks: a transfer quarterback comes into Eugene and shines for Dan Lanning’s team.
But for Moore, it’s far from the same story as those that preceded him. Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel arrived as experienced, successful players, knowing they’d thrive. Moore’s journey to Oregon was far from ideal, and there was uncertainty whether he’d be able to flip his narrative going up the Pacific Northwest.
It’s only been two games, but Moore looks like the guy that can lead the Ducks back to the College Football Playoff.
“He’s just maturing really quick,” Lanning said.
A five-star recruit in the 2023 class, Oregon was originally where Moore intended to go before offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham left for Arizona State. Moore changed his mind and went to UCLA. Paired up with Chip Kelly, Moore was believed to be the future of the Bruins. Through three games that year, it went according to plan.
Then everything unraveled. The inexperience showed and he didn’t get support. Moore was benched, the hype was gone.
He decided it was time to go to Oregon, hoping to capture that swagger back — even if it meant having to sit a year behind Gabriel.
The job wasn’t easily handed to him in the offseason, having to battle Austin Novosad. Moore did win it, but he had to prove his story wasn’t over yet.
It’s a wonder what a year not being thrown into the fire and just learning, getting the grasp of the college game can do.
Moore has played two excellent games as the Oregon starter, throwing for more than 200 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions in both wins to start the 2025 campaign. With Moore leading the way Oregon has put up more than 1,110 yards of offense in eight quarters.
Moore doesn’t look remotely close to the guy that debuted at UCLA. That comforting feeling he told his coach about wouldn’t have been a thing two years ago. There’s a different feel around him. He’s poised and his confidence radiates around him. He’s finally comfortable with a system.
So what changed?
“My comfort level just comes from repetition,” Moore said. “The repetitions that we get at practice, the way we just do so many plays and make sure that you get extra reps helps us go out there on game day and execute.”
That comfort and confidence seems to only be growing. Against the Cowboys, Moore wasn’t just dumping it to his playmakers to make yardage, but instead was dissecting the defense and throwing deep balls. The power and precision was on full display while allowing those explosive players to still give Oregon that potent offense.
“Just having him feel comfortable that he has players on that offense that can make plays for him. I think he’s seen that today,” said receiver Gary Bryant. “The more that we can make plays for him, the more comfortable he’ll feel throwing that ball to us.”
It’s hard to label a five-star recruit on a team as loaded as Oregon as an underdog, but Moore’s journey could’ve panned out so differently. There have been several heralded quarterbacks that never panned out, even when they move on to championship contending teams.
His time to rise came at a time where Oregon was trying to recover from the horrible end to the season, going perfect until it was ripped apart by Ohio State in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl. Could the Ducks shake it off and get back in the title picture?
It will certainly be tested, like when the Ducks face Penn State and its vaunted “White Out” to end September. But with this version of Moore, oozing with confidence, the grass certainly can remain green in Eugene.
“When you have that level of trust as a coach and a player,” Lanning said. “That’s big.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dante Moore making Oregon a CFP contender with fast start