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'That's what he does;' Dan Lanning, teammates laud Dante Moore after record-breaking game
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- 'That's what he does;' Dan Lanning, teammates laud Dante Moore after record-breaking game
The Oregon Ducks program has a rich history of quarterback play. The lone Heisman winner from Oregon, Marcus Mariota , is arguably in the conversation as one the best players that this generation of college football has ever seen.
Others, such as Joey Harrington and Dennis Dixon , may not have had the accolades but endeared themselves to Duck fans. Justin Herbert and Dan Fouts excelled at Oregon and went on — and are continuing to, in Herbert's case — to have great careers in the NFL. Just in the past two seasons, Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel provided high level play at the position and are now starting for their respective teams on Sundays.
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But current starter Dante Moore did something on Friday night that no other Ducks quarterback has ever done.
In Oregon's 42-13 beatdown of the Minnesota Golden Gophers , Moore completed 27 of 30 passes for 306 yards and two touchdowns. His completion percentage of 90% (min. 20 pass attempts) set a program record, surpassing the previous record held by Mariota.
Tight end Kenyon Sadiq , who had a career night himself with eight catches for 96 yards and a touchdown, offered his take on Moore's record-breaking performance.
"It's just incredible, what he does and what he continues to do," he said. "It proves what kind of player he is, what person he is. He's a fun guy to be around and the energy he brings to the offense and just the rhythm he gives us is huge."
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Linebacker Teitum Tuioti , who had a firsthand look at his quarterback's excellent play while resting between defensive series', praised Moore.
"I mean, that's what Dante does ever since I met him," he said. "He brings a lot of energy to this team, and we (the defense) look up to the offense and him a lot."
But it wasn't all about Moore; countless times, his receivers made tremendous catches in traffic to help secure the program record.
"I think it was great," head coach Dan Lanning said. "A great performance by Dante, but I think he'd be the first one to tell you, some unbelievable catches, some great protection. Really efficient today on offense."
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Lanning was spot on, as the first thing out of Moore's mouth at the postgame press conference was recognizing the efforts of others around him.
"I just got to give a shoutout to the other ten players with me on the field," Moore said. "With them making spectacular catches, the front five, giving me time in the pocket. The running backs, opening up the run game. So, overall, I couldn't do it without them. It feels great to have that. Without my teammates, I wouldn't have gotten it done."
To make his performance even more impressive, the Ducks were playing without starting wide receivers Dakorien Moore and Gary Bryant Jr. The former leads the team in receiving yards and entered the Minnesota game leading in catches (before being passed by Sadiq) while the latter is third in catches and fourth in yards. In other words, the Ducks' quarterback was going to be without two of his most trusted weapons.
Yet it didn't seem to phase him in the slightest. While Sadiq had eight receptions, Moore spread the ball around plenty.
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Backup tight end Jamari Johnson , a week after leading team in catches (four) and yards (36) against Iowa , caught four passes for 57 yards. Malik Benson made a phenomenal adjustment on a deep, 38-yard pass on Oregon's first drive, getting a foot down at the last second before his momentum took him out of bounds. He finished with two catches for 51 yards.
But it was redshirt freshman Jeremiah McClellan who made the highlight catch of the night.
With his receiver streaking into the end zone, Moore threw a back-shoulder pass, pulling McClellan away from his defender and towards the sideline. Improbably, McClellan caught the pass and, while falling out of bounds, managed to get a sliver of his left toe down in bounds. An absurd touchdown catch and one that preserved Moore's completion percentage record.
"I'm just excited for him," McClellan said, speaking on Moore. "I'm really proud of him, just all the work he's put in."
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But it wasn't just his receivers, as Moore mentioned. The offensive line, aside from allowing just one sack, had themselves a night as a unit. They opened holes for the running backs, as the Ducks finished with 179 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. They often held strong in pass protection, allowing for longer developing route concepts.
But in the end, the program record couldn't have occurred without Moore's repeated accurate passes and sound decision-making.
In recent weeks, it hadn't always been like this due to various reasons — with weather as a main component.
In the Ducks' two previous games, coming against Wisconsin and Iowa , Moore — albeit while missing a majority of the second half against the Badgers with a broken nose — managed just 197 yards and an interception. Though he completed 22 of 36 passes, it was on just 5.5 yards per attempts.
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In both contests, rain was a huge factor. The football and turf were soaked, making it extremely difficult for Moore to grip the ball and for receivers to run precise routes. As a result, the run game became the driving force of the offense.
But in clear weather on Friday, Moore was the catalyst.
"Great performance by our QB," Lanning said. "Been impressed with him all year. Glad we had great weather so that he could have the opportunity to throw it and take advantage."
Take advantage, he certainly did.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Dan Lanning, teammates praise Dante Moore after record-breaking game
