It was Oregon's first loss at home in 19 games, and one of the worst in recent memory. There haven't been many, so they all sting.
The Ducks scored just one touchdown on offense in their 30-20 loss to Indiana, and 267 yards was their lowest output since the 2021 loss to Utah in the PAC-12 Championship.
On Monday they asked Dan Lanning what happened. What could Dante Moore and the offense have done better? Was it the Indiana defensive scheme, or an issue with his reads?
Lanning said, "Probably a combination of both, but we got off our initial reads a little too quick at times, didn't key through the things we're supposed to key through at times. The routes weren't always run to the right place. So the guy that he's supposed to be throwing the ball to, and he's expecting to be at a certain spot, wasn't where he needed to be."
"It's always easy to say, 'Oh, that's the quarterback or the call,' but the wideouts need to be in a location where they're supposed to be at the moment where he's looking to deliver the ball. So all those things add up. Those are the things we'll sharpen up."
Don’t know why Moore doesn’t just step up here and hit Bryant on the drag for the 1st. World’s anchor is weak here and Kamara pushes him back, but if Dante steps up into the pocket, he’s got Bryant wide open and maybe even Davison on the rail if he’s gutsy. pic.twitter.com/jjRSDEhj5q
— John Evans (@_jpevans_) October 13, 2025
Give Indiana credit also. They're a top team and they had a good plan. The challenge for the Ducks is how quickly they can improve at all levels, quarterback recognition, offensive line play, receiver route discipline and instruction.
The Ducks weren't prepared for what they saw Saturday, and the inexperience of a young quarterback got exposed against a tough, disciplined opponent with a detailed defensive plan.
For Oregon to make the playoffs and finish strong, they've got to improve every week. Dante Moore will get blitzed in every way possible and from all angles, until the Ducks show they can handle it.
As Lanning said, they'll be working on this in practice. It will be interesting to see how much better this part of the offense looks against Rutgers.