Oklahoma State is getting ready for a heavyweight test on Saturday, and Eric Morris made it clear on Tuesday that Oregon’s roster has his full attention.
The Ducks arrive in Stillwater at 1-0 after slipping past Boise State in their opener, and they’re trying to keep Oklahoma State from extending a home-opening streak that has reached 30 straight wins, the longest run in the country. Oregon, meanwhile, has been in two straight College Football Playoffs and is chasing something it has not yet finished in the CFP era: a national championship.
Morris highlighted four Ducks he believes will shape the matchup, starting with the obvious name at quarterback. He didn’t hide his admiration for Heisman Trophy candidate Dante Moore.
“He has a really smooth stroke,” Morris said. “I mean the ball gets out fast.
He has a quick release, he’s accurate, he’s athletic. I think he’s the full package and somebody that I think is going to play football for a really long time.”
Moore backed up that praise in the opener, throwing for 378 yards and three touchdowns against Boise State. Last season, he finished with 3,565 passing yards, 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while completing 71.8% of his throws. He also added 156 rushing yards and two scores, the best running output of his career.
On the defensive side, Morris pointed to Oregon’s front four and specifically mentioned Uiagalelei, who also passed on the NFL and came back for another run at a CFP title. Uiagalelei had six sacks last season after posting 10.5 the year before, giving him 18.5 for his career. He also had a sack in Oregon’s 23-0 CFP quarterfinal win over Texas Tech.
“... [he’s] long and aggressive and gets to the passer, sets the edge in the run game,” Morris said.
Inside, Morris singled out 6-3, 325-pound Washington as the anchor that helps make Oregon so tough against the run. Washington earned all-third team Big Ten honors last season after recording career highs with 33 total tackles, including 15 solo stops, along with 4.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and eight pass breakups. Morris said Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker will have to account for Washington inside, and that center Tyler Mercer will be a key part of the Cowboys’ protection plan.
The fourth player Morris brought up was Perich, the transfer safety who was an all-Big Ten second team pick at Minnesota a year ago. Perich fits the mold of a run-support safety and turned in a productive 2025 season with 82 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, two pass breakups, one forced fumble and an interception he returned for a touchdown. He was busy again in Oregon’s opener, piling up 11 tackles against Boise State.
Morris didn’t name any other Oregon players, but he did come away impressed with the defense as a whole.
“We don't have a huge sample size yet from this year, but obviously they're fast, they react, they tackle well, they create a bunch of issues,” Morris said. “For us to stay in front of the change and not … getting in a lot of third and longs will be something key for us.”
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