Oregon Ducks most to blame for convincing loss to Indiana

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Oregon Ducks most to blame for convincing loss to Indiana

Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Lorenzo J Reyna, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Mon, Oct 13, 2025 ·

4 min read

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The post Oregon Ducks most to blame for convincing loss to Indiana appeared first on ClutchPoints .

Oregon football lost a brief grip on the Big Ten title chase. But fumbled control of it right in front of Autzen Stadium, taking the 30-20 loss to Indiana.

The Hoosiers entered one of the louder venues in the nation having no previous wins over a road top five foe. Oregon entered with extensive history of claiming top 10 victories — regardless of Chip Kelly or Dan Lanning leading the Ducks.

The Ducks even featured the rising Heisman Trophy contender Dante Moore behind center. And neither Moore, Lanning nor Oregon in general outshined the Hoosiers.

Which leads into why Oregon is most to blame for this convincing loss in diving into these areas.

Dante Moore showed trouble reading Indiana defense

Moore himself admitted this flaw after the game.

"We had a couple of protection issues, but that can start from me, keying the defense and getting the protection right," Moore said via Duck Territory on 247Sports postgame.

Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti and his defensive coordinator Bryant Haines drew a masterful plan in confusing Moore . But this now opens a new can of worms for the talented transfer.

Future defenses will employ a similar defensive approach against Oregon. Coordinators will mix their coverages and load the box in front of Moore.

IU successfully shut down the run to make Oregon more one-dimensional. Indiana additionally proved it had the safeties and cornerbacks to match wits with Moore's weapons.

Pass protection suddenly exposed on Oregon

Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Moore certainly didn't have must help in having time to throw.

The QB took an astonishing six sacks in the contest — now a new season-high. Again, Cignetti and Haines switching the coverage looks played a factor into Moore and his pass blockers feeling bewildered. This "TT Stunt" is a perfect example of what Moore faced — as IU noticeably drops its weakside pass rusher back but allows the opposite defensive end to cause havoc.

Indiana additionally won the pad level battle — pushing Oregon's line backward including on the final interception that sealed the road win.

Leverage must get corrected before Oregon faces the rest of the conference defensive line gauntlet.

Big WRs bullied Oregon DBs

The then No. 7-ranked Hoosiers proved they have the height and strength advantage on the perimeter.

Elijah Sarratt muscled this cornerback during his red zone touchdown that gave IU the lead for good.

That's a 6-foot-2, 210-pound senior target bullying a redshirt freshman, showing experience and height can still win in this scenario. But that's not all on the side of the Hoosiers.

Omar Cooper Jr. took advantage of some bad angle pursuits and porous tackling technique that surfaced for Oregon.

Lanning being a defensive mind will not take too kindly of this kind of grasping effort. He's got tackling fundamentals to reteach before other offenses come after his unit.

Run game didn't help Oregon

Back to Moore, he became a QB needing to trust his arm more as IU shut the run down.

Jordan Davison was the top Ducks RB — with only eight carries for 59 yards. No one else surpassed the 28-yard mark.

The now No. 8 ranked team needs the consistent balance moving forward to prevent Moore from doing too much. Indiana just exposed how to throttle a longtime staple of Oregon's offense.

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