Urban Meyer labels Dante Moore as his top quarterback in Big Ten

Dante Moore led Oregon to a 34-14 victory over Northwestern on the road during his team’s Big Ten opener in Week 3. After improving to 3-0, he received some praise from college football legend Urban Meyer.

During the latest episode of The Triple Option, Meyer was asked which quarterback is the best inside the Big Ten: “Dante Moore is the best quarterback right now in the Big Ten,” Meyer stated. “He’s playing tremendous. 78%, seven touchdowns, one pick.”

It’s easy to see why Meyer has been impressed with Moore. He had another solid game against the Wildcats, finishing the win having completed 16 of his 20 passes for one touchdown and an interception. He got some help on offense from his running back Dierre Hill Jr. as well, who added five carries for 94 yards and a touchdown on the afternoon.

Moore’s head coach in Dan Lanning agrees with Meyer, as he told the FOX crew after the game that the sky’s the limit for the Ducks with someone like Moore under center: “It’s unbelievably high, right? We go with the quarterback,” Lanning said, regarding Moore’s abilities. “We’ve got a really good one here.”

It’s easy to see where Lanning is coming from. Moore has the Ducks’ offense looking like one of the best in the country, and they’re ranked like one too. Oregon came in at No. 6 in the latest AP Top 25 Poll.

A similar story to Saturday has been told in each of Oregon’s three games so far. During the season opener, Oregon outpaced Montana State 59-13 before turning around to beat Oklahoma State 69-3 during Week 2. Saturday’s game against Northwestern was never close after halftime.

Still, Lanning wasn’t totally pleased with the win. Oregon was outscored 14-3 in the fourth quarter, and even though there wasn’t a need for concern given the five-score lead the Ducks had already built up, the coach wasn’t satisfied with how things ended.

“I’ve got a little sour taste in my mouth with the way we ended,” Lanning added. “We’ve got to win the fourth quarter. But ultimately, I saw some good players to some stuff we can build off of.”

Looking ahead, Oregon will move forward with its final non-conference matchup of the season at home against in-state rival Oregon State during Week 4. The Sept. 20 matchup will see the Ducks as heavy favorites, and Meyer will be watching to see if Moore can continue his hot start to 2025.