Dante Moore threw for 305 yards and a career-high four touchdowns, and No. 6 Oregon rolled to a 41-7 victory over former Pac-12 foe Oregon State on Saturday before the rivalry goes on a break next season.
Moore was 21-of-31 passing and spread his scoring strikes to four different receivers for the Ducks (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten), who had 585 yards in total offense.
For Moore, it was a bit of revenge. In 2023, he started for UCLA as a true freshman, and the Bruins fell 36-24 to Oregon State in Corvallis.
Moore threw three interceptions. After the season, he transferred to Oregon.
“Personally, it was me remembering my 18-year-old self when I played at Oregon State, I was mentally depressed the way things were going,” said Moore after Saturday’s game.
“Everybody knows the struggles I was having, and I kind of just used that as fuel to make sure I never get that feeling again.
Oregon State RB Anthony Hankerson ran for 38 yards on 14 carries and the lone touchdown for the 0-4 Beavers.
The rivalry between the two Oregon schools, called the Civil War, started in 1894, but next year the annual meeting will go on hiatus because of scheduling issues.
It is likely to resume in 2027.
Before conference realignment collapsed the Pac-12, the rivalry was the final game of the regular season, and it often had bowl implications.
Last year, Oregon played its first season in the Big Ten, winning the conference’s championship game.
Oregon State and Washington State, the lone hold-overs left in the Pac-12, have spearheaded the league’s revival.
Next season ( 2026 ), they’ll be joined by new members Texas State, Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Utah State.
Gonzaga joins as a non-football member.
Oregon freshman WR Dakorien Moore scored on the Ducks’ first drive of the game with a 22-yard touchdown reception.
For a winless team, the Beavers were surprisingly resilient early and tied the game at 7 on Hankerson’s 1-yard touchdown run late in the first quarter.
Oregon went back in front on Moore’s 23-yard scoring pass to TE Kenyon Sadiq and RB Jordan Davison added a 3-yard TD dash to make it 21-7 at halftime.
After the break, Moore found receiver Jeremiah McClellan with a 13-yard touchdown, and PK Atticus Sappington kicked a 24-yard field goal.
Duck receiver Gary Bryant Jr. caught a 49-yard touchdown from Moore, and Sappington added a 28-yarder to seal it in the fourth.
“It’s a tale of two halves, and this is how good we’re capable of being in that first half,” Oregon State coach Trent Bray said.
“We need to be that for four quarters.”
IN THE POLLS
Through four games, the Ducks have a good idea where they stand as they head into arguably the season’s biggest game at No. 2 Penn State, whether the polls indicate that or not.
“Down the road, there’s going to be many things that don’t go our way, and I feel that overall, we’ve been facing adversity pretty well when it’s happened,” Moore said.
“We’re just having fun with the game of football.”
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
UP NEXT
Oregon travels east next Saturday to play Penn State at 7:30 PM EST / 4:30 PST. The game will be broadcast nationally on NBC.