No. 9 Oregon Ducks Pull Off a Thrilling Win Against the Iowa Hawkeyes

In a game that was about as pretty as a mud-wrestling match in a tuxedo, Dante Moore and the Oregon Ducks somehow found a way to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat against Iowa. The final score, 18-16, tells you everything you need to know about this gritty, rain-soaked slugfest. It wasn’t a day for highlight reels, but it was a day for heart.

Dante Moore’s Moment of Magic for Oregon

Let’s be honest, for about 58 minutes, Dante Moore looked like he’d rather be anywhere else than Kinnick Stadium. The weather was miserable, Iowa’s defense was living up to its top billing, and the Oregon offense was sputtering. Moore’s stat line was a grim read: 13 completions for a meager 112 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception. It was the kind of performance that has fans muttering into their overpriced stadium beers.

But then, the game flipped. With less than two minutes on the clock, Iowa’s Mark Gronowski punched in a touchdown, giving the Hawkeyes their first lead of the day at 16-15. The home crowd was roaring, the rain was falling, and it felt like the game was over. For most teams, it would have been.

The Drive That Defined the Ducks

This is where legends are born. Trailing and with time bleeding away, Moore had to shake off a full game of frustration. “I told myself, ‘Hey, forget the things that happened in the past. It’s next play mentality,” Moore said later.

On that final, season-defining drive, Moore was a completely different player. He went 5-for-6, marching the Oregon offense down the field with a coolness that defied the circumstances. The centerpiece of this masterful drive was a throw that should be framed and hung in a museum. Moore threaded a 24-yard laser to Malik Benson, a pass so perfect it seemed to defy physics.

It floated just over the desperate fingertips of an Iowa defender and nestled into Benson’s hands, putting the Ducks squarely in field goal range. It was a throw that screamed “first-round draft pick,” a moment of pure, unadulterated brilliance that made you forget the previous three quarters of slop.

That single play set up Atticus Sappington for a 39-yard field goal, and he calmly knocked it through the uprights to seal the deal. It was a gutsy, come-from-behind win that showed this Oregon team has a pulse, and a strong one at that. Moore proved that even on your worst day, you can still be the hero when it counts.