High School

5-star Oregon Ducks football commit goes off in Texas rivalry: 'He's electric'

Dakorien Moore, nation's No. 1 wide receiver, erupts for 249 yards, 4 touchdowns Duncanville's win over nationally ranked DeSoto

Cody Thorn

Dakorien Moore, the nation's No. 1 receiver talks to media after Duncanville's win over DeSoto in nationally ranked rivalry.
Dakorien Moore, the nation's No. 1 receiver talks to media after Duncanville's win over DeSoto in nationally ranked rivalry. / Photo by Cody Thorn, SBLIve

DESOTO, Texas — Duncanville High School star Dakorien Moore showed, in clear and plain view, why he is the nation's No. 1 rated wide receiver on Friday night. 

However, the 5-star Oregon Ducks commit also had a part in defense and special teams as well in Duncanville’s 42-20 win over DeSoto in a rivalry showdown at Eagle Stadium in DeSoto on Friday.

The 5-foot-11, 180-pounder had a season-high across the board with a line of 9 for 241 and four touchdowns. 

Moore has a lofty resume as the No. 1-ranked recruit in Texas this year, the No. 1 wide receiver in the country and third-best recruit overall, according to 247Sports.

His connection with No. 11-ranked recruit Keelon Russell, an Alabama pledge, was the key to the success in the first half and what ultimately helped build a 28-6 lead in the first half.

Moore had 5 catches for 179 yards and four touchdowns in the televised contest.

“The offense has been girding through the summer, building relationship and chemistry, especially with my dude Dakorien Moore,” Russell said. “He’s electric. The duo is electric.”

The first of the four touchdowns was on a busted coverage by DeSoto. Russell avoided a sack, stepped up in the pocket and threw a pass 50 yards in the air. Moore caught it at the 20 and had an easy path to a 66-yard touchdown for a 7-0 lead.

“I ain’t gonna lie, when I stepped up in the pocket I was expecting to run, I ain’t going to lie,” Russell said “He (Dakorien) was waiving his arms. I promise you if I was to run it he would probably punch me in the face.”

On the prior Duncanville drives, the Panthers had to punt — something Russell said the offense hates to see happen. Moore punted once in the first half and twice in the second half. He averaged 40 yards a punt in the past two games. 

He even made a play on defense early in the first half, stopping DeSoto quarterback Kelden Ryan on a run and hitting the Virginia Tech commit so hard that Moore’s helmet flew off.

Moore had a 19-yard touchdown the next drive and then a 38-yard run where he caught a pass from Russell in the corner of the end zone. 

The fourth score was from 44 yards out, which made it 28-6 in the second quarter. He had an average of 35.8 yards per catch in the first 24 minutes.

That lowered in the second half, but he still came up with big plays and at one point his first six catches all turned into first downs for the Panthers.

Dakorien Moore signs a jersey after Duncanville's win over DeSoto in nationally ranked rivalry.
Dakorien Moore signs a jersey after Duncanville's win over DeSoto in nationally ranked rivalry. / Photo by Cody Thorn, SBLive

On the final drive for Duncanville, Moore hauled in a catch on fourth down to keep the drive alive. Russell ended the drive with a pass to Trenton Yancey to account for the final score.

“Even on that last drive, he came up to me and said ‘Trust in me, you’ll see,’” Russell said of his top target. 

After the game, Moore got a little glimpse of what his future would look like at Oregon -- signing autographs, taking photos and doing a postgame interview with a TV crew that broadcast the game.

More Duncanville vs. DeSoto:

-- Cody Thorn | @sblivetx

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Cody Thorn
CODY THORN

Cody Thorn is a veteran journalist who covers high school sports across the state of Texas and Missouri. He is based in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and has covered sports and news since 1999.

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