2026 NFL Draft: College Game Recaps – Week 13

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore could be a high first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and Moore was taking on one of the better opponents he has seen this season with the USC Trojans. Versus USC, Moore managed the game well and moved the chains to help lead his team to a strong home win.

In the first quarter, Moore had a nice possession that got moving when Moore rolled out and found his mismatch tight end, Kenyon Sadiq, wide open in zone coverage. To cap the drive, Sadiq slashed across the field on a slant to the back of the end zone. Moore was pressured and had to throw off his back foot, but he lofted an eight-yard touchdown to Sadiq. Moore threw some accurate passes downfield and along the sideline throughout the first half. Early in the third quarter, Moore had a mistake with a pass behind his receiver. It was also a bad break when the pass was tipped and picked. It was a nice play by the defender, and Moore paid the price. Late in the third quarter, Moore threw a perfect strike to Sadiq for a 28-yard touchdown. Moore threw a dime with the ball dropped in over the cornerback, and with perfect accuracy to prevent the safety from breaking it up over the top. Moore finished completing 22-of-30 passes for 257 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.

For the NFL, Moore has the ability to be a starter, and this game gave more proof of that. He showed his good skill set for the NFL with his arm talent and some mobility to help with his feet. Moore can run some designed runs and move in the pocket. When he scrambles, he looks to throw downfield and does not look to do a lot of carrying the ball himself. As a pocket passer, Moore is an accurate passer who throws a very catchable ball with good location. He has a strong arm capable of making all the throws. However, Moore needs to get faster at processing; he needs to get the ball out faster and needs to avoid negative plays like taking bad sacks. Moore has some areas of improvement, and that is not surprising considering this is only his first season as a starter.

USC quarterback Jordan Maiava has had a strong season for the Trojans, and some in the media have projected him as a high first-round pick. Maiava was taking on one of the top teams in the nation in Oregon, and they have a lot of future NFL players on their defense. Maiava had a mixed outing against USC, illustrating he has talent, but he also needs development for the NFL.

In the early going, Maiava missed on a few passes that could have gone for nice gains. He still had some completions, including a nice drive in the first quarter. To end the drive, Maiava threw to the flat on third-and-7 from the eight-yard line. It was almost like a check-down pass to Lemon as he was behind the line of scrimmage, but he darted into the end zone. Shortly later, USC did a throwback pass to Lemon, and he threw downfield for a 24-yard touchdown.

Midway through the second quarter, Maiava made a horrible decision, throwing a ball up for grabs into triple coverage and having it picked off by Oregon. He came back to hit a back shoulder throw for a 53-yard gain after the cornerback fell down in coverage.

In the third quarter, Maiava threw a poorly located pass to a receiver running an out route. The ball was too late and to the inside, allowing an Oregon cornerback to make an easy interception. Maiava came back to make a perfect throw to Lemon on an out route for a short touchdown. That pass had excellent placement for Maiava to make the tight window scoring strike. However, at the end of the third quarter, Maiava was holding the ball loosely and was stripped by Matayo Uiagalelei. Fortunately for Maiava, his teammate recovered the ball. Maiava came back to throw an easy touchdown pass on a rollout to a wide-open tight end. Maiava finished completing 25-of-43 passes for 306 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions.

Maiava has a quality skill set for the next level. He has a quality arm and flashes the ability to throw with timing and anticipation. Along with being able to move the ball with his arm, Maiava has some mobility and can contribute some yards on the ground. However, his accuracy and ball placement could use some development, and he has to improve his decision-making. Maiava has upside to develop, and he should return to USC and continue to work with Lincoln Riley to become a higher-drafted prospect in the 2027 NFL Draft.

Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer was superb to start the season, but after sustaining a thumb injury that required surgery, Mateer hasn’t been the same. He rushed back playing versus Texas only 17 days after the surgery. He was awful against the Longhorns and then had some other underwhelming performances, including some poor throws in the fourth quarter to ensure a loss to Ole Miss. Mateer started to find his pre-injury form in the second half against Tennessee two weeks ago, and last week, Mateer was solid as a game manager to help the Sooners get an upset over Alabama.

Missouri dominated the time of possession in the first half, and Mateer had a few three-and-outs. Midway in the second quarter, Mateer hit Isaiah Sategna on a slant, and Sategna exploded for another 75 yards to get an 87-yard touchdown. On the next drive, Mateer showed his speed and toughness on a 15-yard run to convert a third-and-10 and set up a first-and-goal. The next play, Mateer threw a strike to the back of the end zone to JaVonnie Gibson for an eight-yard score.

In the third quarter, Mateer moved the chains with his arm and legs for a field goal drive, but midway through the period, Mateer made a bad decision, throwing into double coverage and getting lucky that a pass went off the tips of the fingers of a defensive back. Late in the fourth quarter, Mateer used his legs to convert a third-and-7 with a 14-yard run to get a critical first down that essentially killed any comeback hopes for Missouri. Versus the Tigers, Mateer did not throw the ball well aside from the second quarter, and he finished completing 14-of-30 passes for 173 yards with two touchdowns.

Mateer has a lot of talent to be a pro starter. He has a strong arm, can fire some lasers into tight windows, is very mobile, and is a dangerous runner with speed and toughness. His accuracy can be streaky, and while he will make some beautiful throws, he has some get-away-from-him. Part of that issue could be the thumb injury on his throwing hand, but he still needs to get more consistent. His decision-making needs some improvement, as Mateer can be reckless as a gunslinger with some dangerous passes and then taking some bad sacks, waiting for a big play to emerge rather than taking a check-down or throwing it away. Mateer has a lot of talent, and he could be a Baker Mayfield-style quarterback in the NFL. However, he needs refinement and development. Sources say Mateer is inclined to go back to school, and that is a good idea for making him better prepared for the NFL.

Missouri has two early-round edge rushers in Zion Young and Damon Wilson. They have been excellent this season with steady pressure on the quarterback. To have a shot at knocking off the Sooners, Missouri needed its tandem to step up with some big plays. While Young and Wilson played well, they weren’t able to do enough with the Tigers’ offense struggling mightily.

Late in the first quarter, Wilson had two nice plays in a row. The first one saw Wilson use a rip move to get leverage on the right tackle and collapse the pocket for a near sack. The next down, Wilson ran a stunt and bounced off the right guard. As Mateer scrambled to his right, Wilson showed his speed and hustle to chase down Mateer for a sack. In the early going of the first half, both Wilson and Young were getting off blocks and pressuring Mateer.

In the third quarter, Young had a power rush, pushing through the right tackle and getting a hit on Mateer just after the ball came out. Later on the drive, Young shed the block of the right tackle and then chased down Mateer for a sack. Wilson pushed through the left tackle to get to Mateer just after Young wrapped up the legs of the Sooners quarterback. That sack caused Oklahoma to settle for a field goal

This tape should help both Young and Wilson. Young showed speed and athleticism at the point of attack. Both Young and Wilson are fast to get upfield, agile to redirect, and have functional strength to shed blocks. This tape should help Young and Wilson be first- or second-round picks next April.