Ducks See Lessons to be Learned From Opening Win

Saturday, September 5

Eugene, OR

12:30 PM

University of Oregon

1-0 , 0-0

Boise State

0-1 , 0-0

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Boise St.	7	10	7	3	27
Oregon	0	14	10	10	34

Photo by: Eric Evans/GoDucks.com

09/05/26 | Football

Box Score #2 Oregon 34, Boise State 27 Photo Gallery

The No. 2 Oregon football team opened the 2026 season Saturday with a 34-27 victory over Boise State.

By: Rob Moseley

EUGENE, Ore. — In a few months, if Boise State has gone on to win its conference and possibly make the College Football Playoff, Saturday's result in Autzen Stadium will be viewed through a different prism.

For now, it looks like a learning moment for Oregon. One from which the Ducks can take a whole lot of lessons.

Ranked No. 2 in the preseason top 25, the UO football team held off the Broncos' upset bid Saturday, 34-27. The Ducks didn't lead until late in the third quarter and scored the game-winning touchdown midway through the fourth, surviving a scare to kick off their quest for a third straight CFP berth themselves.

"They came to play today, Boise State," said UO quarterback Dante Moore, who completed 28-of-37 passes for a career-high 378 yards with three touchdowns. "They came the same way two years ago. This whole week, our mindset was great — we knew they'd make plays that we can't control, and we just had to make sure we had a next-play mentality. So yeah, it was a great game. They came and brought out, but a lot of things to learn and pick up from going into next week."

Two years after the Ducks needed a final-play field goal to beat the Broncos in Autzen, Saturday wasn't as dramatic, if only just barely. Oregon outgained Boise State, 497-274, but the Ducks had 10 penalties, allowed a couple of fourth-down conversations and committed a gaffe on special teams that set up a Boise State touchdown.

Down 17-7 late in the first half, Oregon rallied in the "middle eight" minutes around halftime and didn't trail again. But the Ducks had to work for it.

Dakorien Moore Touchdown Jube

"We got our backs against the wall there early, and I thought the guys responded to that," UO coach Dan Lanning said. "We wanted to see how we handle adversity, but as far as communication, I thought that was really clean throughout the day on offense and really on defense as well. The performance and the execution has to be better."

A close win over Boise State wasn't the only echo from 2024 for Oregon on Saturday. Two years ago, the Ducks joined in the fun for the playing of "Jump Around" at Wisconsin, and used that energy to fuel a fourth-quarter comeback. Saturday, it was the Broncos who got into Oregon's tradition of playing "Shout!" before the fourth quarter; the game was tied at that point, 24-24, but this time the tactic didn't work out as well for the visitors, as Oregon had a 10-3 edge in the fourth thanks to a highlight-reel moment from Dakorien Moore on the game-winning touchdown.

"They were just doing something that we've done before, and that's just trying to flip your mind when you're playing away, to try to steal the juice from the crowd," Dante Moore said. "We seen it, we laughed at it, we went out there and put points on the board."

While Boise State participated in "Shout!" before the final quarter, Oregon was all business, and the game up to that point justified both demeanors. Because although the Ducks came into the day as heavy favorites in the public eye, the Broncos were more than holding their own.

They began the day by driving to a touchdown, moving the chains once on third-and-long and later when Oregon jumped offsides on a second-and-short. The Ducks seemed to right the ship and tied it 7-7 early in the second on a rushing touchdown by Jordon Davison, but after the UO defense forced another punt, the Ducks muffed the return, Boise State recovered and the Broncos scored on the next play.

"We got the job done today, but obviously there's so much to clean up, and that's what we're going to do as a defense," Oregon's Teitum Tuioti said. "We're going to attack what we did wrong, and that starts tomorrow. If we just continue to focus on ourselves, we continue to clean up the little details, stop the self-inflicted wounds, we'll be where we want to be."

Bear Alexander Tackle

The Ducks accomplished one of their primary defensive goals by holding Boise State under 100 rushing yards; they allowed only 93, with no rushes longer than nine yards. But the timeliness of runs on first down and fourth down were critical to the Broncos' early success.

"We were just off-schedule too much tonight," Lanning said. "It was too many second-and-fives, too many second-and-fours, especially in situations where they're going to have a go-for-it mentality."

Boise State actually scored the first points of the "middle eight," a field goal for a 17-7 lead with 2:48 left in the first half. But the Ducks got within 17-14 on a touchdown reception by Jamari Johnson just before halftime, then tied it early in the third quarter on the first of Gage Hurych's two field goals in the game.

The teams went back-and-forth the rest of the way. But Oregon never trailed again.

Jordon Davison

The Ducks' talented skill players made a difference down the stretch. Jeremiah McClellen gave the Ducks their first lead by fighting through a tackle for a touchdown with 5:36 left in the third. And in the fourth, Dakorien Moore caught a pass down the field, stopped short of the sideline while two defenders flew past him and then finished off a 62-yard game-winning touchdown reception.

Oregon's starting wideouts and tight end combined for 24 receptions, 372 yards and three scores, while Davison and Dierre Hill rushed a combined 22 times for 126 yards and a touchdown.

"That's the University of Oregon for you," Dante Moore said. "We get great athletes, and as a quarterback, you love it."

A'Mauri Washington

In between those touchdowns, Boise State scored one of its own, another drive aided by UO penalties. But after Dakorien Moore's go-ahead touchdown, star UO edge Matayo Uiagalelei had a sack that forced a Broncos punt, and on Boise State's final drive Tuioti was credited with two quarterback hurries, Nasir Wyatt had another and Na'eem Offord broke up a pass on the Broncos' final offensive snap.

At that point the Ducks could exhale, and start thinking about all the ways they could learn from Saturday's result. In 2024, they grew from a tight win over Boise State and went on to complete an undefeated regular season; likewise, in a few months this could look like a quality win over a fellow CFP contender — if the Ducks take from it all the lessons they need to.

"This just shows us who we are right now," Tuioti said, "and how we have to attack coming into next week."