Oregon: Rival Big Ten Coach Reached Out To Dan Lanning About Dante Moore
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The Oregon Ducks could not have been more fortunate to have their bye week come after quarterback Dante Moore suffered a concussion in Saturday night's 41-27 win over the USC Trojans.
Moore will not be eligible to return to play until he clears the concussion protocol. If Moore is sidelined, the Ducks have a capable backup in Dylan Raiola, who transferred after being the starting quarterback for Nebraska. He had a solid performance against the Trojans in relief of Moore, going 19 of 25 passing for 289 yards and two touchdowns.
No. 15 Oregon will next host No. 23 UCLA on Oct. 10. The Bruins also have a bye this week after beating Maryland 54-3 on Saturday to improve to 4-0 under first-year coach Bob Chesney, who led James Madison to face Oregon in the first round of the College Football Playoff last season.
During an appearance on Jim Rome's show on Wednesday, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said Chesney went out of his way to extend an olive branch before their contest in Week 6. Chesney offered to check up on Moore, who was taken to a Los Angeles hospital, while the Ducks were ready to head back to Eugene after their win.
Oregon's Dan Lanning said UCLA head coach Bob Chesney offered to help with Dante Moore. Lanning suggested that generous offer showed Chesney has great personal character.
"It speaks to the kind of person he is," Lanning said.
Lanning has considerable respect for the program Chesney is building at UCLA. He compared the Bruins to last year's Indiana team, who won the national championship under former JMU head coach Curt Cignetti.
UCLA's rise is another thorn for Oregon this season. The Ducks understood they had one of the more challenging schedules in college football this year. They blew a non-conference game against Oklahoma State in Week 2, causing Oregon to have less margin for error during its Big Ten schedule.
The Bruins have had a strong start under Chesney, but they're looking for a signature win. Beating Oregon would be just that. Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who led Tennessee to the CFP in 2024, has thrown for 820 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions while adding 143 yards and one score on the ground.
UCLA has played California, San Diego State, Purdue and Maryland. The Bruins have won all of their contests by double digits. Purdue played them the closest, but even that contest finished in a 52-38 win for the suddenly hot UCLA program.
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