Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1537537
A U G U S T 2 0 2 5 9 1 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M What can Oregon do for an encore after winning the Big Ten title in its first season of conference membership? Well, it could start by going a little deeper in the Col- lege Football Playoff than it did last Janu- ary. The Ducks' CFP run all but ended in the first half of their opening game when Ohio State hit them with a 34-point scor- ing barrage en route to a 41-21 blowout. Heading into the 2025 season, Oregon would surely love to stuff that dismal Rose Bowl performance as far down the mem- ory hole as it'll go, and a deep playoff run would help immeasurably. First things first, though. Before they can start thinking about their CFP seed- ing, the Ducks need to restock a lineup that lost a program-record 10 players to the NFL Draft, including a pair of first- rounders. All eyes will be on redshirt sophomore quarterback Dante Moore when the Ducks open their season Aug. 30 against Mon- tana State. Moore was a five-game starter at UCLA as a true freshman, then spent last year as Dillon Gabriel's little-used backup in Eugene. The Ducks lost their leading receiver in Tez Johnson and top rusher in Jordan James. Evan Stewart had been seen as a top candidate to emerge as Moore's fa- vorite target after catching 48 passes for 613 yards last year. However, he suffered a knee injury following spring practice and may be forced to miss the entire season. Stewart's injury will no doubt speed up the timeline for five-star true fresh- man Dakorien Moore, the No. 1 wideout prospect in the country after amassing more than 3,400 receiving yards in his career at Duncansville (Texas) High. The Ducks also have a rising star in tight end Kenyon Sadiq. In the backfield, Tulane transfer Makhi Hughes should be a good fit after rushing for 1,401 yards and 15 touchdowns as a redshirt sophomore, and the Ducks ad- dressed another need when they landed All-Mountain West tackle Isaiah World from Nevada. Oregon also used the portal to patch some holes on defense, landing safety Dillon Thieneman from Purdue and de- fensive tackle Bear Alexander from USC. The secondary and defensive line will both be full of newcomers, but the re- turnees are outstanding. Junior defensive ends Matayo Uiagalelei and Teitum Tui- oti combined for 15 sacks and 19 tackles for loss last year, while inside linebacker Bryce Boettcher led the team with 94 tackles. Kicker Atticus Sappington is back af- ter hitting 14 of 16 field goal attempts last year, as is punter Ross James. The Ducks will need to find someone to replace John- son in the return game, but speed and elu- siveness are not exactly rare commodities on Oregon's roster these days. The Ducks will face a major early- season test with a visit to Penn State set for Sept. 27. It'll be a prime-time White Out, which always makes for an amped- up environment. But if they can escape from State College with a victory, they'll likely be well-positioned for another un- beaten season. They don't play Ohio State or Michigan this year, and their games against fellow playoff hopefuls Indiana and USC are at Autzen Stadium. — Matt Herb S E P T . 2 7 | 7 : 3 0 P. M . | N B C | B E A V E R S T A D I U M | S T A T E C O L L E G E GAME 4 OREGON QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Penn State leads, 3-2 Last Meeting: The Ducks racked up 481 yards of total offense and were the only opponent to score more than 30 points on Penn State last year, winning 45-37 in the Big Ten Championship Game on Dec. 7 in Indianapolis Head Coach: Dan Lanning (35-6 in three seasons at Oregon; career coaching record: same) 2024 Record: 13-1, 9-0 Big Ten Returning Starters: 7 (2 offense, 3 defense, 2 specialists) RETURNING LEADERS Rushing: RB Noah Whittington (540 yards, 6 TD) Passing: QB Dante Moore (49 yards) Receiving: WR Evan Stewart (613 yards, 5 TD) Tackles: LB Bryce Boettcher (94) Sacks: LB Matayo Uiagalelei (9.5) Interceptions: LB Bryce Boettcher, LB Ma- tayo Uiagalelei, CB Sione Laulea (1) 2025 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2024 Result Aug. 30 Montana State — Sept. 6 Oklahoma State — Sept. 13 at Northwestern — Sept. 20 Oregon State W, 49-14 Sept. 27 at Penn State W, 45-37 Oct. 11 Indiana — Oct. 18 at Rutgers — Oct. 25 Wisconsin W, 16-13 Nov. 8 at Iowa — Nov. 14 Minnesota — Nov. 22 USC — Nov. 29 at Washington W, 49-21 BEST-CASE SCENARIO Marcus Mariota, Justin Herbert, Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel … Dante Moore? If the for- mer UCLA signal-caller is ready to join that pantheon of great Oregon quarterbacks, the Ducks will likely be just fine this year. WORST-CASE SCENARIO A transfer-heavy lineup could need time to come together, creating early-season difficulties for a team that has a rivalry game versus Oregon State and a visit to Penn State on tap in September. Linebacker Bryce Boettcher was Oregon's leading tackler with 94 stops as a junior last season. PHOTO MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS