Back in October of 2006, 4-0 Oregon played 4-1 Cal on national TV from Memorial Stadium in Berkeley. In the first quarter Erin Andrews reported that Nate Longshore, the blonde, handsome Bear quarterback, had left tickets for Britney Spears.
Longshore saw his shot and took it, not that he was on the same plane of celebrity as the pop singer. A college football player with a crush, figuring, why not. The bit got a chuckle from Kirk Herbstreit in the booth.
You had to admire the confidence. On the field, Longshore and the Bears riddled the Oregon defense 45-27. Longshore threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson and Justin Forsett rushed for 163 yards. Britney never picked up her passes.
Twenty years and seven platinum records later, Spears is focusing on recovery and repairing her relationships with her two sons. Longshore beat the No. 23 Ducks again in 2008, went undrafted and set up shop as a quarterback trainer in Southern California.
From Spears fanboy and Duck killer to renown quarterback tutor
Now we get to the Dante Moore part. Promoting his software for training quarterbacks, called "The Quarterback Method," Longshore explains the challenge passers face from sophisticated modern defenses:
"Advanced defenses are no longer giving the quarterback clean static pictures. They are presenting middle-open shells that spin middle-closed, simulated pressures that look like full pressure, safeties dropping late, nickel defenders inserting, and linebackers mugging the line before bailing into coverage. The defense is trying to expand the quarterback’s decision menu after the snap."
It's interesting because the hype around the Ducks assumes a 15-20 percent improvement from Moore as a redshirt junior, something that isn't a given, while tacitly assuming Demond Williams, Jayden Maiava, Josh Hoover, Bryce Underwood and Julian Sayin will remain relatively static.
Hope is a good thing, and no good thing ever dies. But sometimes hope is a mylar balloon deflating, a thing with feathers as insubstantial as sending out a shoutout to one of the biggest stars in the world.
As Oregon's newest star quarterback Moore has personality, charm and prodigious arm talent. He made 30 big-time throws last season, the most in college football according to Pro Football Focus.
He's always been an elite thrower of the football, but to win that elusive national championship he has to make a leap forward in handling pressure and simulated pressure, deciphering disguised coverages and making flawless decisions in three seconds or less.
After throwing 10 interceptions last year, he has to do all that with a new offensive coordinator and a rebuilding offensive line.
Duck fans trust his talent and confidence, but success isn't a given. It's earned.
And how that turns out will be a fascinating real-time story. No word yet on whether Dante is leaving tickets for Sidney Sweeney or Zendaya, but the summertime trip to Japan and an offseason of work and development should move him closer to his goals.
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