Oregon Football: Is Moore the Best in the Country?

My favorite part of this question about our Oregon football program? You’re probably asking, “Which one?”

While the header image might be a giveaway, I’m going to pick the quarterback that I was DREADFULLY wrong about this offseason: Dante Moore. I had reservations in the spring about whether Dante could get it done as a first-year starter with Oregon, even with Dan Lanning & Will Stein at the helm. 9/27 changed that. I pulled Mr. FishDuck away from his study of this week’s college football odds and his obsession with NCAAF latest news to confirm his thoughts about Oregon’s new star quarterback. After his week five performance, I think Moore is firmly in the driver’s seat as the best quarterback in college football.

But it wasn’t just Dante on Saturday. Two Moores have made the MOST of their opportunities this season for the Ducks, and they were both at their best this weekend when they travelled cross-country to State College. Dante Moore and Dakorien Moore led the Oregon offense to a MASSIVE victory in a 2OT thriller against the Nittany Lions, 30-24, that completely changed the landscape of the AP rankings (which are always terrible, anyway). 

For the rest of college football fans, this was just another fun-to-watch matchup from the most loaded weekend of the year so far. For Oregon fans, this moved the Ducks all the way up to No. 2 in the country because of Dante, Dan, and Dakorien.

Nick Singleton had NOWHERE to go vs. Oregon—via FishDuck Football Pictures

Now, don’t get me wrong: there were bright spots EVERYWHERE. The run defense stepped up, the entire team looked unfazed by The Whiteout, and our freshman tandem of running backs is only looking better and better. Penn State had less than half the rushing yards they had against the Ducks in the B1G Championship game last year, which was a huge coaching point this past week (highlighted in Ducks vs Them). That just further emphasizes how unbelievable Dante, Dan, and Dakorien were.

Since the transfer portal/NIL have become major factors in college football, every team can benefit when these assets are used effectively. Middling programs can snatch away top-tier talent they never could in the past, and the game is becoming far, far more even. As blue-bloods and struggling programs have evolved, I’ve noticed that some quarterbacks can completely redefine their on-field personalities (intentionally or unintentionally) around their respective head coaches. Take a look at Drew Allar and James Franklin.

Both Franklin and Allar look the part to me, but what I get from them in practice is “good enough” personified. Saying all the right things, calling satisfactory plays/executing them at a conservative level, and winning enough games to get a pat on the back. There’s no killer instinct that’ll win them a championship. What I see from Dan and Dante is something much different: PSYCHOPATHS.

Dante shares an emotional moment with his coaching staff after a close win at State College—via FishDuck Football Pictures

Dante looked like he was at practice this weekend. I didn’t see his face flush once, he never got on teammates for false starts or self-inflicted wounds, and most importantly: HE WON. Cool, calm, and cold-blooded as it gets. You could have convinced me he didn’t have a pulse when that hostile crowd was at its loudest. As soon as the game finished, that completely flipped. He showed emotion, he almost collapsed with his coaches, and he was so excited about what this win meant for his school. It was clear to me immediately that Lanning’s emotional, passionate personality has infused into an unrecognizable 2025 Dante Moore. A pulseless, fierce competitor who loves every single one of his teammates wholeheartedly. Dan might as well have been levitating; he was so proud of his guys after the game, particularly Dante. Entering week six, Lanning is approaching 20 consecutive regular-season wins since joining the B1G Conference, and I love how the rest of the season ahead looks with this powerful coach-quarterback combination.

The worst news for Oregon fans? Dante has clearly emerged as a top-two quarterback in this 2026 NFL Draft cycle. Even if he doesn’t win the Heisman Trophy (which he’s the favorite for now, by the way), I have a hard time seeing Dante coming back for another year. So let’s enjoy him while he’s here and see how far Stein can propel him this season. Unless there’s unfinished business entering 2026, this might be all we get of Moore-2-Moore on the outside.

I hesitate to even reaffirm what I said earlier about Dante and Dakorien being at their best. Were they really? Is this their ceiling? I don’t think it is. I think they have another gear together and have become a perfect complement of talent and demeanor that Oregon needed for Stein & Lanning to take this program to title contention. In what was supposed to be a rebuilding season, it has been anything but.

As fun as each week has been, let’s enjoy the bye week before we look ahead to Indiana for what should be another instant classic in Autzen. Do you think Dante is the best quarterback in the country? Do you think he’s the best Moore on the team? How do you see Stein extracting even more out of our cold-blooded quarterback in the weeks ahead? Let us know in the FishDuck Forum with decorum.

GO DUCKS!

Alex Heining
Los Angeles, California
Top Photo By: FishDuck Football Pictures

Alex Heining

Alex Heining is an Oregon alumni from the graduate class of 2021. After studying sports business and media studies, he has moved into the field of digital marketing as a copywriter and content manager in the Los Angeles area. Still, he loves his Ducks and goes to local high school games all over the Los Angeles and Orange County area to check out new recruits of the future (and a SoFi game or two with the pros). On any given Saturday, expect to find him doing martial arts, playing the guitar, or screaming at the tv over a missed holding penalty.