No one in Eugene is talking about a quarterback battle, but Oregon may have something even better tucked away behind Dante Moore.
Dylan Raiola finally got his first real game run of the season Friday night against Portland State, and he made it count in a big way. With Oregon rolling and the game long in hand, Raiola handled the entire third quarter and a bit more, then walked off after a spotless night: 11 completions on 11 attempts, 124 yards and three touchdowns.
For Raiola, it was more than just efficient football. It was a return to the field after a brutal stretch that ended with a broken leg.
His last time in a game, he was leaving with a fractured fibula in November and his Nebraska run had been cut short. This time, he was smiling through a much better ending.
“It was so much fun," Raiola said. "My coaches, my teammates prepared me so well.
I’m just grateful. I took a moment to just - the last time I got on a football field, I was walking off with a broken leg.
So kind of putting that in perspective to have a whole new change and everything, I’m just blessed to be a part of this program and a part of the win today.”
Oregon pushed hard to land Raiola out of the transfer portal, and the Ducks have spent the offseason seeing why. He flashed in the spring game, then continued building trust in a quarterback room that now looks deep and dangerous. Moore stayed in school, Raiola still came anyway, and the two have settled into a setup that works for both of them.
“(Raiola) had a blast out there," Moore said. "Every day at practice he’s pushing me, I’m pushing him.
He’s someone that’s in the film room with me, tapping my shoulder, showing me this look of what they’re going to do on defense. The stat doesn’t blow my mind; he does it at practice.
He’s someone that just takes control of the ball. He’s dedicated to his craft, and he’s just a great teammate to be around.”
Against Portland State, Raiola looked completely in control. The ball never hit the turf.
He was sharp, quick to decide and on point with his placement, connecting with Andrew Olesh, Messiah Hampton and Brady Bidwell for touchdowns. It was the kind of outing that made the whole thing look easy, even if the opponent was clearly a step down.
Dan Lanning liked what he saw, but he still saw room to clean things up. That’s his style: praise it, then break it down.
“Looked good based on what I saw," Lanning said. "We’re going to go back and evaluate.
There may have been one or two plays that (he) could have had back, or sometimes did the cadence work out the proper way or did that create a penalty? Some moments like that that we can evaluate, but I thought he threw the ball well.
I thought he put it in a position where wideouts could go attack it, and made good decisions in the run game.”
The night also gave Raiola one of those odd, memorable Oregon sideline moments - the crowd moving through “Shout!” while the Ducks were burying the game.
Raiola barely noticed. He was locked onto the next snap, thinking about the red zone and the touchdown still in front of him.
"I was so focused on the third down play, and everyone was having a great time doing the ‘Shout!’ and I didn’t really know what was going on," Raiola said. "I was just worried about getting this touchdown and continuing to put points up on the board.”
That drive ended with a touchdown to Bidwell, the son of Oregon’s team chaplain and a local kid, making it a special finish for both players. It also closed Raiola’s night on the perfect note.
Oregon would rather not need him again this season, because that would likely mean something went wrong with Moore. Still, Friday offered a clear look at what the Ducks have waiting if they ever need it. For Raiola, the value was simpler: a clean game, a healthy body and a fresh jolt of confidence after a long road back.
“It means a lot," Raiola said. "You have practice reps, but nothing simulates a game like a game. Just being able to go out there and operate our system and not trying to do anything out of the normal, and success was there when we just did our job.”
In Other News...
Oregon Got Snubbed In A Game That Deserved Bigger Attention
ESPN College GameDay is headed to Knoxville for Texas-Tennessee, but theres a case to be made that Oregon-USC had the better cocktail of stakes, personalities and pageantry. The Ducks and Trojans are quickly becoming one of the Big Tens most intriguing new pairings, with the coaches front and center and two programs that still carry the kind of national brand power most leagues would love to bottle. Add in the celebrity-leaning fan bases on both sides and it had all the ingredients of a marquee Saturday.
The matchup itself only strengthens the argument, especially because the game is sold out and the atmosphere figures to look nothing like some of USCs quieter recent home dates. For Oregon, it is another reminder that the Ducks are now part of a conference stage where their biggest games can draw the kind of attention that used to be reserved for old-school SEC showdowns. Even without the GameDay spotlight, this one has the feel of a game people will be talking about long after the broadcast trucks leave Tennessee. [Read more 🡒]
Oregons Next Opponent Just Showed A Weakness Ducks Can Exploit
USCs first road trip of the season turned into a shootout, but it also exposed a defense that Oregon will spend the week studying closely. The Trojans beat Rutgers 42-35 behind an offense that held up its end, while the other side of the ball gave up key plays, including a fake punt touchdown and multiple scoring drives that kept Rutgers within striking distance.
Still, USCs defense did make impact plays when it needed them most, picking off passes at crucial moments and getting a 99-yard pick-six from Prophet Brown. That mix of volatility and big-play ability is part of what makes next weeks primetime matchup with Oregon so intriguing, because the Ducks will see both the openings and the danger if they can turn this into a cleaner, more controlled game. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Just Forced A Poll Question Fans Will Love
Oregons 84-0 rout of Portland State was the kind of result that did exactly what a good September tune-up should do: keep the Ducks rolling without asking many questions. Around the country, though, the weekend kept turning the AP Top 25 conversation into a moving target, with Ole Miss win over LSU standing out as one of the results that could shake up the order when voters sit down to reshuffle the poll.
And Oregon is part of that same debate now, because the Ducks were handling business while other ranked teams were getting pushed, tested, or upset. Alabama, USC, Texas Tech and Texas A&M all figured into a slate that left room for movement up top and possibly a fresh face or two in the rankings, which means the next poll could tell us as much about perception as performance. [Read more 🡒]