No. 5 Oregon's Orange Bowl shutout of No. 4 Texas Tech shouldn't overshadow QB Dante Moore's poor play

Thursday's Capital One Orange Bowl was never in doubt from the opening kick as the No. 5 Oregon Ducks cruised to a 23-0 shutout over No. 4 Texas Tech.

While the Oregon defense was simply sensational with four turnovers, its offense left a lot to be desired. The Ducks were 4-of-19 on third down and had 15 first downs the entire game. Fortunately for them, quarterback Behren Morton (18-of-32 for 137 yards and two interceptions) and the Red Raiders offense were even worse, paving the way for a comfortable College Football Playoff quarterfinal win.

Oregon QB Dante Moore was not bad at all, going 26-of-33 for 234 yards and one interception. However, it was not his best performance, and it followed another subpar showing in the first-round win over 12th-seeded James Madison when he accounted for two interceptions.

Oregon needs better play from Dante Moore to win title

With the nation's eighth-best offense (37.5 PPG), the fact that the Ducks were held out of the end zone until the third quarter was surprising, even against a stout Texas Tech defense that ranks second in the country (11.3 PPG). 

Following that first TD of the game — a six-yard rush from running back Jordon Davison, the Oregon defense forced a turnover on downs after Texas Tech's longest drive of the entire game, only for Moore to throw an interception after the Ducks had crossed midfield.

The Ducks had three turnovers on downs themselves, two of which were at the expense of Moore, who was stopped short on a rush attempt and threw an incompletion on a 4th-and-goal.

To be fair, Oregon did not need a heroic performance from Moore. According to OptaStats, the Ducks became the second FBS defense this century (South Florida, 2023 Boca Raton Bowl) to allow zero points and have multiple interceptions and fumble recoveries in a bowl/CFP game.