Oregon was ready for the White Out atmosphere from the start of Saturday’s Big Ten showdown with Penn State in prime time at Beaver Stadium.
The Ducks were not rattled by a roaring crowd of more than 111,000 dressed in White.
Oregon (5-0, 2-0) more than held its own in the trenches and Dan Lanning’s defense limited Penn State (3-1, 0-1) to three points going into the fourth quarter.
The Ducks did allow a pair fourth-quarter touchdowns to PSU and the game ultimately went into overtime.
But the visitors outscored the Lions 13-7 in two overtime periods and veteran safety Dillon Thieneman, a transfer from Purdue, intercepted a Drew Allar pass on PSU’s second OT possession to seal Oregon’s 30-24 victory.
Naturally, Lanning was thrilled with how his team performed in a challenging environment. You can start with new quarterback Dante Moore, who outplayed Allar. Oregon produced 424 yards of offense.
“I think that’s the best game I’ve ever been a part of, regardless of who won that game, unbelievable back and forth,” Lanning said.
“Penn State is a damn good football team. They figured out some stuff there against us at the end. I think we both scored two touchdowns in the second half, just an unbelievable back and forth.”
Moore finished 29 of 39 for 248 yards and three touchdowns and he also rushed for 35 yards on 10 carries. The Ducks did not turn the ball over and Moore’s lone mistake was a failed two-point pass try in the second OT as PSU edge rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton intercepted his throw.
“I think we have the best quarterback in college football,” Lanning said when asked about Moore.
“Anybody watch that game? That guy’s composure, his poise…tells you a little bit about that guy.”
Oregon used plenty of young players against the Lions and the Ducks were very active in the transfer portal following the 2024 season. Many of the visitors’ new faces made an impact against Penn State.
“I think that’s two years in a row we played against the biggest crowd in Oregon history, which speaks volumes about how these guys can handle the stage,” Lanning said.
“What we said was, how the White Out was really going to be a white canvas for us today. We had an opportunity to win, and those guys did it.
“Unbelievable job just going out there and executing every play and then playing the next play. I thought we had really good composure throughout the game.”
Lanning would add: “This is a huge one for our entire team, right? Because that crowd’s probably worth seven points, right? And they really weren’t tonight.”
.