Oklahoma State's defense was nothing short of exceptional in the Cowboys' 39-31 win over Oregon on Saturday. It seemed as though Oklahoma State knew what was coming -- and to some degree, it did.
Since that stunning upset, Oregon quarterback Dante Moore's stances have gotten a lot of attention because he appears to be unintentionally tipping the play based on how his feet are aligned. An even stance typically indicates a run play, and a split stance generally indicates a pass.
Cowboys coach Eric Morris joined CBS Sports Network on Tuesday and credited two of his most experienced linebackers for discovering the trends associated with Moore's stance.
Dante Moore’s stance was GIVING AWAY run or pass almost every time.
— Oregon Updates (@oregon__updates) September 14, 2026
More balanced stance = RUN
One foot forward = PASS
Just watch this. This is only from the first couple drives. And it kept happening ALL GAME. pic.twitter.com/DeIts4nNdZ
"It was our linebackers," Morris said. "Ethan Wesloski and Tate Romney. Super sharp kids. Played a ton of football."
Morris added that coaches are always paranoid about accidentally giving something away, so it was a good catch by Wesloski and Romney. Still, Morris downplayed the importance of the tips because they don't do any good if you can't go make the play.
"Coaches are always paranoid," Morris said. "We're paranoid about getting our signals stolen. We're paranoid about whether we're tipping something off via stance of an offensive lineman or how the quarterback stands. We live in a state of paranoia.
"Those things help a little bit, but execution is still the most important thing in this game."
As much as Morris wants to downplay it, it's hard to believe Moore's stance didn't have a sizable impact. The Cowboys allowed just 281 yards of total offense to the Ducks one week after surrendering 361 yards to Tulsa in a 24-10 loss. Oklahoma State held Oregon to 3.0 yards per rush and 6.6 yards per attempt through the air.
Oregon still has bigger problems
The good news for the Ducks is that Moore's stance can be fixed, but that's far from the team's biggest issue right now.
On the other side of the ball, Oregon's defense didn't look like a championship-caliber unit in Stillwater. The Cowboys piled up 554 yards of offense while averaging 6.76 yards per play. The most concerning part of that is how little resistance the Ducks provided in the trenches.
Oregon registered just one tackle for loss and failed to sack Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker, who attempted 43 passes. It looked all too easy for the Cowboys' offensive line, which just a week earlier had some issues with Tulsa.
Tulsa managed to disrupt the Oklahoma State offense with two tackles for loss and three sacks, which only makes Oregon's toothless effort look even worse than it already did.
The Ducks' defense was responsible for 14 of the team's points with a pick-6 and another interception returned to the 1-yard line, but if it wasn't creating turnovers, it was getting shredded. The Cowboys' top three receivers in Saturday's game had receptions of 52 yards, 34 yards and 39 yards, respectively.
On the ground, Caleb Hawkins' longest rush was just 26 yards, but he averaged 4.8 yards per carry. Mestemaker himself began the game with a 75-yard scamper, however.
With USC coming up in two weeks, the Ducks have a lot to work out against Portland State because Jayden Maiava and the Trojans' offense are capable of doing serious damage if Oregon turns in a similar performance in Los Angeles.
