Moore returns to Ducks practice; status TBD vs UCLA — SkimNews
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- Dante Moore returned to Oregon practice wearing a helmet and shoulder pads and was throwing a football, coach Dan Lanning said Monday, two weeks after sustaining a concussion against USC on Sept. 26.
- Dan Lanning declined to elaborate on Moore's practice activity or whether the quarterback would be available for No. 13 Oregon's game at No. 21 UCLA on Saturday, citing the player's long-term health.
- Lanning previously said on "The Pat McAfee Show" that the situation requires them to "protect a player from himself," and pointed to the conference's first mandatory injury report, plus Wednesday's lead-up to Saturday, as where Moore's status would be clarified.
- Dylan Raiola, the former Nebraska quarterback who took over for Moore against USC, threw for 289 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Ducks past the Trojans and would make his first official Oregon start if Moore can't go.
- Moore's MRI and CT scans came back clean with no additional injuries, per a Lanning statement last week, after he was hit late by USC linebacker Desman Stephens II following a scramble and taken by ambulance to Los Angeles General Medical Center.
- Moore, widely projected as a top pick in the 2026 NFL draft before returning to Oregon for his senior year, has 926 passing yards and nine touchdowns in four games this season and entered the year as a preseason Heisman Trophy contender.
Why it matters: No. 13 Oregon's trajectory now hinges on a concussion protocol timeline and the Big Ten's new mandatory injury report — the first of its kind — which will publicly arbitrate Moore's availability for a ranked matchup with UCLA. Raiola has already proven he can win a marquee game (289 yards, 2 TDs vs. USC), giving Oregon a viable Plan B but also raising the stakes on rushing Moore back given his projected top-pick NFL draft status.
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