Two years ago, Dante Moore was a turnover machine. The former five-star quarterback was thrust into a starting job at UCLA that he was not ready for, ultimately spurring his transfer to Oregon.
Now, Moore is one of the best quarterback development stories in college football. The sophomore from Detroit has established himself as the face of the Oregon offense and one of the breakout stars of the sport.
During a 4-0 start, Moore has been one of America’s most efficient passers. His 74.7% completion percentage and 195.9 passing efficiency rank top-five in college football. Moore has thrown for 962 yards, 11 touchdowns and only one interception on 10.1 yards per attempt.
Behind Moore, Oregon’s offense has risen to No. 12 nationally (523.8 yards per game) and No. 7 with 8.09 yards per play. The numbers shatter the Ducks’ marks from last season through four games (454 yards, 6.5 yards per play), despite losing Heisman finalist Dillon Gabriel to the NFL.
Against No. 3 Penn State on Saturday, Moore will introduce himself to the nation and have a shot to enter the Heisman Trophy race, just like Dillon Gabriel and Bo Nix before him.
College Football QB Power Rankings: Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, Oregon’s Dante Moore lead surging Big Ten crop
David Cobb
Playing point guard
Oregon turned over a great deal of its roster after the 2024 season. Top receivers Tez Johnson and Traeshon Holden both went to the NFL. Top returner Evan Stewart — a projected All-American — was frustratingly lost for the 2025 season due to an injury, leaving the receiver position a question mark.
However, Moore has quelled those concerns with his almost perfect decision making. Moore has approached the game like a point guard, standing at the top of the key, surveying the options and always taking whatever the defense gives him.
Moore has completed eight-plus passes to five different receivers in the first four games, each of whom have cleared 100 yards through four games. Thanks to his even distribution, three different players have led the team in receiving yards through the first four games. Oregon’s top receiver, freshman Dakorien Moore, has yet to do so, instead hitting at least 49 yards in each of his last three contests.
Oregon’s offense is built around coming in waves, and Moore is the ringleader. The results speak for themselves. Nearly half of his passes (47.4%) have led to either a first down or a touchdown this season. That mark is the best in college football.
Even more intriguing, Moore’s numbers have steadily improved, even as the competition has slowly gotten better. In his last two games, Moore’s average depth of target has risen to over 11 yards per attempt as he gets more comfortable in the offense. Perhaps the most important number: Moore has only thrown one turnover-worthy play, according to PFF, or 0.9% of his attempts. At UCLA, that number was 4.6%.
New challenge
Against No. 3 Penn State on Saturday, his improvement will be put to the test. The Nittany Lions boast one of the best secondaries in the country and are allowing only 123.3 passing yards per game. Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles led Ohio State to a national championship last season, and held the Ducks scoreless through 30 minutes in the Rose Bowl.
Like Oregon, Penn State’s secondary is a unit defined more by depth than stars. Safety Zakee Wheatley is the standout, but all five starters are upperclassmen. Blended with an aggressive defensive line and future NFL stars Zane Durant and Dani Dennis-Sutton up front, the Nittany Lions are a force.
Moore started three games against ranked opponents while at UCLA, to poor results. He completed fewer than 50% of his passes, averaged only 6.2 yards per attempt and threw six interceptions to only three touchdowns. He was sacked 16 times in those games, and several of them were his fault.
More than 22% of Moore’s pressures at UCLA led to sacks. This year, that number is down to only 4%. Avoiding sacks will be key.
Penn State is a tougher defense than any he has faced to this point, but he has the benefit of a more talented supporting cast. The Ducks invested handsomely in the offensive line, acquiring guard Emmanuel Pregnon and tackle Isaiah World to rebuild the left side of the line. Oregon’s receiver room is deep and the running backs have played well.
For the Ducks to pull off one of the biggest wins of the season Moore has to come up big.
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