Oregon fans down bad after brutal Peach Bowl loss to Indiana

Fifth-ranked Oregon was riding high entering its Peach Bowl matchup against Indiana. The Ducks advanced to the College Football Playoff semifinal with a shutout win over Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl. And head coach Dan Lanning was confident Oregon football could handle the undefeated Hoosiers.

But with a trip to the National Championship game on the line, things went south quickly for the Ducks. Disaster struck on Oregon’s very first snap. Dante Moore dropped back and fired a pass down the left sideline. But D’Angelo Ponds jumped the route, intercepted Moore and returned the ball 25 yards for a pick-six.

INDIANA PICK SIX ON THE FIRST PLAY

pic.twitter.com/eOXKgRniJJ

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 10, 2026

The early miscue set the stage for Oregon’s brutal first half. Moore committed three turnovers in the first two quarters and Indiana capitalized, turning the quarterback’s mistakes into 21 points.

Oregon comes up small in Peach Bowl blowout

Moore’s final fumble came with under three minutes remaining in the half. While scanning the field, the pocket collapsed and Moore lost the handle. Indiana recovered and six plays later, Fernando Mendoza hit Elijah Sarratt for a two-yard touchdown. The score gave the Hoosiers a commanding 35-7 lead at the break.

Indiana kept the pressure on in the second half as Mendoza diced up the Ducks. The Heisman Trophy winner had more touchdown passes (five) than incompletions (three) against Oregon.

The Ducks would punch in a late touchdown to make the final score appear closer than it really was. But Indiana was in control of the game from start to finish, winning 56-22. The Hoosiers are moving on to face Miami in the CFP title game. And Oregon fans are left to wonder what went wrong.

Oscar Gomez wrote:
“Isn’t Lanning supposed to be a defensive ‘specialist’? Trash preparation tonight…”

Bricklebaum asked:
“Have we seen enough to finally declare getting annihilated in a CFP game is officially called ‘Pulling an Oregon’?”

Eric Hovland added:
“Until Oregon stops coming down with last-minute injuries and laying eggs on the biggest stages, the curse will feel real for many Oregon fans.”

Jason Cullen commented:
“i never thought I would see a Dan Lanning coached team, come out in a cfp game with so little effort, and not ready to play. Nor did I think I would ever see ‘UCLA Dante Moore’ again.”

@innoutburger_ noted:
“ive never seen a QB single handly kill his draft stock in a single half lol”

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