Oregon Ducks’ Dante Moore is QB1 in all of College Football: 5 key facts that make that undeniable
Dante Moore is proving to be the best QB in the nation through Week 4 action
The battle for QB1 in the country is always exciting–both for the top pick in the NFL Draft and typically the Heisman Trophy. Dante Moore looks like he may end up winning both honors if he keeps up his absurd pace.
Dante Moore absolutely shredded Oregon State in Oregon’s 41-7 victory over their in-state rival Beavers, adding to what might be a truly special season. 305 yards. Four passing touchdowns. Just 31 pass attempts. Then had added on 53 rushing yards for good measure.
Moore is seriously putting on a show this year, proving that Dan Lanning has the QB1 in the country running his offense. How and why is he so clearly QB1 thus far? Let’s dive in.
Dante Moore is posting elite depth-adjusted accuracy
First off, as we outlined this week, Dante Moore was already among the top QBs in the country based on the meaningful metrics heading into Week 4.
Dante Moore is now completing 75% of his passes on the season. Raw completion percentage doesn’t typically tell any meaningful story, but when we adjust for the expected completion rate Moore is quite impressive. Moore’s averaging around nine air yards per target so far, yet still posting a near-nation-leading completion rate.
It’s not just the story being told on paper either. Moore’s putting the ball exactly where his wide receivers need it to make huge plays (as you can see on the sideline throw below from the Oregon State game).
Dante Moore tossing touchdowns at higher rate than nearly all other QBs
Heading into Week 4, only five quarterbacks in the country were averaging a 12% touchdown rate on the year. A few of those top QBs posted poor performances on Saturday, so Dante Moore skyrocketed up the ranks in his touchdown efficiency compared to the best in the game. He’s now among a very few in the country posting a 12% touchdown rate on the year.
He found four different targets for touchdowns on Saturday: Dakorien Moore, Kenyon Sadiq, Jeremiah McClellan, and then Gary Bryant Jr. for his fourth on the day. Moore is just making it look too easy to find the end zone.
Dante Moore is elite with his elusiveness against pressure
Moore was one of just five power conference quarterbacks coming into Week 4 who hadn’t taken a sack yet. He emerged from the Oregon State victory with his first sack on the season, but is still among the elites at avoiding pressure.
Moore has faced around 20 pass rush pressures on the year, but taken just one sack. That’s good for around a 5% pressure to sack rate. The FBS average is 17% right now.
Dante Moore’s situational impact on Heisman Trophy trajectory
For those unfamiliar, one of the best statistical indicators of high level quarterback play is Expected Points Added (EPA) per play.
EPA per play helps adjust for precise situational expectation and then measures a quarterback’s results versus that expected outcome.
In short, Moore is adding points to the Oregon Ducks’ offense consistently above expectation–so much so that he is most certainly on Heisman Trophy winner pace.
Jayden Daniels average around 0.7 EPA per play back in 2023 when he won. All the QBs in the mix this past year averaged 0.5 EPA per play or more. Moore was already posting 0.67 EPA per play heading into Week 4. After all the results are officially finalized his mark will likely even be higher on the year.
Dante Moore is a first down machine
Yet another stat that helps predict future success and typically remains pretty stable for the best of the best quarterbacks is “first downs per drop back”. Moore already ranked eighth in the country in first downs per drop back. Then he added 16 more first downs (including the 4 touchdown plays) against Oregon State, likely boosting his rank near the top of the national ranks here too.
Dante Moore is going to find himself atop the list for most every single meaningful quarterback play measure coming off of Week action. He’s making all the throws, adding value with his legs, evading pressure, and looking like the true QB1 in the nation. There’s really almost no other competition in the mix for that title.
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