Throughout the spring, much has been made of Dante Moore’s progression as a leader, both in the locker room and on the field. No longer the new guy under center, Moore has taken it upon himself to guide the Oregon Ducks into the 2026 season with a mixed mentality of unfinished business and gratitude.
Saturday’s spring game at Autzen Stadium served as another moment of reflection and growth for Moore. Upon hearing the names of his former teammates being selected in the NFL draft, Moore let loose on the sideline with an outburst of emotion that hasn’t been too common for the Ducks’ quarterback.
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Moore put together a modest passing day in the spring scrimmage, completing 7-of-11 passes for 57 yards and tossing a six-yard touchdown to Jamari Johnson on the opening series. The spring games have been a point of evolution for Moore at Oregon. Initially, he was fighting for a backup role behind Dillon Gabriel. Last season, he was in a battle for the starting role with Austin Novosad. Now, he’s a Heisman contender with massive expectations.
For Moore, it’s all about soaking in the best moments of his career with the Ducks.
“Every spring game is special,” Moore said. “I feel like every time I have a chance to play at Autzen, it’s special. We’re practicing in there now, but every time I take the field, I treat it like a game in my practice. I think of the 60,000 fans that are in there and just the emotion, the energy that almost comes with it. Every time I have a chance to play in front of our fans, I appreciate it.”
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While it wasn’t quite a full house for Oregon’s spring game on Saturday, an impressive 46,500 fans did show up to watch the Ducks air it out, and Moore didn’t let the moment pass him by.
During the traditional “Shout!” rendition after the third quarter, both teams gathered at midfield to dance and celebrate the end of the spring season with the fans. As the song concluded, Moore guided his teammates to the west end zone to celebrate with the packed student section as their cheers echoed through the stadium.
It was a surreal moment as the Ducks embraced each other and their fans during the tradition. Dan Lanning enjoyed it as well, but made it clear that it won’t be a regular occurrence.
“I’ll say that’s the most fun our players will ever have during ‘Shout!’ in our stadium,” Lanning said. “I’m glad they got to share that moment. Nobody else is getting to have anything quite like that. They looked like they had a lot of fun there today. That’s probably the best time to do it, in spring, to be able to celebrate those moments.”
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According to Moore, that was a moment he had been planning with the team for the spring game, to make sure their appreciation for the support in the stands wouldn’t go unnoticed.
“The student section, I’ve kind of been talking about that recently at practice with the guys,” Moore said. “I feel like these fans are putting so much to come into all these games, even the spring games, and our students are so loyal that they’re always there, and I kind of feel like the shout was a great time to get them involved – cheerleaders, everybody.”
As Moore waved a cheerleader’s pom-poms at the students, his message of inclusion became crystal clear. To compete, to win, and find success, the Ducks need everyone working together with a common mindset. That extends beyond the field of play.
“I feel like we’re all just one whole unit,” Moore explained. “I feel as though the fans, the city of Eugene, we’re all rolling together. We’re unstoppable.”
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The Ducks will dance on occasion to the traditional third-quarter tune, typically when the game is already in hand, but Lanning used the moment as a recruiting tool for the Ducks’ visitors for the game.
His message? Nobody does spring football like Oregon.
“That’s really special within a game when it happens, and nobody else has that,” Lanning said. “But we have to have a level of focus whenever we’re doing that in season. I think they got a chance to check out today and really enjoy that moment.”
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Dante Moore leads team, crowd in tradition at Oregon spring game
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