Oregon left Columbus with a statement win, and Dakorien Moore made sure the moment came with a little extra sting for Ohio State’s crowd.
The Ducks knocked off the No. 12 Buckeyes 41-28 on Saturday, a result that pushed Oregon to 6-3 and kept its Big Ten title and College Football Playoff hopes alive.
With three regular-season games left - against Michigan on Nov. 14, Michigan State on Nov. 20 and Washington on Nov. 28 - the path is still there for Oregon, even with three losses on the ledger.
Moore was right in the middle of the upset. The sophomore wideout led Oregon with seven catches for 56 yards and a touchdown, and his one-handed grab stood out as one of the biggest plays in a second-half surge that buried Ohio State.
Afterward, Moore didn’t shy away from talking about the scene in the stadium as the Ducks pulled away.
“If I’m being honest, the only thing I was doing is going out there playing for the man next to me. I wasn’t even worried about the fans and everything, but as you can see, it started out 103,000 and ended with less than half of that,” Moore said. “Just going out there executing, we knew the stands were gonna look like that every time.”
For Oregon’s receiver group, Moore has become a steady answer in a season that has already taken hits with injuries to Evan Stewart and Jeremiah McClellan. His production has also helped Dylan Raiola settle in as the Ducks’ new starting quarterback.
Nine games into the season, Moore leads Oregon with 41 receptions for 545 yards and six touchdowns. His performance against Ohio State moved him past his season totals from last year and doubled his touchdown total from 2025.
Raiola, meanwhile, looked far more comfortable than he did in his starting debut on Oct. 10 against the No. 8 UCLA Bruins. Against Ohio State, he completed 25 of 40 passes for 257 yards and two touchdowns, a sign of how much more settled the offense has become.
That turnaround has been especially noticeable since Oregon fired former offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer. After the 21-10 loss to Illinois on Oct. 24, plenty of Ducks fans had already written off the CFP chase. Saturday changed that mood in a hurry.
Now Oregon’s postseason route looks much clearer. The Ducks may still need some help to reach the 12-team CFP field, but if they win out, they’ll have a strong case. They’re also chasing their third straight CFP appearance.
Next comes Michigan, which will visit Autzen Stadium for Oregon’s second-to-last home game. Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m. PT on FS1.
It will be the first meeting between Oregon and Michigan since Nov. 2, 2024, in Ann Arbor, when the then No. 1 Ducks, led by former quarterback Dillon Gabriel, beat the Wolverines 38-17 on the way to a Big Ten championship in their first season in the conference.
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Jeremiah Smiths Frustration Just Raised A Bigger Ohio State Concern
Jeremiah Smiths frustration during Ohio States loss to Oregon was hard to miss, and it came in a game that already carried major weight for the Buckeyes playoff hopes. Even in defeat, Smith was one of the few bright spots, finishing with seven catches for 133 yards and a touchdown, but the bigger takeaway was how visibly the moment seemed to wear on one of the teams most important playmakers.
For Ohio State, the concern goes beyond one heated sideline reaction. Smiths production showed why he matters so much to the offense, but an analysts speculation that he might not play again this season only adds another layer of uncertainty around a team trying to steady itself after the 41-28 loss. For now, it leaves the Buckeyes with more questions than answers about how they move forward. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio States Big Ten Path Just Got A Lot More Complicated
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For the Buckeyes, the margin for error has shrunk to the point where every conference result matters, even games they are not playing in. Day also said quarterback Julian Sayin is still recovering from elbow surgery and will not be back soon, leaving Ohio State to keep sorting through its own health questions while the bigger picture in the Big Ten keeps shifting around it. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio States Defensive Grades Expose Who Actually Showed Up Vs Oregon
Ohio States defense had a long afternoon against Oregon, and the film and grading only sharpened the picture from the 41-28 loss. Still, there were a few Buckeyes who at least held up their end, and Eddrick Houston stood out among them with five tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and two pressures while earning a Pro Football Focus grade of 75.4.
The rest of the defensive grades paint a more uneven story, with snap counts and performance varying widely across the unit as Ohio State tried to keep pace. For a defense that needed steadier play in a marquee matchup, the numbers make clear which players were active and which ones were left searching for answers. [Read more 🡒]