No. 7 Oregon routs Montana State 59-13 in the season opener
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Dante Moore started at quarterback for No. 7 Oregon and threw for 213 yards with three touchdowns, and the Ducks routed FCS power Montana State 59-13 in the opener for both teams Saturday.
It was widely assumed that Moore — Dillon Gabriel’s understudy last season — would be the Ducks’ quarterback this season but coach Dan Lanning did not publicly name a starter before the first game.
“He was sharp. He knew where to go with the ball, was decisive with reads, was able to make some checks,” Lanning said about Moore. “I thought we had a simple plan and a plan we could execute at a high level. He went out there and executed it really well.”
True freshman Jordon Davison rushed for 26 yards and three touchdowns and Malik Benson caught five passes for 51 yards and a score for the defending Big Ten champion Ducks, who built a 38-3 lead by halftime.
Justin Lamson, who spent the last two seasons at Stanford, threw for 198 yards for Montana State. The defending Big Sky champion Bobcats are trying to replace star quarterback Tommy Mellott after falling to North Dakota State last season in the FCS title game.
Myles Sansted kicked a pair of 42-yard field goals and Adam Jones ran for a fourth-quarter touchdown for the Bobcats. Taco Dowler had a career-high 12 catches for 107 yards.
Oregon went ahead quickly, scoring just 63 seconds into the game on Jayden Limar’s 16-yard run down the left edge.
Kenyon Sadiq pushed past a defender on a 20-yard pass from Moore and scored to make it 14-0. Atticus Sappington added a 23-yard field goal in the opening quarter and the rout was on.
Davison rushed for a touchdown from 2 yards out in the second quarter, then added an 8-yard scoring dash in the third before capping his day with a 1-yard TD in the fourth. He became the first true freshman with three rushing touchdowns in an opener in Oregon history.
The takeaway
Even though Montana State went undefeated en route to the loss in the FCS championship game last season, the Bobcats were no match for the heavily favored Ducks. Oregon went undefeated during the regular season last year and bear Penn State to claim the Big Ten Championship. The team’s only loss was to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl.
Spreading it around
Ten receivers had a catch for the Ducks in the game, and all three of Moore’s touchdowns were thrown to different receivers.
“As a quarterback, it feels great when other people catch the ball, even as a unit you just feel more connected. Usually a lot of times it could be just one person, two people, catching the ball and other receivers kind of feel left out,” Moore said. “But when you have great guys that can make contested catches, can make plays with the ball in their hands, it’s easier for the quarterback to put the ball out there.”
Up next
Montana State: Hosts South Dakota State next Saturday.
Oregon: Hosts Oklahoma State next Saturday.
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By ANNE M. PETERSON
AP Sports Writer
