Oregon QB Dante Moore won't return this season after concussion, Dan Lanning confirms — SkimNews
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- Dante Moore will not play again this season after suffering a concussion in Oregon's Sept. 26 game against USC, when linebacker Desman Stephens II delivered a late hit to the head.
- Dan Lanning said Moore is expected to make a full recovery but cannot take the field now, while anticipating that he will help Oregon's defense in practice as one of the team's best scout-team quarterbacks.
- Dante Moore completed 69.7% of his passes for 926 yards, nine touchdowns and no interceptions before the injury; last season, he recorded 71.8%, 3,565 yards, 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions en route to third-team All-Big Ten honors.
- Oregon has alternated between backups Dylan Raiola and Brock Thomas since Moore's absence, with the offense among the worst in Big Ten play and offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer fired on Sunday.
- Dan Lanning said Oregon's quarterback room has been good off the bench but not consistently strong at the start of games, making early-game consistency his stated priority for Raiola and Thomas.
- Oregon enters Saturday against No. 20 Northwestern at 4-3 overall and 2-2 in Big Ten play.
- NCAA five-year eligibility policy leaves Moore eligible to return in 2027, while he remains projected as a first-round NFL Draft pick and Lanning says he will have the opportunity to be drafted.
Why it matters: Oregon’s offense has fallen to backups Dylan Raiola and Brock Thomas after Moore went down with a 69.7% completion rate, and the fallout has already included Drew Mehringer’s firing. With the 4-3 Ducks facing No. 20 Northwestern on Saturday, Lanning’s immediate standard for the backups is simple: consistently better starts.
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