The last time Dante Moore faced Oregon State as a true freshman in 2023, he threw three interceptions on 14-33 passing for 165 yards and a touchdown, sacked five times. The Beavers won 36-24, and it took a fourth-quarter run by Carson Steele to make the score respectable.
Moore threw an interception returned for a 67-yard touchdown just before the half that gave OSU a two-touchdown lead, a back-breaking mistake that swung the momentum.
.@oregonfootball https://t.co/Mq4bl4XHwI
— The Digital DAM 🦫 (@notdigitaldam) July 17, 2025
It's a big leap by Beaver fans to presume Dante Moore will be late on his throws and make the same errors he made at 18 years old. Moore is older. He has a better offensive line and receivers, a stronger running game.
At practice this spring Moore said, “Coach Lanning always tells me pressure is a privilege. I just feel like I'm blessed to be here, blessed to be where I'm at overall."
"Just in general, I'm not really thinking about down the line in the season. I'm thinking about every day, just how I'm getting better at practice, how I'm helping the team around me get better overall. I say, you know, it's always good to think ahead, but right now, I'm just living in the moment.”
Besides that, the Ducks don't need to rely on Moore to win games, particularly against Oregon State in Autzen Stadium. When the teams met last September in Corvallis, Oregon won 49-14 while rushing for 240 yards and limiting OSU to 309 yards of offense. Moore came off the bench in fourth quarter and completed 3-3.
He's spoke often over the offseason about how he has grown and matured as a quarterback. In mop-up duty last season he was 7-8 passing for 49 yards without once putting a ball in harm's way. He threw a pick at the end of the game in the spring game, but that was a "Hail Mary" situation with time running out.
In 2024, the Beavers were dead last in college football in sacks with just 7 for the entire season, 101st in scoring defense at 29.9 points per game. They've had three winning seasons in the last 11, 5-7 last season despite playing a dumbed-down schedule with only three Power 4 opponents. They lost to Cal 44-7, beat Purdue 38-21.
Oregon is five touchdowns better than Purdue. Throwing shade at Moore, two years older and two years better, is not the way.