Why Oregon Ducks Officially Named Dante Moore Starting Quarterback vs. Montana State

As expected, Moore has won the starting job for Week 1, per reports from Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports. Whether it was Moore or Novosad, both players were going to have to fill some big shoes after the departure of veteran Dillon Gabriel to the NFL.

However, Moore likely beat out Novosad due to the experience edge he has. Sure, he's not the kind of veteran that Gabriel or Bo Nix were upon their arrivals to Eugene, but if Oregon wants to meet its championship expectations, having a guy who has seen the bright lights before is the better and more realistic option.

Moore served as Gabriel's backup last season, finishing 2024 with limited action. He went 7 of 8 passing for 49 yards and no touchdowns to go along with one carry for six yards, making appearances against Oregon State, Michigan State, Washington and at the Rose Bowl against Ohio State.

Moore transferred to Oregon from the UCLA Bruins last offseason after playing under head coach Chip Kelly. During the 2023 season in L.A., Moore went 114 of 213 passing for 1,610 yards, 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Concerns Surrounding Dante Moore?

During a recent episode of SportsCenter, ESPN college football analyst Tom Luginbill said that he has some concerns about Moore entering his first full season as a starter in Eugene.

"I think it's Dante Moore, and a lot of this has to do with the fact that 12 years of quarterback play combined between Dillon Gabriel and Bo Nix, that's what Oregon was playing with," Luginbill said. "They go from that to losing four starters in the offensive line. You lose Evan Stewart, maybe the primary playmaker is going to be a true freshman Dakorien Moore. You bring in Makhi Hughes over from Tulane from the transfer portal for the run game."

"But listen, this is a young, inexperienced player with some more inexperience around him, and what we saw was such premier quarterback play out of the older upperclassmen with Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel," Luginbill continued. "I'm not saying that Dante Moore is not going to be the next great thing in Eugene, but he lacks the experience to just be a plug-and-play guy like they have had with each of their last two single callers. Uber talented, but let's see how he unfolds and how many potholes in the road we see."

The Ducks and Bobcats will kick off from Autzen Stadium on Saturday at 1 p.m. PT.