Despite a statistical explosion against Boise State, the Ducks’ signal-caller plummeted in national standings. Explore how a narrow team victory overshadowed his elite individual efficiency and precision.
The Ducks entered the contest with the No. 2 ranking and were expected to take care of the Broncos comfortably in Eugene. Boise State had other plans, with quarterback Maddux Madsen throwing for 181 yards and three touchdowns.
Moore had a solid performance, going 28 of 37 passing for 378 yards and three touchdowns against the Broncos.
But his showing on Saturday wasn't enough to keep him at No. 1 in CBS Sports' ranking of college quarterbacks. David Cobb knocked him down to fourth, putting Moore behind Miami's Darian Mensah, LSU's Sam Leavitt, and Ole Miss' Trinidad Chambliss.
"Moore went 6 of 9 on attempts of 15+ air yards in Oregon's nervy 34-27 win over Boise State while distributing the football fairly evenly to the trio of Evan Stewart, Jeremiah McClellan, and Dakorien Moore," Cobb wrote.
"Tight end Jamari Johnson got in on the action, too, as Moore demonstrated how good he can be when he's got a healthy and deep arsenal of pass catchers. That's not something he always had in 2025."
It seems like Moore was knocked down to No. 4 not because of his play, but because the Ducks only beat Boise State by a touchdown.
Moore was critical of Oregon's narrow escape against Boise State, noting that the team has a few issues they need to correct before getting into the heart of their season.
"We've got a lot to learn," Dante Moore said, via ESPN. "Thank God it wasn't a 50-point blowout because this just shows us who we are right now and how we have to attack [the rest of the season]."
Oregon will have an opportunity to get better when they travel to play Oklahoma State on Saturday. The showdown will feature Cowboys quarterback Drew Mestemaker, who had an underwhelming performance in Oklahoma State's loss to Tulsa in Week 1.
Moore will have an opportunity to ascend the rankings with another strong performance against the Cowboys this weekend. He has areas to improve upon, but he did more than enough to give Oregon its first win of the season.
