Oregon’s loss to Oklahoma State didn’t just drop the Ducks to 1-1. It also put quarterback Dante Moore’s pre-snap habits under the microscope.
After the Cowboys’ 39-31 upset in Week 2, players on Oklahoma State said they had found a read on Moore, believing his footwork gave away run or pass. The idea was simple enough - a subtle tell in the way he lined up before the snap, the kind of detail a defense can exploit if it spots it early.
Moore didn’t duck the subject when he spoke Tuesday. He acknowledged that every player has tendencies and said he was glad the issue had been talked about publicly.
"Yeah, every player has tendencies. It can be to the NFL, it can be to college, it can be anybody.
You know, that's why there's coaches on staff that find little details. And, I mean, I'm glad they brought it up.
I'm glad that they, you know, got it all into the media."
He also said he had heard plenty about the discussion, even if he hasn’t spent much time on social media.
"And, I mean, I haven't been on it (social media) much, but people have been telling me about it. I mean, it just shows me as a player that, you know, I have things that I need to fix, and every player has it, you know. It can be a great thing for a team, and I got to make sure I don't show it to a defense to help them get into a better check."
Moore was asked whether those kinds of tendencies can be turned into an advantage. He said they can, depending on how they’re handled.
"Yeah, you can look at it in both ways. I mean, to fix it and, like you said, use it, you know, as an advantage.
So just got to find the clues, the tips, and just make sure that you can, you know, don't keep doing the bad things. But, like you said, you can play it both ways.
So it's a good point right there," said Moore.
Oklahoma State linebacker Tate Romney said the Cowboys had been tracking the Ducks’ offensive line and saw enough to help them key in on run or pass.
“We were noticing earlier in the week that their offensive line had tendencies that helped us key into the run or pass, and a couple of areas we could take advantage of,” Oklahoma State linebacker Tate Romney said. “Our D-line was really keyed into that, so it was a big advantage for us.”
The Cowboys used that edge early. Moore opened the game 1-for-7 for 45 yards, a rough start coming just a week after he threw for a career-high 378 yards in a win over Boise State.
Oklahoma State still had to survive a huge night from Drew Mestemaker, who piled up 426 yards of total offense and three touchdowns to help the Cowboys escape with the win. The victory snapped a 21-game FBS losing streak, the longest such skid in the Power 4.
Moore eventually settled in. After the rocky start, he completed 13 of his final 22 passes and finished with 191 yards and two touchdowns.
Even with the tell in play, Oklahoma State didn’t come away with an interception. Moore has yet to throw one in two games and 66 passing attempts this season, though he was sacked four times.
Oregon coach Dan Lanning said the Ducks have already started working on the issue.
“In general, you have tendencies,” Lanning said. “At times, they’ll show up.
We have to do a better job at disguising that, for sure. It’s something we have to search for and make sure we do a good job of.
That’s something we have to be better at. Really simple.”
Lanning also noted that tendencies can be used the other way, too, if Oregon chooses to lean into them and manipulate what defenses see.
“On the same note,” Lanning said, “there are going to be times, based on looks, when you have more tells than others, and sometimes you can take advantage of those. You want to sell certain looks for certain things.
But I’d say that’s something we have to be better at. That’s one of the things we definitely addressed after the game.”
For Oregon, the bigger picture is straightforward: clean up the tell, or turn it into something useful. For Oklahoma State, the benefit of the discovery may not stop with one upset. The Cowboys may have helped their own standing by beating the Ducks, since every Oregon win from here would boost their strength of schedule and FBS rankings.
Now Moore gets a chance to reset as Oregon tries to bounce back from an early loss. The next test comes against Portland State, which will have to prepare for a version of Moore it hasn’t seen on film.
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NBC Sports analyst Joshua Perry stirred the pot on the Zack Gelb Show by floating a scenario no Oregon fan wants to hear: that Moore might fake an injury if the struggles continue in order to protect his NFL Draft stock. It is an uncomfortable debate because it puts Moores long-term future against his immediate obligation to keep playing, and it leaves Oregon with a storyline that can linger as long as the offense keeps searching for answers. [Read more 🡒]