Dakorien Moore keeps finding ways to grab the spotlight, and Dallas Cowboys great Dez Bryant is clearly paying attention.
The Oregon sophomore delivered the play of the day in the Ducks’ 34-27 win over Boise State at Autzen Stadium, turning a simple catch into a 62-yard go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. Dante Moore found him in space, and Dakorien Moore handled the rest, planting his foot, forcing two Boise State defenders into each other with a sharp cut and racing down the sideline for the score.
That kind of finish was enough to draw another public nod from Bryant, who reposted the highlight. Moore, a Duncanville High School product from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, responded directly to Bryant.
It wasn’t the first time Bryant has singled him out, either. The former Cowboys receiver has followed Moore since his high school days as a 5-star recruit from Texas, and he praised him again last season after Oregon blasted Oklahoma State, 69-3 in 2025.
Bryant, an Oklahoma State alum, wrote, "I hate it was against my Pokes. Dakorien Moore that was nice!"
Bryant’s connection to Moore carries some weight. After Dallas made him the No. 24 overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, Bryant went on to start 99 of 113 regular-season games for the Cowboys, piling up 531 catches, 7,459 yards and 73 touchdowns while wearing the famous No. 88 jersey.
Moore’s performance against Boise State wasn’t just about the long touchdown. He finished with six catches for 93 yards and continued a run of consistency, extending his streak to at least one reception in all 12 career games he’s played. The injury scare late in the fourth quarter, though, will be the first thing Oregon checks on this week.
After taking a hard hit, Moore asked to leave the game and was helped to the medical tent for further evaluation. The moment raised real concern for one of Oregon’s key offensive pieces, but he later returned to the game and walked off the field under his own power after the win. In a video captured by Oregon Ducks On SI reporter Bri Amaranthus, he was smiling as he left, though a noticeable lump was visible on his upper cheek.
Dante Moore was plenty fired up about the touchdown, and he said the play had actually been "messed that play up" in practice.
“Come game time, I coached him up. He did it the right way, and when we do things the right way, you get rewarded. So he did that, made him miss, and then you know he was always going to dance in the end zone," Dante Moore said about Dakorien Moore.
“But I mean, he’s just so coachable, and I love him to death. He’s so young, but he’s grown so much this past year," he continued.
As a true freshman in 2025, Moore put together 34 catches for 497 yards and three touchdowns across 11 games, and the buzz around him has only grown from there. Oregon’s staff and teammates have been talking up his offseason, and fellow receiver Evan Stewart called him "dynamic."
The Ducks will get another shot at Oklahoma State on Sept. 12, when they travel for a 9 a.m. PT kickoff. Bryant may have another reason to keep an eye on Moore, especially with the Cowboys sitting at 0-1 after a 24-10 loss to Tulsa and after bringing in 90 new players from last year’s team.
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One of the more notable wrinkles was the way the guard spots changed during the contest, a sign that the staff may have been searching for the right combination or managing something minor along the interior. For a line that is usually judged by stability as much as performance, those in-game adjustments naturally raise a bigger question about how settled Oregon really is there, and whether the answers are as clear as the rest of the offense would like them to be. [Read more 🡒]