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QuickTake:
Moore remembers the fun — and distractions — of his UCLA years. His return with Oregon offers a chance to show how much he’s grown.
Moving across the country at 17 years old and landing in Southern California as a high-profile quarterback comes with its own set of hurdles, and Oregon quarterback Dante Moore has been candid about the mental challenges he’s dealt with throughout his career.
But on the eve of Moore’s first trip back to California since transferring from UCLA to Oregon, the now-21-year-old Detroit native offered some nuance to the experience.
Because, as it turns out, being in Hollywood wasn’t all that bad.
“I was moving around, doing things…experiencing things,” Moore said on Wednesday. “That’s a place that’s special. Beautiful weather. Of course, the beach. You can do all these things. It’s a big city — lot of people there.
“I kind of miss it.”
With his focus now squarely on the game, Moore is hoping his return to the Golden State gives him something to remember on the football field.
Saturday against No. 12 USC is set to be one of the most important games of Moore’s career. It’s a top-25 matchup, on the road, against a Big Ten opponent and old Pac-12 foe, in Oregon’s first real “prove it” game since the shocking loss to Oklahoma State in Week 2.
The No. 20 Ducks walloped Portland State 84-0 in Week 3, with Moore putting up numbers more familiar with his preseason Heisman candidate status: He completed 19 of 23 passes for 280 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.
Moore’s statistical rebound was important. But teammates and coaches have said his performance off the field will have a bigger influence on whether the Ducks can get by the Trojans.
“I think that the biggest thing is his voice, right?” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. “We’ve been challenging him, and he’s been challenging himself that his voice has to show up. You know, before game day, it has to show up beyond when it’s good, right?
“When things aren’t right, that’s where his voice has to show up. And just like a coach would reload a play, he needs to have that ability to do the same thing and demand what it needs to look like, which that’s shown up for him.”
Lanning is calling for Moore to play and act like a veteran. And for Moore, the return to California offers a chance to show how far he’s come in that regard.
Because California was fun. But it was also a place, he said, that could easily steal his focus.
“Coming from Detroit and city life, then going to LA — LA feels like it’s its own world,” Moore said. “There’s so much going on. You can lose yourself out there, to be honest. I think when you go out there, you got Hollywood, you got all these stars, celebrities walking around, and if you’re not dedicated and worried about your craft and know why you’re out there, you can lose yourself.”
Saturday could go a long way toward determining which of these two teams keeps its season on track.
The Trojans come into the game undefeated, but on shaky ground following a narrow road win over lowly Rutgers. USC coach Lincoln Riley is 0-2 in his two meetings against Lanning’s Ducks, but after finishing with the No. 1 recruiting class in 2026, the Trojans feel like a program with momentum building.
Moore’s job is to show how much can be accomplished in Los Angeles on a work trip.
“This game is special just for the West Coast,” he said. “But I mean, it’s another team, another opponent. They’re a good physical team, very talented on both sides, great coaching staffs on both sides. So we just got to be disciplined and execute our plays.”
