Sports
Ducks’ Moore breaks through in 2OT upset of PSU
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.”
PULLMAN, Wash. — Washington State forward Emmanuel Ugbo, who is currently under a court order resulting from allegations of stalking and harassment, has been suspended for the remainder of the season.
Coach David Riley told reporters this week that Ugbo, who has neither played nor practiced for the Cougars since he was suspended on Jan. 28, will sit out the rest of the way.
“As an institution,” Riley told reporters, “we believe that’s the best course of action.”
Ugbo was accused by a Washington State women’s volleyball player of stalking and harassment after she ended their relationship. Last week, a Whitman County judge granted the woman a full protection order against Ugbo.
Ugbo’s suspension began with Washington State’s home game on Jan. 31, shortly after the woman filed for a temporary protection order. Ugbo averaged 6.7 points and 3.5 rebounds in 18 minutes this season. He previously played for Boise State.
Sports
Anthony Richardson free to seek trade after injury setbacks amid Colts’ shift to Daniel Jones
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Anthony Richardson Sr.’s future in Indianapolis faces more uncertainty than ever.
The Indianapolis Colts granted Anthony Richardson, the team that used the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on the quarterback, permission to explore a trade. His agent, Deiric Jackson, confirmed the latest development in the 23-year-old’s tumultuous career to ESPN on Thursday.
Veteran quarterback Daniel Jones beat out Richardson in a preseason competition for the starting job. Jones made the most of another opportunity as an NFL starter, helping the Colts win eight of their first 10 games of the 2025 regular season.
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Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson heads off the field after an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 in Denver, Colorado. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
However, his season was ultimately derailed by an Achilles injury. The setback came two years after he tore an ACL with the New York Giants. The Colts appear ready to move forward with Jones, clouding Richardson’s future in Indianapolis.
Jones is set to become a free agent in March, meaning the Colts must either use the franchise tag or sign him to a new deal. Richardson has started just 15 games in three seasons with the Colts, his tenure largely shaped by injuries.
A shoulder surgery limited Richardson to four games during his rookie campaign, while a series of setbacks cost him four games in 2024.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) looks for an open receiver during the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. (Troy Taormina/Imagn Images)
Richardson suffered what was described as a “freak pregame incident” during warmups last season, landing him on injured reserve after attempting just two passes in two games in 2025. He has thrown 11 touchdowns against 13 interceptions in his NFL career.
Colts general manager Chris Ballard said Tuesday that the vision problems stemming from Richardson’s orbital fracture last October are “trending in the right direction.” He added that Richardson has been “cleared to play.”
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) celebrates his touchdown against the New York Jets during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Brad Penner/Imagn Images)
Riley Leonard, a sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, is expected to return to the Colts next season.
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When asked about Richardson’s standing with the Colts moving ahead, Ballard replied, “I still believe in Anthony.”
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The German word of the week in the Bundesliga ahead of Saturday’s showdown (live at 12:30 p.m. ET, on ESPN+) is not the marketing invention der Klassiker but rather die Aufholjagd (literally, “the hunt to pursue”).
There are in all honesty, very few, even here in the bustling Ruhrpott this week, who believe Borussia Dortmund are likely to make up nine points on leaders Bayern Munich. With the goal difference equation stacked in favor of the Rekordmeister, that is the challenge facing BVB with only 11 games left. But a head-to-head Gipfeltreffen (summit meeting) offers a chance for a new perspective.
Dortmund have spent much of this season under Niko Kovac defying stereotypes: showing a more stable face, grinding out wins, pressing better, reemerging as clearly the second-best team in the Bundesrepublik.
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But on Wednesday night in Bergamo, the old problems came back to haunt die Schwarz-Gelben, and the team collectively had to Lehrgeld zahlen (literally pay up as a result of being taught a painful lesson) after being eliminated by Atalanta in their knockout round playoff tie in the UEFA Champions League.
Whether Dortmund can translate those lessons — among them, don’t start a big match so passively and Gregor Kobel, don’t give the ball to the opposition with extra time looming — into something successful against a team of Bayern’s sheer quality, is another matter.
Bayern are almost certain to break the Bundesliga’s single-season goal-scoring record (they have 85 goals and need 17 more, a mere bagatelle surely?) Harry Kane requires 14 between now and mid-May to surpass Robert Lewandowski‘s 2020-21 benchmark of 41 league goals. The Englishman has registered a Doppelpack (double) in each of his past three league matches and if he stays fit, you would not bet against him becoming the most goal-rich winner of the Torjägerkanone award ever.
With Michael Olise scoring freely and more importantly, assisting others, and Luis Díaz posing significant problems for opposing sides, Bayern win most games by overwhelming and obliterating. Nobody does it better.
There is, however, a slight glass-jaw quality defensively, which has been evident since January, with only one Bundesliga clean sheet so far this calendar year.
Augsburg for example, have gone to the Allianz Arena and beaten them, Hoffenheim caused them bother even while down to 10 men, and last week Eintracht Frankfurt scored a couple of late goals that Bayern fans, anticipating an easy win, will have seen as nervig (irritating).
At the time of writing, it is unclear who will stand between the posts for the Rekordmeister. Manuel Neuer has been working all week in a bid to get back into the side after sustaining a calf muscle injury at the Weserstadion nearly two weeks ago.
However, Bayern have faith in 22-year-old understudy Jonas Urbig, who looks ever more like the future custodian. Urbig stumbled in the Augsburg game, but his performances have ranged mostly from good to excellent.
If there are any doubts about Neuer’s fitness, it would seem foolish — given the eight-point difference at the top and crunch Champions League matches ahead — to take a chance. Alphonso Davies is out for the foreseeable future with a muscle fiber injury, but with Konrad Laimer available again, Vincent Kompany has plenty of squad depth in the fullback positions with Josip Stanisic and Hiroki Ito.
It almost seems unfair to Dortmund, given the colossal task that they face on Saturday, that right wing back Julian Ryerson is suspended. The Norwegian, once viewed as an honest journeyman, has transformed himself into one of the most valuable players in Kovac’s squad.
Diligent in normal play, Ryerson’s deliveries from open or set play situations can be devilish and he recently crafted all four goals in the same game against Mainz. Yan Couto, more adventurous going forward but less secure defensively, must fulfill that role against Bayern.
At least Nico Schlotterbeck will return to anchor the Dreierkette (back three) in front of Kobel, whose 11 clean sheets top the Bundesliga goalkeeping charts. BVB will require energy and guile in abundance from Marcel Sabitzer and Felix Nmecha in midfield against the formidable duo of Joshua Kimmich and Aleksandar Pavlovic.
Saturday is due to be another day of Verkehrschaos in Dortmund and there have been a few recently. This one is due to industrial action by the trade union, Verdi, knocking out the Stadtbahn (city train/tram service) and bus lines. Fans have been urged to walk the 40 minutes from the Stadtzentrum (city center) to the Signal Iduna Park.
Thereafter, there’s a very real danger that in 90 minutes, Dortmund’s season could effectively disappear in a puff of smoke. Already out of the Champions League and the DFB-Pokal, defeat in the Klassiker would make an Aufholjagd unthinkable.
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