Ducks Clear First Hurdle of 2025

Saturday, August 30

Eugene, Ore.

1:00 PM

University of Oregon

1-0 , 0-0

Montana State

0-1 , 0-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Montana St.

Oregon

Photo by: Mia Jacobs

08/30/25 | Football

Box Score 1 - #7 Oregon 59, Montana State 13 Photo Gallery

Oregon opened the new football season with a convincing win Saturday at home over Montana State.

By: Rob Moseley

EUGENE, Ore. — Whether 2025 will end up as good or better than the 2024 Oregon football season is to be determined. What's certain is that the new season for the Ducks got off to a superior start.

The No. 7 Ducks were remarkably balanced on offense, stopped the run on defense and minimized significant mistakes in a 59-13 victory Saturday over Montana State before 57,257 fans in Autzen Stadium. A year after opening the 2024 season with a 24-14 win over Idaho — the first of 13 straight wins — the UO football team took a more impressive first step Saturday.

"There's still a lot for us to be able to clean up and still give ourselves an opportunity to assess exactly where we're at," fourth-year head coach Dan Lanning said. "But overall, proud of the compete, proud of the guys never looking at the scoreboard and continuing to just work and focus, and overall, proud of the product."

Oregon had perfect balance with 253 yards both rushing and receiving, in the first start with the program for sophomore quarterback Dante Moore. The Ducks never had to punt, they committed just three penalties and they limited Montana State's rushing offense — which led the nation at the FCS level last season — to 46 yards.

The Oregon Ducks take on the Montana State Bobcats at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon on August 28, 2025 (Eric Evans Photography)

The Oregon Ducks take on the Montana State Bobcats at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon on August 28, 2025 (Eric Evans Photography)

That allowed Lanning and his staff to use nearly 80 players, including a dozen true freshmen — two of which, receiver Dakorien Moore and cornerback Brandon Finney, started the game. The Ducks extended their FBS-leading nonconference home win streak to 35 games, before an appreciative Autzen crowd.

"It's just a blessing to be able to play here at the University of Oregon in front of a great crowd and great fans," Dante Moore said. "The best thing was just the way we moved the ball as a whole unit. Offense did a great job protection-wise, got a great run game first play (a 35-yard rush by Noah Whittington); we have a good run game, gonna have a good pass game. Did a great job as a unit, coaches prepared us the right way and we're excited for it next week."

Whittington had 68 yards to lead the Ducks on the ground — of their 39 carries as a team, the only one that lost yardage came when the offense took a knee to end the game — and Jordon Davison ran for three scores. Moore finished the game 18-of-23 passing for 213 yards and three scores, with his 18 completions spread around to 10 receivers.

The Oregon Ducks take on the Montana State Bobcats at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon on August 28, 2025 (Eric Evans Photography)

"He was sharp," Lanning said. "He knew where to go with the ball, was decisive with his reads, was able to make some checks. I thought we had a simple plan and a plan that we could execute at a high level. He went out there and executed it really well."

Stream-lining the game plan was a strategy coaches implemented after believing the playbook was too thick for the 2024 opener against Idaho. Saturday, perhaps due to that change, the Ducks were fast and efficient — while also playing with relentless effort.

They swarmed the ball on defense, bottling up Montana State's rushing attack. Tackle A'Mauri Washington was a game-wrecker in the middle of the defense, finishing with five tackles to tie for the team lead on the day.

The Oregon Ducks take on the Montana State Bobcats at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon on August 28, 2025 (Eric Evans Photography)

"It's really the goal every time we step on the field, is to stop the run," Washington said. "This will always be the standard. We get these guys to stop running the ball, we can make them one-dimensional."

The Ducks were physical on offense as well. Not only did Davison thrive in short-yardage rushing situations, but the freshman receiver Dakorien Moore provided one of the day's highlights with a pancake block on a third-quarter touchdown reception by Gary Bryant Jr.

It turned out, Lanning revealed postgame, that Moore was blocking the wrong defender. But assignment errors can be corrected; the relentless physicality Moore displayed on the play is tougher to teach.

"From wideout to wideout, seeing him block somebody into the ground on that touchdown run, it's amazing," Bryant said. "And we preach that — like, man, let's be physical in the perimeter. I know we can make explosive plays down the field, but if we could be a wideout team that can block on the perimeter and put guys in the ground and pancake, oh man, that's an amazing feeling right there."

The 2025 team may have gotten off to a more impressive start than the 2024 Ducks. But last year's version could hang its hat on improving throughout the regular season, on the way to a Big Ten title and College Football Playoff berth. Now, the current Ducks have to prove they can do the same.

"Sometimes adversity is really good for a team," Lanning said. "I don't know exactly how we're going to look in adverse moments right now, and that's something that we've got to be prepared for. And there's a lot for us to be able to clean up.

"But it's a new season. It's a new team. We're going to attack in new ways. This next opponent has a little bit more time, Oklahoma State coming in (next week). They're having a little bit more time to prepare for us; that might look a little different. So it's one day at a time. How can we be the best version of us today?"

Saturday's version, at least, was pretty darn good.