Fans were down after a brutal Peach Bowl loss to Indiana

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

But with a trip to the national championship game, things quickly went south for the Ducks. On the first tape of the Oregon game, disaster struck. Dante Moore dropped 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.

https://tvitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/2009790779766788351

An early mistake set the stage for a brutal first half for Oregon. Moore committed three turnovers in the first two quarters and Indiana capitalized, turning quarterback mistakes into 21 points.

Oregon is small in the Peach Bowl blowout

Moore’s final try came with less than three minutes left in the half. As he scanned the field, the pocket collapsed and Moore lost his handle. Mario Landino recovered for Indiana, and six plays later, Fernando Mendoza hit Elijah Saratto for a two-yard touchdown. The score gave the Hoosiers a commanding 35-7 lead at halftime.

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

The Ducks would punt on a late touchdown to make the final score of 56-22 seem closer than it really was. But Indiana controlled the game from start to finish. The Hoosiers move on face Miami in the CFP title game. And Oregon fans are left wondering what went wrong.

Oscar Gomez wrote:
“Shouldn’t Lanning be a ‘specialist’ on defense? He’s preparing garbage tonight…”

Bricklebaum asked:
“Have we seen enough to finally declare that CFP game destruction is officially called the ‘Oregon Pull’ from now on?”

Eric Hovland added:
“Until Oregon stops going 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’d see a team coached by Dan Lanning, take part in a cfp game with so little effort and not be ready to play. Nor did I ever think I’d see ‘UCLA Dante Moore’ again.”

@innoutburger_ noticed:
“I’ve never seen KB kill his own stock in one half haha”