Dante Moore eager for rematch against Indiana in Peach Bowl

EUGENE, Oregon — After losing at home to the Hoosiers back in October, the Ducks’ quarterback is looking forward to battling them again, but this time around there’s more at stake.

There are plenty of storylines to choose from for Friday night’s matchup between Indiana and Oregon. However, the most intriguing one for fans is watching the top two quarterbacks of the 2026 NFL Draft slug it out on the gridiron, and Dante Moore doesn’t want to disappoint like he did in the first game.

After all, Moore threw two interceptions, and absorbed six sacks in Oregon’s only loss of the season. Meanwhile Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza capitalized off the victory, won the Heisman, and eventually led his team to 12-0 regular season and a Big Ten Championship. Moore understands what he did wrong, and is making it a priority to correct all of those mistakes. The gunslinger wants to take advantage of the spotlight, but needs to be cautious about not making the game bigger than what it already is. Which is why Moore went back to the fundamentals, and studied film.

“I was too fast on progressions, and there were times when there was an open guy, and you can say that I was kind of seeing ghosts out there, but it was more of me trying to get through my progressions too fast,” Moore said. “Another thing too, when I climb into the pocket, I was trying to rush and get out.”

Moore is confident that Coach Dan Lanning has prepared the team well for this rare opportunity, and he’s doing his part by minimizing the off-the-field distractions. Although it’s hard for Moore to ignore the NFL Draft hoopla, he’s still keeping everything simple for the biggest game of his life. Being one win away from playing for a National Title is a position that most players dream of. There’s pressure to get to the promised land, but also fear of coming up short.

The Ducks’ early exit in last year’s Playoffs is fueling the team, and despite being underdogs to the Hoosiers, Moore believes they have what it takes to be successful. Injuries continue to be an issue for Oregon (12-1), including a thin backfield, but Lanning is all about the next man up mentality, and the last thing Moore wants is his team using excuses.

“You gotta make sure that you have a good plan, not overkilling the team, having great energy and just having our minds fixed on the right things,” he said. He (Lanning) has done a great job, and at the end of the day he’s still learning, and preparing us to go to war.”

Moore has a lot of momentum too, after earning MVP honors of the shutout Orange Bowl win over Texas Tech. The Ducks want to prove that their first matchup with the Hoosiers was a fluke, so they need to come out and click on all cylinders from the start. All eyes will be on Moore, and he’s embracing the big stage. His main priority is staying healthy, and he’ll need better protection from his offensive line against a ferocious Indiana pass rush.

“This whole week the o-line has been correcting themselves on things they messed up on in this game, but I can help them out as well by climbing up into the pocket, getting the ball out of my hands quicker, so we got a lot of things to learn from there, and we’re excited for this game.”