STILLWATER - Oklahoma State doesn’t need a reminder that Dante Moore can carve up a defense. The Cowboys already lived through that last season, when the Oregon quarterback helped power a 69-3 blowout.
Now Moore is back in Stillwater with the No. 6 Ducks, and OSU’s path to Saturday hinges on one simple task: make life uncomfortable for a quarterback who has already shown he can punish mistakes.
Moore’s performance against the Cowboys was the kind that sticks. On Oregon’s second offensive series, he took a shotgun snap, turned away in retreat and rolled left before uncorking a 45-yard strike to Dakorien Moore, who caught it in stride and sprinted past Cowboy corner Kale Smith for a touchdown. Moore finished that game 16 of 21 for 266 yards with touchdown passes of 65, 42 and 11 yards, and he never had to play in the fourth quarter.
That’s the version of Oregon OSU is facing again at 11 a.m. Saturday on ESPN - an offense that averaged 36.9 points per game last season and can light it up in a hurry. The Cowboys are 22.5-point underdogs, and their defense has to find a way to slow the Ducks’ passing game if they want any shot at pulling an upset.
Safety Christian Bodnar said the challenge starts with Moore’s arm and his decision-making.
“Moore’s got a big arm, so I mean he can launch that thing,” OSU safety Christian Bodnar said. “So that's the No. 1 thing.
And I said he makes quick and smart decisions with the football. So that is going to be one thing to see for sure.
But we're going to get the ball off him.”
That kind of pressure is exactly what OSU didn’t generate in its loss at Tulsa. The Cowboys failed to sack Baylor Hayes, and defensive tackle Iman Oates produced the team’s only official quarterback hurry.
For Oklahoma State, getting Moore off his spot is the first real line of defense. Cowboy offensive coordinator? No - defensive coordinator Skyler Cassity will have to keep the Oregon quarterback guessing, and OSU co-defensive coordinator Todd Morris said the Cowboys can’t let Moore settle in and read the same look over and over.
“So being able to get (Moore) off of his spot at some point and that’s easier said than done,” Morris said. “They’re pretty good up front and have a good running game and a balanced attack.”
Morris also said Cassity will need to “mix up the picture” against Moore, who ESPN, CBS Sports and Bleacher Report project as a top five pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. Morris, who has coached Patrick Mahomes and No. 1 overall 2025 NFL Draft pick Cam Ward, knows what happens when an elite quarterback gets a clean, predictable read.
“Any good quarterback, if you keep the picture the same they’re going to go through and pick you apart a little bit,” Morris said.
The problem for OSU doesn’t stop with Moore. Oregon’s receivers were explosive in the season opener against Boise State, when Dakorien Moore, Jeremiah McClellan and Evan Stewart combined for 20 catches, 315 yards and two touchdowns. Each of them had at least one reception of 39 yards or more.
Bodnar said the Ducks’ wideouts have the speed and quickness to stress a defense, but OSU sees similar athletic traits in practice. The answer, he said, is physical play and getting hands on the receivers early.
“We just got to do our jobs and execute the plays we're given,” Bodnar said. “That's all we got to do.
Switch up some looks, so (Moore’s) not used to seeing the same thing over and over again. I think as long as we execute and do our job as a whole, and work as a team, I think we can stop anybody in the country.”
In Other News...
Oklahoma State Draft Hopes Ride On One Massive Oregon Showcase
The spotlight for Oklahoma States trip to Oregon is already bigger than a late-September nonconference game usually gets, and the NFL has made sure of that. More than 20 scouts, including two general managers, have requested credentials for the matchup, a clear sign the visiting locker room and the Ducks sideline both figure to be under a heavy pro-grade microscope with several draftable players on the field.
For the Cowboys, the game offers a chance to put more than just a result on tape. Quarterback Drew Mestemaker has draft potential, while wide receiver Wyatt Young has drawn attention as a possible NFL slot fit, but the standard only rises when the opponent brings prospects like Dante Moore, AMauri Washington and Jamari Johnson into the same conversation. Oklahoma State does not need a perfect afternoon to justify the buzz, but it does need a cleaner one if its own draft hopes are going to keep building. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State May Catch Oregon At The Worst Possible Time
Oregon is already carrying the look of a team with plenty of firepower, and the Ducks may get another piece back just in time for their meeting with Oklahoma State on ESPN. Wide receiver Dakorien Moore has been talking up Iverson Hooks growth and the kind of impact he can have, while Dan Lanning has sounded upbeat about the receivers availability after he sat out the season opener.
For the Cowboys, that timing matters. Oregon is favored going in, and adding another receiver into the mix only makes an already difficult assignment more complicated for an Oklahoma State defense that will have to sort out the Ducks passing game on the road. The matchup was tough enough already, but it looks like the Ducks might be getting healthier at exactly the wrong time for the Cowboys. [Read more 🡒]
Oregons Boise State Win Just Took On A Different Look
Oregons narrow win over Boise State already looked a little less tidy after the rankings settled, and the Ducks FPI slot reflects that. The more immediate concern for Oklahoma State, though, is how the matchup now looks from its own side after a Week 1 loss to Tulsa and a drop in the same metric, leaving the Cowboys trying to steady themselves before a visit from a top-10 opponent in a game that already carried plenty of attention.
Stillwaters challenge got tougher in the meantime, with the Cowboys dealing with a major hit up front after their starting left tackle was lost for the season. Oklahoma State also is still sorting through a roster with several new faces, including quarterback Drew Mestemaker, who arrived from North Texas with Eric Morris, and those moving parts will matter even more as the Cowboys try to reset quickly for Week 2. [Read more 🡒]