# Oregon Coach Dan Lanning Pushes Back on Dante Moore Injury Narrative

> Oregon coach Dan Lanning says Dante Moore won't return this season after concussion but remains a key practice asset.
- Title: Oregon Coach Dan Lanning Pushes Back on Dante Moore Injury…
- Summary: Oregon coach Dan Lanning says Dante Moore won't return this season after concussion but remains a key practice asset.
- Keywords: oregon, dan lanning, dante moore, concussion, college football, heisman trophy, usc, college football playoff, sports, Coach, Dan, Lanning
- Source: Oregon Ducks On SI — https://si.com/college/oregon/football/oregon-coach-dan-lanning-pushes-back-dante-moore-injury-narrative
- Published: 2026-10-27T14:20:00+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: oregon, dan lanning, dante moore, concussion, college football, heisman trophy, usc, college football playoff, sports
## Dante Moore's Heisman Campaign
Before the season, Oregon quarterback Dante Moore was featured on gigantic billboards in Japan as part of a Heisman Trophy campaign.
## Moore's Injury
Moore suffered a concussion on a targeting hit against USC in Los Angeles.
## Ducks Coach Stance
Ducks coach Dan Lanning said he does not anticipate Moore returning this season.
## Injury Scene
Moore was taken off the field on a stretcher, transported to an ambulance and then taken to the hospital.
## Lanning's Clarification
Lanning made clear the quarterback’s absence is not a matter of choice.
## Lanning's Quote
I think if it was up to Dante in any shape, way, he would want to be out there playing for the guys, but unfortunately, it’s not really up to Dante.

> I think if it was up to Dante in any shape, way, he would want to be out there playing for the guys. But unfortunately, it’s not really up to Dante. It’s not really up to me
## Team Performance
Oregon’s season has three losses and is all but eliminated from the College Football Playoff.
## Lanning Pushes Back
Lanning pushed back on the idea that Oregon’s season direction is tied to Moore’s absence.
## Lanning's Second Quote
This isn’t like a selfish decision on Dante’s part saying, 'I don’t want to come back.' The season doesn’t look like the way I want it to look.

> This isn’t like a selfish decision on Dante’s part saying, 'I don’t want to come back.' The season doesn’t look like the way I want it to look
## Team Mentality
Moore’s team-first mentality helped Dakorien Moore recover from injury after arriving at Oregon in 2025.
## Lanning's Third Quote
It’s tough, man. You never step out on the football field in the middle of a game playing and then anticipate you won’t get the opportunity to continue doing that right now.

> Yeah, it’s tough, man. It’s tough. You never step out on the football field in the middle of a game playing and then anticipate that you’re not going to get the opportunity to be able to continue to do that right now in this season and the way it is. So it’s tough, but he’s handled it really well
## Practice Impact
Moore has been able to participate in practice since the concussion, throwing and working with the Ducks.
## Lanning's Fourth Quote
We can control the setting at practice where he’s able to do things for us, where that’s not always the case in the game.

> We can control the setting at practice where he’s able to do things for us, where that’s not always the case in the game
## Future Outlook
Lanning said Moore will be 100 percent recovered and be an effective player in the future.
## Next Season Question
Moore’s long-term future is unclear as Lanning said they haven’t discussed what comes next.
## Key takeaway

Oregon coach Dan Lanning says Dante Moore won't return this season after concussion but remains a key practice asset.