No. 7 Oregon routs Montana State in season opener
Published
EUGENE, Ore. -- — 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.
True freshman Jordan 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.
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.
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.
Up next
Montana State: Hosts South Dakota State next Saturday.
Oregon: Hosts Oklahoma State next Saturday.