STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — For the first time all night, Dante Moore was overwhelmed. The Oregon quarterback paused his victory lap and bent over, staring down at the Beaver Stadium grass while trying his best to collect himself and hold back the tears.

In the moments immediately after his Oregon squad pulled off a 30-24 double-overtime triumph over No. 3 Penn State, Moore was emotionally spent. Ducks coach Dan Lanning, however, was practically vibrating after the stunning finish, brimming with pride that his No. 6 Ducks had what it took to win what he considers the best game he has ever been a part of in his career.

What it took was unbelievable poise from every player in his program, especially from Moore, his sophomore quarterback making just his fifth career road start.

The Ducks had the luxury of elite experience at the quarterback position over Lanning’s first three seasons in Eugene between Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel. On Saturday night, they showed everyone what they have in Moore.

“I think we’ve got the best quarterback in college football,” Lanning said.

Moore threw for 248 yards and three touchdowns, rushed for 35 yards, avoided turnovers and sacks and stayed in control in front of an announced crowd of 111,015, the second-largest in Penn State history. Lanning and his coaches put all their trust in Moore in a game loaded with high-pressure moments, including 18 third downs and seven fourth downs in which the Ducks went for it, converting five of them.

“It’s things you pray and dream about as a kid,” Moore said.

Lanning told his players all week long that the mindset necessary to defeat the Nittany Lions was death by a thousand cuts. No one play was going to knock out their foe. Every play and every cut mattered. That’s precisely how their battle played out.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Ducks went for the kill on a fourth-and-1, and running back Jordon Davison sliced through the Nittany Lion defense for an 8-yard touchdown that, with a 17-3 lead, looked likely to put away the game for good. But it would take many more cuts to eventually take down Penn State.

The Nittany Lions’ offense came to life with 142 yards and two touchdown drives in the fourth quarter to force overtime. Then they needed just three plays to punch in the first touchdown in overtime.

Moore answered with a seven-play march that required him to pick up a fourth-and-1 with the game on the line by himself with a counter run. He picked up 3 yards to convert, then hit tight end Jamari Johnson on a shovel pass on the following play to tie the score.

Then, on the first play of the next drive, Moore evaded unblocked Penn State pass rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton and fired a sidearm throw to Gary Bryant Jr. for a quick 25-yard score. The Ducks’ two-point attempt failed, but all it took was one more cut. Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman intercepted Penn State’s Drew Allar on his first pass of the second overtime.

“Every cut matters, and eventually you hit the jugular,” Lanning said. “That was it right there.”

For Moore, it was a breakthrough moment that has been hard earned. The former No. 2 overall recruit was benched during his freshman season at UCLA in 2023, transferred to Oregon and spent last year out of the spotlight, redshirting and learning to operate the Ducks’ offense as their No. 2 QB behind Gabriel.

After outscoring opponents 203-37 through an easy 4-0 start, it was time for a real test. Teammates didn’t doubt that Moore was ready.

“The dude breeds excellence,” Oregon linebacker Bryce Boettcher said. “He’s just very composed. I mean, he’s 20 years old and the maturity out of him is incredible. Following up after Dillon Gabriel and Bo Nix, that’s no easy shoes to fill. He’s obviously his own person, leads in his own way and I love it. He’s a competitor and I’m glad to have him on our side.”

Lanning called the victory a growth moment not just for his quarterback but his entire Ducks squad. He felt they handled an “unbelievable” road environment with composure, making the White Out crowd a non-factor to the best of their ability.

Against an opponent that Lanning said he expects to face again, whether in the Big Ten title game or the College Football Playoff, Moore and his fellow Ducks didn’t flinch.

“It speaks volumes about how these guys can handle the stage,” Lanning said. “We said the White Out was really gonna be a white canvas for us today. We got an opportunity to paint our masterpiece, and those guys did it.”

AUCKLAND:

Record-breaking Australian prop James Slipper said Sunday that this was his final year in the gold Wallabies shirt and hinted that next week’s Test against New Zealand could be his last.

Slipper became just the third player to reach the milestone of 150 Test appearances during the 33-24 loss in Auckland on Saturday, joining Alun Wyn Jones of Wales and New Zealand’s Sam Whitelock.

The 36-year-old said both Jones and Whitelock had sent him video messages, a gesture he described as “really special”.

Australia face New Zealand again in Perth on Saturday in the final round of this season’s Rugby Championship, when Slipper said it would “potentially” be his Wallabies swansong.

“This will be the last year I’ll be playing, just whether that ends next week or on the spring (northern hemisphere) tour will still be confirmed,” Slipper said.

He said he would only join the squad for Australia’s northern hemisphere tour next month if it was deemed “best for the team”.

“There’s still a bit of water that needs to go under the bridge, so I won’t call it now,” Slipper said.

“It comes down to what’s best for the team. That’s probably what’s going to make my decision.”

Slipper said a fifth World Cup for him, when Australia host the 2027 edition, was “way too far away”.

The Wallabies hit rock bottom when they failed to get out of their pool at the 2023 World Cup, but Slipper said he would leave them in much better shape.

“The improvement we’ve seen over the last 18 months has been really positive for our group and for rugby in Australia,” Slipper said.

“We’re still just probably not getting as many results as we want, and consistent results, but in terms of the base of the game and what we want to see, we’re seeing it.”

Slipper said he would play Super Rugby next year with the ACT Brumbies, where another record is within sight.

He has played 197 Super Rugby matches for the Queensland Reds (103) and Brumbies (94) and needs just five more appearances to match the all-time record of 202 held by retired Canterbury Crusaders prop Wyatt Crockett.

A rising gymnast who hoped to represent his homeland in the Olympics died Thursday after suffering a severe injury during a training accident in Russia.

The Indonesian Gymnastics Federation confirmed the death of Naufal Takdir Al Bari, 19, which occurred following a 12-day stay in intensive care.

“The Indonesian Gymnastics Federation is in mourning, male athlete Naufal Takdir Al Bari has passed away,” the organization wrote on Instagram. “The 19-year-old gymnast breathed his last after undergoing intensive care for 12 days at GA Zakharyin Hospital.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Al Bari reportedly sustained a serious neck injury after he fell into a foam pit while training on the high bar, according to the Russian Gymnastics Federation’s social media post.

Al Bari was eyeing qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

However, leading up to the Summer Games, Al Bari had his sights set on this year’s Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Indonesia. The championships are scheduled to begin in October.

SUNI LEE DISCUSSES OLYMPIC RETURN AFTER KIDNEY DISEASE DIAGNOSIS, ESPYS COMEBACK ATHLETE NOMINATION

In a statement, Indonesian Gymnastics chairperson Ita Yuliati described Al Bari as “a talented young athlete, and a good figure.”

“Indonesian Gymnastics has lost the nation’s best,” the statement continued, adding: “This is a deep blow and sorrow for us. May the family be given strength.”

An investigation into Al Bari’s death concluded he was ill-prepared for the training session.

“We conducted the necessary investigation, and all the circumstances surrounding the injury have been established. Unfortunately, the athlete was not prepared to perform such a complex element,” Vice President of the Russian Gymnastics Federation, Vasily Titov, said in a Telegram post, translated from Russian.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

It remains unclear which specific stunt Al Bari performed leading up to the tragic event.

The Indonesian Gymnastics Federation did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.