Dan Lanning praises supporting cast around Dante Moore: 'He can't catch his own passes'

Dante Moore has played as advertised during his first season as Oregon‘s starting quarterback. Through three games, the Ducks are 3-0 and have steamrolled each of its three opponents to begin the season.

Head coach Dan Lanning gave credit to Moore for his fast start to the 2025 college football season. However, Lanning has taken notice of those around him — and for good reason.

“You can’t be a great quarterback unless the people around you play well,” Lanning said on his coach’s show on Wednesday night. “Dante would be the first person to tell you that the people around him are creating opportunities for him to play well. He can’t catch his own passes, and he can’t block for himself. He’s done really well for us, and excited to see how he continues to grow.”

Thanks to his teammates, Moore has been able to spread the wealth in the passing game this season. 11 players have caught at least one pass for the Ducks this season, while five have more than 75 yards receiving through three games.

His favorite targets so far have been Malik Benson and Dakorien Moore who have over 300 yards and three touchdowns combined so far this season. For reference, Moore has thrown for 657 yards, seven touchdowns and an interception including a 78.1% (50-64) completion percentage.

Lanning spoke to the level of poise that former QB Dillon Gabriel, now a member of the Cleveland Browns, had last season. He feels as though Moore is beginning to a show command for the Ducks offense so far this season, which has elevated his teammates on the field as well.

“I think that he knows I have an unbelievable amount of confidence in him with the way he preps and how he works,” Lanning said. “He’s a really special person. I think it’s unfair that our players get judged just on how they perform. And I was just visiting with some of our friends outside that the best thing about our team is we have unbelievable people.”

Oregon will look to continue its undefeated start to the season when it takes on in-state rival Oregon State on Saturday. After that, the Ducks have consecutive matchups against ranked opponent in No. 2 Penn State (away) and No. 19 Indiana (home) once they resume Big Ten action.

“Dante certainly is one of those people. But he’s been given with some God given talent, too. He’s intelligent, and he has great players around him. And when you have that, you have a chance.”