The Oregon Ducks attempt to defend their Big Ten football crown this fall, but there is going to be a new look at quarterback. With Dillon Gabriel departing for the NFL, it appears Dante Moore is destined to replace Gabriel this fall and lead the Ducks.
In a recent interview with ESPN's "Always College Football," head coach Dan Lanning discussed the situation of the at-large quarterback and how he sees it playing out without naming a would-be starter.
"I think what’s really critical is they have to be themselves,” Lanning said. “But we got to figure out what they can handle. Whether it’s Dante or Austin (Novosad) or Luke (Moga) or whoever’s out there for us at quarterback, each one of them is going to be a little bit different."
Lanning said he's allowing the quarterback room to ease into running the offense, starting with pacing and making sure each is fundamentally sound.
“We have to do things so frequently and so often in practice that they become second nature to our players in games," Lanning said. "I don’t want to ever be asking to do something on game day that they haven’t already replicated in summer and spring and practice in the fall. We want them to do stuff that’s routine. When you have great players, they’ll make routine plays look like elite plays because they execute it at such a high level.”
The Ducks had a successful first year in the Big Ten. After winning the conference title game in December, they fell to eventual national champion Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. Despite the loss, they should remain in the mix for yet another postseason berth.
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Only time will tell, though. It starts with getting the quarterback position correct.