When Washington marched 69 yards in 13 plays and nearly six minutes of game time Saturday at Husky Stadium, it looked like Oregon’s College Football Playoff bid was in jeopardy.
The Huskies had just made it a five-point game with a bit less than nine minutes remaining in a rivalry showdown between Pac-12-turned-Big Ten foes.
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In the blink of an eye, Ducks quarterback Dante Moore put questions about his team’s future to bed. More specifically, three plays from scrimmage later, on a third-and-9 from the Oregon 36-yard line, Moore fired a strike over the middle to wideout Malik Benson.
The senior receiver elevated and extended to make the catch. As he landed, he might as well as picked up a speed boost. He zoomed 64 yards to the end zone for a touchdown that restored a two-score lead for the Ducks (11-1, 8-1 Big Ten) and all but secured their 26-14 win over Washington (8-4, 5-4) in Seattle.
With the victory, Dan Lanning’s team has saved its seat in the College Football Playoff, in which it will likely host a playoff game at Autzen Stadium.
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Because Oregon lost to No. 2 Indiana earlier this season, it’s on the outside of the Big Ten championship looking in. That will be played in Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium between top-ranked Ohio State and the Hoosiers. Both are still undefeated.
So the Ducks likely won’t have the bye they had to start the 12-team playoff last season when they won the Big Ten title. But maybe that’s a good thing for an Oregon squad looking to maintain momentum and make a deeper run this time around.
After all, the Ducks followed up a 13-0 start to the 2024 campaign by digging themselves a 34-point hole in the first half of the Rose Bowl against the national-title-winning Buckeyes.
Oregon hasn’t occupied the No. 1 spot in the polls like it did for several weeks last season. It has remained a mainstay in the top 10, however.
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Moore is a big reason why. He’s filled the shoes left by past Heisman Trophy finalists Dillon Gabriel and Bo Nix. Saturday against Washington, he made a series of clutch plays that helped the Ducks control their playoff destiny.
Moore dropped a dime over Washington cornerback Dylan Robinson and into the hands of Oregon wideout Jeremiah McClellan for a 35-yard gain on third-and-7 that set up the first of Atticus Sappington’s four field goals. Sappington made kicks of 46, 32, 37 and 51 yards during the victory.
Then, after the first of Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr.’s two interceptions, Moore cashed in with a 1-yard, zone-read touchdown run that saw him dive into the paint for a second-quarter score.
Midway through the third frame, Moore pulled the ripcord from his own end zone and put a 41-yard pass to McClellan on a rope. That connection led to Sappington’s 51-yarder, a career long that made it 19-7.
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Following a controversial helmet-pinned McClellan no-catch, Washington made its move. Its methodical drive was capped by Denzel Boston. The junior receiver reeled in his second touchdown pass of the day, this one in the back corner of the end zone on fourth-and-8.
Unfortunately for the Huskies, Moore had one more arrow in the quiver. He hit his target, and Benson turned on the burners.
The Ducks are off and running to their second straight CFP in their second season in the Big Ten.
This news was originally published on this post .
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