Dan Lanning and No. 6 Oregon left the White Out crowd stunned and handed James Franklin and No. 3 Penn State another big-game loss, 30-24, in double overtime on Saturday night.

After Drew Allar rallied the Nittany Lions back from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter to force overtime, the senior quarterback threw a game-ending interception to Ducks safety Dillon Thieneman in the second overtime period.

PICKED 🗣️

NO. 6 @oregonfootball KNOCKS OFF NO. 3 PENN STATE IN OT ‼️ pic.twitter.com/zEOFC8XqIA

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) September 28, 2025

Penn State had totaled just 109 yards in the first three quarters before piling up 142 yards on the next two drives to rally from down 14 and force OT. The Nittany Lions made it three straight possessions with a touchdown when Kaytron Allen went in from 4 yards out in the top of the first overtime to take a 24-17 lead. Oregon matched Penn State with a touch-pass 2-yard touchdown from Dante Moore to Jamari Johnson, and it was on to a second OT.

Oregon quickly scored again on a 25-yard touchdown pass from Moore to Gary Bryant Jr., and though Penn State intercepted the mandatory two-point try, the Ducks shut the door with Thieneman’s highlight-reel interception to end a roller-coaster night for Allar in front of a crowd of 111,015, the second-largest in Beaver Stadium history.

Definitely better at night. pic.twitter.com/5b0zVTIriN

— Ralph D. Russo (@ralphDrussoATH) September 27, 2025

Franklin dropped to 4-21 in games against opponents ranked in the AP top 10 during his 11 seasons at Penn State (3-1, 0-1 Big Ten), last winning a regular-season game against a top-10 foe in 2016 against No. 2 Ohio State.

“Neither offense was explosive, but we battled,” Franklin said. “We were resilient, and we had a chance to win the game at the end. So I’m proud of the guys in the locker room, obviously disappointed and not satisfied one bit, but I’m proud of the way our guys battled and gave ourselves a chance to win the game at the end.”

Oregon (5-0, 2-0) still has not lost a regular-season game as a member of the Big Ten. Ohio State — and new Penn State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles — handed the Ducks their only defeat last year in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals after Oregon beat Penn State for the Big Ten title.

A crucial turning point

After punting in Oregon territory with the score tied 3-3 in the third quarter, Penn State appeared to make a game-changing play. Oregon drove into the red zone, where Chaz Coleman stripped the ball from Noah Whittington and the fumble was returned to near midfield by Zakee Wheatley

It initially looked like a clear fumble, but Whittington’s knee grazed the grass first, and the play was reversed upon review. On the next play, Moore found Dierre Hill Jr. for the game’s first touchdown.

This is how close Oregon was to not being down on the overturned fumble call 👀

📺:NBC pic.twitter.com/62yfJoeORR

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 28, 2025

Penn State subsequently went three-and-out, and Moore led Oregon on a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to take a seemingly commanding lead before the Nittany Lions’ offense finally woke up.

Familiar problems for Penn State

Penn State did next to nothing offensively for most of three quarters, getting booed off the field repeatedly by the home fans.

Allar rarely looked comfortable against a good Oregon pass rush and a running game that pounded the Ducks for nearly 300 yards rushing in last December’s Big Ten championship game was bottled up.

Something clicked after falling behind 17-3 early in the fourth quarter. Allar completed three straight throws on the ensuing drive, including a perfectly placed long touchdown to Devonte Ross.

DREW up a TUDDY. ✍️

Drew Allar drops Devonte Ross a DIME. pic.twitter.com/VmFADrRPoV

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) September 28, 2025

Still, the senior, who somewhat surprisingly returned for one more college season, finished 14-for-25 for 137 yards, two touchdowns and the game-ending interception. He also ran for 42 yards to spark the game-tying drive in the fourth quarter. Penn State fans can find some solace in the fourth-quarter rally, but overall it was another underwhelming performance against top-flight competition for the former five-star recruit.

“Obviously, it hurts,” Allar said. “We had opportunities. It’s a long season ahead of us.”

In six previous games against Ohio State (twice), Michigan, Oregon, Ole Miss and Notre Dame, Allar completed 49 percent, averaged 5.7 yards per attempt and threw seven TDs and four interceptions.

Penn State brought in three new wide receivers to help Allar after last season ended in the CFP semifinals with a loss to Notre Dame that featured zero connections between the quarterback and his wideouts.

In the first big test of the season, Trebor Pena, Kyron Hudson and Ross combined for six catches for 64 yards. Not much of a return on investment, at least until Ross’ two touchdowns. — Ralph D. Russo

Oregon outgained Penn State 424 to 276. (James Lang / Imagn Images)Moore passes first real test of Oregon career

Through the first four games of the season and four quarters of regulation on Saturday night, Dante Moore was not required to be Superman.

Then Oregon entered overtime against Penn State. Moore, who gained valuable starting experience at UCLA as a true freshman in 2023, had never played in an atmosphere like the one he faced against Penn State — a ferocious defense and a White Out crowd.

He met the moment in overtime and made several clutch throws — including a 2-yard touchdown pass to Johnson to tie the game in the first overtime and the 25-yarder to Bryant in the second overtime — to help Oregon clinch its first marquee victory of the 2025 season.

Moore was excellent in his first four games as Oregon’s starting quarterback. But Montana State, Oklahoma State, Northwestern and Oregon State don’t necessarily qualify as difficult challengers.

The Nittany Lions certainly are.

Moore managed the game, didn’t make costly mistakes and played point guard well by distributing the ball to Oregon’s talented playmakers like tight end Kenyon Sadiq and freshman wideout Dakorien Moore. He completed 29 of 39 passes for 248 yards and three touchdowns, in addition to rushing for 35 yards.

Dante Moore was money in some critical situations, too. He scrambled and found Sadiq for a 23-yard connection on a third-and-3 to spark the Ducks’ first touchdown drive. He hit Dakorien Moore for a 29-yard gain on third-and-4 on Oregon’s second touchdown drive as well.

“Our quarterback is an absolute all-star,” Lanning told NBC after the win.

With this experience under his belt, Moore is truly battle-tested, and that should benefit Oregon as it chases back-to-back Big Ten championships. — Antonio Morales

What a moment between Dan Lanning and Dante Moore 💚 pic.twitter.com/KDeAwHafsD

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) September 28, 2025

What does this win mean for Oregon?

It’s not like Lanning doesn’t have high-profile wins under his belt. The Ducks beat No. 2 Ohio State in the regular season last year and No. 3 Penn State in the Big Ten title game. Still, going into Happy Valley and winning a White Out game against a top-five team with national championship hopes feels really significant for the program.

Oregon won the Big Ten in 2024, and after the Ducks lost a lot of talent from that squad, this victory proves Lanning program’s here to stay and will be in the mix for the conference championship yet again.

The Ducks’ odds to reach the College Football Playoff jumped to 90 percent after the win, according to The Athletic’s Austin Mock, while Penn State’s fell to 57 percent.

Oregon’s next game is against Indiana, which will likely be a top-10 team when the next AP poll comes out on Sunday afternoon. There’s a chance the Ducks don’t face another ranked team the rest of the season beyond that, though. The toughest remaining road games are at Iowa and Washington. USC has to visit Autzen Stadium. Oregon will likely be favored in every game the remainder of the regular season

(Photo: Matthew O’Haren / Imagn Images)