EUGENE, OR — No. 2 Oregon needed a fourth-quarter response to avoid an opening-week upset to Boise St. As Dante Moore delivered throwing three touchdown passes, including a 62-yard strike to Dakorien Moore that broke a 27-27 tie with 7:51 remaining, as Oregon rallied from a 10-point deficit to defeat Boise State 34-27 on Saturday at Autzen Stadium.
The victory gave the Ducks a hard-earned season-opening win but also exposed some early-season weaknesses for a team carrying national championship expectations.
Oregon finished with 497 total yards compared with 274 for Boise State, but the Broncos repeatedly capitalized on Oregon mistakes and kept the game within striking distance into the final minutes. The Ducks also committed 10 penalties for 90 yards.
Dante Moore completed 28 of 37 passes for 378 yards and three touchdowns, providing the difference in a game that Boise State controlled for much of the first half. His performance was especially important after the Broncos entered halftime with a 17-14 advantage.
“I think, you know, we’ve learned a lot this offseason. There’s been times our practice where the offense has started super slow, and coach (Dan) Lanning said, ‘Hey, it’s adversity. What you gonna do?’ So it all just comes back to how we respond,” Moore said.
Boise State came out aggressive and immediately challenged Oregon’s defense.
Quarterback Maddux Madsen completed 15 of 29 passes for 181 yards and three touchdowns, giving the Broncos enough offensive production to stay in the game despite being heavy underdogs. Boise State opened the scoring on an 11-play, 75-yard drive that ended with Madsen finding Cam Bates for a 13-yard touchdown.
Oregon answered when Jordon Davison scored on a 1-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter.
The Broncos regained the momentum after Oregon’s Evan Stewart muffed a punt, allowing Boise State to recover and immediately take advantage of the short field. Madsen then found Sire Gaines, who turned the reception into a 38-yard touchdown and a 14-7 Boise State lead.
Canaan Moore added a 29-yard field goal to push the Broncos ahead 17-7.
With 19 seconds remaining in the second quarter, Dante Moore connected with Jamari Johnson for a 27-yard touchdown, cutting the Boise State lead to 17-14 and giving the Ducks momentum heading into halftime.
Oregon then took its first lead when Dante Moore found Jeremiah McClellan for an 8-yard touchdown, completing an 87-yard drive that put the Ducks ahead 24-17.
McClellan was one of Oregon’s biggest offensive weapons, finishing with six receptions for 150 yards and a touchdown.
Boise State refused to fold.
Madsen engineered another scoring drive and found Matt Wagner for a 7-yard touchdown late in the third quarter, tying the game at 24.
Canaan Moore connected from 36 yards to tie the game at 27. Then Oregon’s offense produced its biggest play of the afternoon.
Dante Moore dropped back and found Dakorien Moore deep down the field. The receiver hauled in the pass and raced 62 yards for the go-ahead touchdown, giving Oregon a 34-27 lead with 7:51 remaining.
The Ducks’ defense then forced Boise State into a fourth-down incompletion, allowing Oregon to take possession and bleed valuable time from the clock.
Boise State had one final opportunity after Oregon was forced to punt, but the Broncos could not move the ball into scoring position. Oregon’s defense held on the final possession, securing the victory.
“We won the game with total yards and some situations, but we didn’t really win the critical situations,” said Oregon coach Dan Lanning, “They won some of those critical situations. They played better in special teams than us. They did better on fourth down. We kind of gave them an opportunity, a chance to hang around.”
The victory extended Oregon’s home dominance. The Ducks have now won 16 consecutive season openers at Autzen Stadium and 39 straight home games against nonconference opponents, according to the Associated Press.
For Boise State, the loss was disappointing but demonstrated that the Broncos can compete with one of the nation’s top-ranked teams.
“You put your all into something, you put all the chips on the table, and you come up short — it hurts,” said Boise State coach Spencer Danielson, “You put your toe in and you’ve got your eyes other places, you can walk away easier because you can make excuses. We’re not going to make any excuses. We’ve got to find a way to be better.”
Boise State will look to regroup when it hosts Memphis next Saturday. Oregon travels to face Oklahoma State.
