Dante Moore has spent part of his offseason studying the man who helped cut down Oregon last winter.
With the Ducks still carrying the sting of that 56-22 loss to Indiana in the CFP Semifinal at the Peach Bowl, Moore said he went back to the tape of Fernando Mendoza, the former Hoosiers star who went on to win the national title. It was a deliberate move from a quarterback trying to sharpen his own game as Oregon chases its first national championship in program history.
“Yeah, I watched a lot of Fernando tape. Fernando Mendoza.
He’s a ball player. He’s someone I respect.
You know, I’ve been playing him since I was a freshman at UCLA. Played each other at Cal.
I learned a lot from him.”
Moore said the biggest takeaways came from the way Mendoza handled the position.
“The way he’s just so good, anticipating throws, confidence with throwing RPOs. So I just learned a lot from just watching tape.
And then at the end of the day, we just learned a lot of the team, just knowing that, you know, things we can’t do in that certain game. Of course, a lot of things I did were all in jeopardy.
So just making sure that’s learned from that. But yeah, quarterbacks watch quarterbacks; watch them, you know, make their plays.
Just learn from it,” Moore said.
That Peach Bowl loss started in brutal fashion for Oregon, with Moore throwing a pick-six to former Indiana cornerback D’Angelo Ponds on the opening snap. He finished with 285 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception, but the turnovers piled up from there. Moore had three total giveaways, including two lost fumbles.
Those mistakes and the growth that followed helped shape his decision to bypass the 2026 NFL Draft and return to Eugene. Moore was already viewed as a top prospect, but he chose to come back anyway, with a sharper focus on limiting turnovers and leading the Ducks.
Even if he questioned that choice at times, the offseason work has left him energized.
"There were some days where I thought about that, like about 'Was it the right decision?' But it's been months now, and we put in so much work this offseason and making sure we get our bodies right and preparing for the season," said Moore. "So I'm excited."
Last season, in his first full year as Oregon’s starter after serving behind Dillon Gabriel in 2024, Moore put together a strong campaign. He threw for 3,565 yards, 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, finishing third in the Big Ten in passing behind USC’s Jayden Maiava, who had 3,711 yards, and Ohio State’s Julian Sayin, who had 3,610.
Now Moore will see both of those quarterbacks on the road next season, and those matchups loom as the two biggest games on Oregon’s regular-season schedule.
The Ducks open their season Sept. 5 at Autzen Stadium against Boise State. Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m. PT, and the game will air on CBS.
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