Instant Reaction: Oregon Spring Game a success in more ways than one

USA Today

26-04-2025

Instant Reaction: Oregon Spring Game a success in more ways than one
For those attending the Oregon Ducks Spring Game and wanting to see a lot of offense, they might have been a bit disappointed.
It was the Duck defense, on both sides, that was brighter on this Saturday afternoon inside Autzen Stadium. Whether that's a forecast for the upcoming 2025 regular season remains to be seen, but considering Dan Lanning is the head coach, it shouldn't shock anyone to find out Oregon has a dominating defense.
The offense wasn't running on every cylinder in the exhibition for a variety of reasons. One rule is that touching the quarterback is a sack, and coaches today don't want to open the playbook very much and give opponents even more film than they already have. It was just Chapter 1 of offensive coordinator Will Stein's playbook.
There were a few plays of note, such as freshman Dakorian Moore's one-handed grab on the sideline for 36 yards and linebacker Blake Purchase's scoop-and-score for the Fighting Ducks. Between the five quarterbacks that saw action, it was redshirt freshman Luke Moga who looked the most impressive. He led the Combat Ducks (white team) on a game-winning drive with a long pass to receiver Dillon Gresham with 1:20 remaining.
All in all, it was a fun time at Autzen where the fans got just a taste of what's to come in the fall.
Final Score: Combat Ducks (White) 24, Fighting Ducks (Black) 20
Keys to the Game
Jayden Limar put the Combat Ducks on the board first with a 31-yard run where a huge hole opened up on the right side.
Receiver Dakorien Moore made his presence known early with a nice one-handed catch on the right sideline in what was one of Dante Moore's better throws of the game.
A pair of field goals rounded out the scoring for the first half, but it was Blake Purchase's 38-yard scoop-and-score that got the crowd into it in the second half.
Running back Jay Harris, who fumbled the ball earlier for Purchase to score on, redeemed himself with two second-half touchdowns to keep the Fighting Ducks in the game. The team in black briefly took a 20-17 lead with just over two minutes to go.
But the Combat Ducks, behind Moga, shocked the Fighting Ducks with a long pass and run to Dillon Gresham that went 56 yards for the win.
Players of the Game
Luke Moga: 6-of-13 passing, 112 yards, 1 TD
Dante Moore: 12-of-20 passing, 140 yards
Jayden Limar: 5 carries, 43 yards, 1 TD
Dillon Gresham: 3 catches, 96 yards, 1 TD
Kenyon Sadiq: 7 catches, 102 yards
Key Stats to Know
First Downs: Combat 17, Fighting 12
Time of Possession: Combat 30:09, Fighting 41:09
Third Down Conversions: Combat 3-of-13, Fighting 5-of-12
Sacks: Combat 4-for-32 yards, Fighting: 7-for 49 yards
What's Next?
The spring practices are over and the Ducks will go into summer training and fall camp in preparation for the 2025 season, where Oregon will open up the season at Autzen with Montana State.