Dakorien Moore’s connection with Dez Bryant isn’t built on a quick social media exchange or a one-off shoutout. It started long before Moore became a name Oregon fans know well, and it was reinforced by a moment Moore still remembers clearly from his high school days in Texas.
After Moore ripped off a 62-yard go-ahead touchdown in Oregon’s 34-27 win over Boise State, Bryant posted the highlight and praised the Ducks sophomore. Moore said that support carries real weight, especially because Bryant showed up in person for his final game at Duncanville High School against North Crowley.
“If I’m being honest, it means a lot,” Moore said. “He came to my last high school game where we played North Crowley. Of course, we lost that game, but just the plays that I made and just seeing the excitement that he had - his enthusiasm that he was giving me, - just turned me up in that game.”
Moore, who grew up in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and became one of the nation’s most sought-after recruits at Duncanville, said Bryant’s continued attention has not gone unnoticed.
"So seeing what he tweeted, just the fan base that he has, just shows a lot of love, and I have a lot of love and respect for him," Moore said.
That praise came after the best statistical outing of Moore’s young Oregon career. He finished with six catches for 93 yards against Boise State, and the 62-yard score gave the Ducks their first lead of the second half and lit up Autzen Stadium. Moore briefly left the game after taking a hard hit, but he said he’s "perfectly fine."
The Ducks now head to Stillwater for a matchup with Bryant’s alma mater. Oklahoma State is where Bryant played from 2007-09 before the Dallas Cowboys took him with the No. 24 overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft.
Bryant already noticed Moore the last time Oregon faced Oklahoma State in 2025, when the Ducks rolled to a 69-3 win and the then-freshman stood out enough to catch his eye.
“I hate it was against my Pokes. Dakorien Moore that was nice!” Bryant wrote in 2025.
Bryant’s football résumé explains why his opinion lands the way it does. He finished his Cowboys career with 99 starts across 113 regular-season games, along with 531 catches for 7,459 yards and 73 scores.
Oregon coach Dan Lanning has been just as impressed, though he’s pointing to the stuff that doesn’t always make the highlight reel.
"Everybody's gonna highlight the touchdown he had last week, but my favorite play is the screen to J-Mac where (Moore) runs all the way from the other side of the field to go get involved in a block," Lanning said.
"His career so far here has been highlighted by some moments like that. Whether it's a block early in the season last year where he's even blocking the wrong guy, but he's doing with unbelievable effort.”
That effort was part of what first introduced many Ducks fans to Moore, including a pancake block that went viral and showed how much he can affect a game beyond catching passes.
Moore is coming off a strong first season in Eugene. As a true freshman in 2025, he caught 34 passes for 497 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games.
Now he heads into Saturday, Sept. 12, with a 9 a.m. PT kickoff in Stillwater, looking to keep the momentum going, add to the Dante Moore-to-Dakorien Moore connection, help Oregon protect the longest active road winning streak in college football at 12 games, and maybe earn a little more praise from a Cowboys legend.
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