On the late-April Saturday that annually plays host to Autzen Stadium’s least serious football game of the year, any meaning lacking in the Combat Ducks’ (black jerseys) 17-10 win over the Fighting Ducks (white jerseys) was made up for by reminders from the concurrent NFL Draft of the deep meaning that lies at the end of the season.

The first of those moments was the roar from the crowd that had just finished trickling in midway through the first quarter when Indianapolis Colts fourth-round pick Bryce Boettcher made an appearance. 

Later in the first half, Malik Benson’s selection by the Las Vegas Raiders in the sixth round prompted his former quarterback, Dante Moore, to jump down the sideline in celebration, and shortly before the third quarter, Alex Harkey going to the Los Angeles Chargers in the sixth round brought a similar scene.

That cycle restarted for another deep class of NFL talent on Oregon’s roster with Dante Moore (7-11, 57 passing yards, passing TD) and Dakorien Moore (five catches, 133 yards, TD) breaking through a quiet offensive game, and Peyton Woodyard (five total tackles) and Matt Johnson (four total tackles, two sacks) matching the Fighting Ducks’ defense.

“There was some good on both sides, but ultimately, I have to go back and watch it,” head coach Dan Lanning said. “I mean, part of it’s about, ‘Okay, who’s throwing? Who are you throwing it to? Who’s protecting for you? What was called’?”

Dante Moore got the Combat Ducks’ opening drive moving with back-to-back completions to Dakorien Moore of 10 and 15 yards. After a couple unproductive run plays, the Ducks’ expected starting quarterback kept the drive from stalling on his own, rolling out to his right and picking up 21 yards. He then found tight end Jamari Johnson wide open in the end zone to put the Combat Ducks ahead 7-0.

“Last year,
he brought me in, made sure I was in with the older guys, just seeing the potential in me,” Dakorien Moore said about Dante Moore. “This year, he already knows what I can do, so (he was) just trying to get me started early and make sure I get warm.”

The Fighting Ducks responded with ease. Staring down third-and-4 from his own 16-yard line, Nebraska transfer quarterback Dylan Raiola found an in-breaking Evan Stewart for a first down. After their first connection, Stewart and Raiola took a swing, with Stewart breaking free down the sideline and Raiola dropping the pass in perfectly for a 76-yard touchdown.

“I was just hoping they didn’t blow it dead, because I know Evan’s not getting caught,” Raiola said. “It was kind of surreal, I don’t really remember what happened.”

After a Combat Ducks punt, Smith threw a deep jump ball over the middle, and Dakorien Moore tracked it all the way, coming down with the diving catch for a 43-yard gain. The Fighting Ducks eventually settled for a 35-yard field goal by Gage Hurych to go ahead 10-7.

The Combat Ducks provided a clean showcase of newly-promoted offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer’s final-minute playbook (assisted by guest coach Penei Sewell) going into halftime. On third-and-7, needing a chunk of yards, Thomas hit Stewart along the sideline for a 19-yard gain to place the ball on the offensive 31-yard line. After one more short pass to freshman wideout Messiah Hampton for four yards, Hurych made a 45-yard field goal to tie the game 10-10.

“When roles change in an organization, it’s, ‘Okay, who’s talking to the guys before the game? Who’s making sure we have our call sheets prepared the way they need to be prepared?’” Lanning said. “There’s a lot of that day in and day out that’s really important for us to be able to execute at a high level on game day.”

After the Combat Ducks couldn’t muster anything with the opening drive of the second half, Raiola provided another highlight for the Fighting Ducks. He lofted a pass over the black jersey in coverage, allowing Hampton to haul it in through contact for 33 yards. Sacks by University of North Carolina transfer D’Antre Robinson and redshirt freshman Matt Johnson prompted a punt.

“(Johnson) has been one of the guys with me,” redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Aydin Breland said. “Me and him get extra in together with Coach Rip (Rowan), and obviously his game has progressed to a different level.”

On the opening drive of the fourth quarter, Smith took over for the Combat Ducks and fired a strike over the middle to redshirt freshman wide receiver Aaron Bidwell for a gain of 20 yards. Breland contributed to another defensive stop with his second and third sacks of the game on consecutive plays.

“The coaches always say Aydin Breland took the biggest stride during the spring, so glad he stepped up a lot and caused a lot of havoc today,” linebacker Jerry Mixon said.

With under 30 seconds left in a scoreless fourth quarter, the Combat Ducks ended the lengthy offensive drought when Dakorien Moore blew past every white jersey on the field and hauled in a pass from Thomas to clinch the win with a 60-yard touchdown.

“It was supposed to be a stop-and-go, but I seen the DB was outside leverage, so I just took it inside, knowing he was ready to run, game on the line, time not really what we wanted to be,” Dakorien Moore said. “I just used my God-given ability to run past them, got the ball that I needed, and we connected.”

With their thinly-veiled competitiveness dropped, Dakorien Moore sprinted across the field to bear hug Stewart as the end of the 48-minute annual rivalry between the Combat and Fighting Ducks allowed the rest of the Oregon teammates to come together.

Oregon will officially return to Autzen Stadium on Sept. 5 for its 2026 opener against Boise State University.