No. 2 Oregon overcomes slow start, survives Boise

EUGENE, Ore. -- Dante Moore threw for 388 yards and three touchdowns, and No. 2 Oregon overcame a slow start to defeat resilient Boise State 34-27 in the season opener for both teams Saturday. After trading field goals to tie the score at 27-27 in the fourth quarter, Dakorien Moore scored on a 62-yard reception to give the Ducks the lead for good with 7:51 left to play. Oregon has won 16 straight season openers at Autzen Stadium. The Ducks have 39 straight wins at home against nonconference opponents, the longest streak in the nation. Dante Moore stayed at Oregon after throwing for 3,565 yards and 30 touchdowns last season when the Ducks went 13-2. Boise State returned quarterback Maddux Madsen, who threw for 181 yards and three scores in the opener after finishing last season with 2,334 yards passing and 18 touchdowns. The Broncos, who join the rebuilt Pac-12 this year, went 9-5 last season in the Mountain West and fell to Washington 38-10 in the LA Bowl. Boise State, which went into the game as 24½-point underdogs, scored on the first series of the game, when Madsen hit Cam Bates with a 13-yard scoring pass to cap an 11-play, 75-yard drive. The Ducks tied it on Jordon Davison's 1-yard dive early in the second quarter. After Evan Stewart muffed a punt and the Broncos recovered, Sire Gaines scored on a 37-yard reception to give Boise State the lead again. Canaan Moore added a 29-yard field goal to extend it with 2:48 left before halftime. With 19 seconds left, Dante Moore found Jamari Johnson with a 27-yard pass to close the game to 17-14 at the break. The half was reminiscent of the last meeting between the teams in 2024. The Ducks fell behind 20-14 at halftime but pulled out a 37-34 win with a field goal as time expired. After Gage Hurych's 26-yard field goal, Oregon went ahead on Jeremiah McClellan's 8-yard TD catch. But the Broncos tied it up again before the end of the third quarter on Madsen's 7-yard scoring pass to Matt Wagner. Hurych and Canaan Moore traded field goals in the fourth quarter before Dakorien Moore's touchdown.