Oregon QB Dante Moore struggles against Indiana as first-half turnovers put Ducks in deep hole
By David Wasson
Published:
Oregon’s Dante Moore entered Friday’s Peach Bowl as one of the most decorated quarterbacks in the country. But through the first 30 minutes of the College Football Playoff semifinal against Indiana, he spent much of the proceedings either snowed under by Hoosiers defenders or uncorking miscues that cost the Ducks.
The sophomore quarterback threw a costly Pick-6 on the game’s first play, fumbled the football away twice deep in Oregon’s end and endured 3 sacks for a loss of 24 yards to help fuel the Hoosiers to a 35-7 halftime lead.
The first play from scrimmage Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium was an abject disaster for Moore and the Ducks. Moore attempted to connect with Oregon receiver Malik Benson – only to see Indiana defensive back D’Angelo Ponds step in front of the attempt and scamper 25 yards for a touchdown.
Even though Moore found Jamari Johnson for a 19-yard touchdown pass later in the first quarter, the Ducks quarterback turned the ball over again in the second quarter – coughing up the football during a 10-yard sack. The loose ball was recovered by Indiana’s Mario Landino at the Oregon 3-yard line.
Indiana would punch it in 3 plays later, with Kaelon Black plunging in for a 1-yard score to make it 21-7.
Moore would be harassed into another turnover late in the second quarter with the Ducks trailing 28-7, having the ball knocked out of his hands by Indiana’s Daniel Ndukwe and Landino pouncing on his second fumble recovery. That turnover led to another Indiana touchdown to make it 35-7 at intermission.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
