What Nick Saban, Desmond Howard Said About Oregon on ESPN College GameDay

Desmond Howard Praises Dante Moore, Ducks Defense

"I will have to go with the Oregon Ducks. I think their quarterback, Dante Moore's playing a very high level right now completing 78 percent of his passes, seven touchdown passes, and only one interception," said Howard. "He's spreading the ball around. He's playing very efficiently. Now I think their defense is one of the best defenses, too, in the conference."

Through three games, Moore's quarterback rating is 197.3. As Howard notes, Moore seems to be in control of Oregon's offense, throwing his first interception in week 3 against Northwestern. Heading into week 4, the Ducks are favored by 34.5 points over Oregon State, per FanDuel Sportsbook.

In week 5 will be Oregon's biggest test yet, a road game against No. 2 Penn State, and Howard couldn't help but look ahead on the Ducks schedule.

"Now, obviously they're gonna have to play Penn State next week. Penn State is gonna be coming off a bye, that's gonna be a big matchup. But shout out to Oregon, shout out the Phil Knight, they're gonna honor him today, too," Howard continued.

GameDay had one of Oregon's Shoe Duck uniforms and showed the country how the Ducks are honoring Nike co-founder Phil Knight. Might the popular show be at Oregon's next game against Penn State?

What Nick Saban Said About Oregon, Texas A&M

Legendary college football coach Nick Saban joined the conversation, noting Oregon coach Dan Lanning and the Ducks' ability to field a talented roster after setting the program record with 10 picks in the 2025 NFL Draft.

"Well, you know, Oregon's done a great job of retooling. They lost a lot of players from last year, but, you know, the team that I'm really impressed with is Texas A&M," Saban said.

Saban was more intrigued by No. 10 Texas A&M and quarterback Marcel Reed after the Aggies defeated Notre Dame on the road. Unlike Oregon, Texas A&M has been tested early in the season, and the Aggies overcame adversity to remain undefeated.

"You know, Marcel Reed has done a fantastic job. I mean, to go to Notre Dame, having played them for years and years and years being at Michigan State, big rivalry game, that's a hard place to win. And to go in there and have the mental toughness to be able to sustain, come back in the game, and win the game. It speaks a lot about the the character, competitive character of this team. and if Marcel Reed stays healthy, they're gonna be hard to beat," Saban continued.

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