Oregon vs Indiana was hyped up as the game of the weekend, but the latter was more than prepared to handle the Ducks. It seemed like they came into the matchup with a single plan, which was to focus on pressuring QB Dante Moore throughout the game. And they succeeded, much to HC Dan Lanning’s dismay. Moore’s interceptions in the fourth quarter cost Oregon dearly, leading to its first loss of the season. But despite the setback, his teammates back him and his team to get over the loss and come back stronger next week.

Dan Lanning and Dante Moore were not the only ones to take the loss hard. WR Malik Benson was also disappointed with the way the night went for Oregon on Saturday. He expressed his thoughts on the loss, saying it felt like they didn’t “execute to (their) standards.” Indeed, Oregon did not show its true potential against the Hoosiers last Saturday. The matchup was pushed as the ‘B1G Clash of Titans,’ but only one showed up on the day. “I feel like that was probably the most heartbreaking thing,” added Malik on the 14th October episode of GoDucks.

Now add the out-of-character performance from Dante Moore, and the full picture is clear. He did not settle into the game from the start, and Indiana’s defense made sure that he couldn’t. They did not give any breathing space to Moore, ultimately sacking him six times during the game. His two interceptions in the fourth quarter essentially sealed the game for Indiana. Now, that’s a huge number of fumbles for a Heisman candidate. But despite that, Malik Benson believes that Dante Moore should be cut some slack.

According to him, the pressure on a QB is such that they are supposed to be the “Superman of the show”, leading their teams to victory under any kind of circumstances. They get credit when their team wins, and they get criticism when their team loses. Such are the expectations on a QB, especially for a top ten team. But Malik Benson believes it is completely human of Dante Moore to have an off game. “Everybody’s going to have a bad game,” said Malik.

He then also emphasized how Oregon backs Moore, as one loss does not mean the end of the season for the Ducks. While it may have come against Indiana, he believes Moore and others have taken note of what went wrong in that game. “It’s really just us, you know, being behind him and just telling him that it’s going to be okay, just because of one loss. We still have confidence and things like that. But, (Dante Moore) really stepped up a notch and realized that we can be beaten any given week. So, it’s just like everybody just got to have each other’s back,” expressed Malik.

The loss might be hurtful, but it could also be a lesson in disguise for Dan Lanning’s men. The HC would gain a better idea from the loss about how the gaps were exploited and what he could do to fix them.

Was Dante Moore the only reason for Oregon’s loss against Indiana?

Fans will remember last week’s clash at Autzen for a variety of reasons. It was Oregon’s first loss at home in 19 games, a record that they probably did not want to break. It was also their first loss of the season, which, unfortunately for Oregon fans, came against conference rivals Indiana. Oregon’s offense was not on point and was dealt with by the Indiana defense pretty effectively, especially in the second half.

So how did Oregon’s offense collapse? Was it the misreads of Dante Moore or a spectacular game by Indiana’s defense? Dan Lanning believes it is a combination of both. He pointed out Dante Moore’s early game misreads that affected their offensive plays in the initial stages of the game.

But he also said that the wideouts were not in position to receive the passes when Moore tried to make plays. “It’s always easy to say, ‘Oh, that’s the quarterback or the call,’ but the wideouts need to be in a location where they’re supposed to be at the moment where he’s looking to deliver the ball. “ Moore expressed.

Indiana also came prepared for the game and outplayed the Oregon offense. HC Curt Cignetti’s men were determined to keep a 6-0 start to the season. The win puts them #1 in the Big Ten, a step closer to the playoffs.