The College Football Playoff semifinals are getting ready to start, and one of the biggest matchups is the rematch between the Oregon football program and Indiana at the Peach Bowl. The Ducks lost to Indiana at home earlier in the regular season, with the most significant difference being the Hoosiers' defense completely shutting down the Ducks. That has to change if the Ducks have a chance in this game.
When talking to the media before the game, Oregon quarterback Dante Moore praised the way the Hoosiers have played on defense. He credited Indiana defensive coordinator Bryant Haines for doing a great job of bringing multiple looks at offenses. He said that the different protections the Ducks use will be key.
“I got to give their DC and 11 guys on defense credit, they do a good job of bringing multiple looks,” Moore said.
Moore was also critical of the way he played in the first matchup against the Hoosiers and thinks he can fix the issues he faced.
“I was too fast on my progressions. There were some times when there was an open guy, and I mean, you can say I was seeing ghosts out there. More of just trying to get through my progressions too fast. And another thing, too, is when I climbed to the pocket, I was trying to rush and get out.”
In the first game, Moore finished with 186 yards and one touchdown and a 61.8% completion percentage, but also two interceptions. Lanning gave Moore some advice after the poor performance about how adversity would come and how he needed to respond to it. Moore said he is trying to approach this game differently, focusing on the fact that it is just a regular game and not making it bigger than it is.
“But this week we're still the same offense. We're just having fun. Of course, we've been having a few mistakes in practice, but that's what practice is all about. You gotta learn from it. But Indiana is a great competitive team, and we're ready to go out there and play football. It's 11-11 at the end of the day, and we're excited for it.”
