After a 23-0 thrashing of the No. 4 Texas Tech Raiders last weekend, the Oregon Ducks are in the College Football Playoff semifinals in a rematch against the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
Back in the regular season, the Ducks, then ranked the No. 3 team in the country, lost 30-20 at home to the then-No. 7 Hoosiers, which ultimately ended up as their lone loss so far this season.
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In that game, Oregon kept things close, with the score being within a touchdown all the way until Dante Moore threw an interception with six minutes left. Indiana was able to capitalize with a field goal and ultimately win 30-20 after shutting down Oregon’s offense in the fourth quarter.
In the loss, Moore was just 21 of 34 passing for 186 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Both of those picks came on back-to-back drives in the fourth quarter to end the game, but Oregon’s offense wasn’t capitalizing on opportunities before that either.
The Ducks had a turnover on downs, a missed 35-yard field goal in the red zone, another field goal in the red zone, and the two brutal interceptions at the end of the game. Those are too many mistakes to make against the best team in the country.
In the rematch coming up on Friday night, Moore is going to have to be better and elevate Oregon’s offense, as he’s done a few times this season. In the first round of the playoffs, Moore had 313 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions against James Madison. Last weekend, it was 234 yards and an interception while completing 78.8 percent of his passes.
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At his best, the projected top-five NFL Draft pick is able to spread the ball around the field, while completing a high percentage of his throws (72.9 percent completion rate this year). But the interceptions could be costly, as they proved to be at the end of the Indiana game earlier this year.
Moore has nine picks on the year, which have generally not costed Oregon this season outside of that one game. But, facing the No. 1 team and an elite defense that can take away the run game, the redshirt sophomore will have to be on his game on Friday against another stellar quarterback in Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza.
The offense accounted for only 13 points during the first go-around, as Moore averaged under 5.5 yards per pass. That can’t happen again, especially if Indiana’s offense continues to roll as it has the last few weeks.
Oregon needs to commit more to the run game in this one. But Moore will have to find a way to be the better quarterback against a tough defense because that’s Oregon’s best path of winning this game. He’ll need to remain as accurate as he’s been while taking what the defense gives him.
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The poise that has made him such a talented draft prospect will be key as well against an Indiana defense that can overwhelm opponents in the trenches. Being accurate is important, but sound decision-making is just as key in a game like this.
And lastly, the Oregon star will have to find a way to elevate the teammates around him. Oregon has good skill position players. But Moore will be put in situations where he’ll need to make some of those difficult throws, which could ultimately be the difference-maker in this one.
Rematches have favored the team that lost the first game quite often this year, including last week when Ole Miss upset Georgia in the quarterfinals. If that’s to happen in this game, Moore will have to be a big part of that.
