Another unexpected blessing from the loss to Indiana

Mike Ostrom at Fish Duck does a great job of reviewing the history. In the Dan Lanning era when the Ducks have lost, the team typically responds with a surge of focused play and big wins.

In 2023 they lost to Washington by a field goal, then rattled off six straight wins, none closer than 10 points. The year before they got blown out by Georgia in the opener, then followed that with eight straight wins, scoring 40 points or more in every one of them.

No one likes to lose, but sometimes losing clarifies the mission. Oregon came out of the Indiana game with a specific list of things to work on, a determination to clean up pass protection and get their execution back on track, and there's every reason to expect a clean, focused, explosive effort at Rutgers on Saturday, 3:30 p.m. PT on the Big Ten Network.

Another benefit of the painful defeat (Indiana held the Ducks to their lowest yardage total in four seasons, and limited the offense to a single touchdown and two field goals) is that it also serves to clarify the decision for Dante Moore.

Moore is getting a lot of draft buzz. In fact, Mel Kiper Jr. has the rifle-armed passer from Detroit, Michigan as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft. That's mind-boggling. It's uncertain what Kiper was doing last Saturday afternoon, probably cleaning his garage. He definitely wasn't watching the Indiana game, seeing the Hoosiers confuse Moore into his worst passing performance since his UCLA daze.

Moore's good and has a bright future, but his struggles in Autzen against the IU defense (two interceptions, sacked six times) ought to convince him that he needs another year of seasoning in college football before leaving for the pros.

Duck fans are higher on their 6-3, 206 QB than pro scouts and draft board simulators are, but film don't lie. Mastering checks and protections, reading the defense and exploiting the blitz are what separates a pro success like Bo Nix and Justin Herbert from an NFL flop like JaMarcus Russell or Anthony Richardson.

There are parts of the job that only experience can teach. Moore has 11 starts at the FBS level. Nix left Oregon with 62.

Another year running the Quack Attack can only benefit Dante, and it'd be huge for the program and their 2026 title hopes. Under NCAA rules, the Ducks can pay for the insurance.

Moore's ultimate goal should not be merely to be a high draft pick, but to a huge success in the league. He's already shown a lot of maturity and a sound support system by choosing to reset his career with a year apprenticeship rather than jumping to a team that promised him an immediate chance to start after transferring from UCLA.