Oregon’s offense has found a different gear since the loss to Illinois, and Dylan Raiola says the change starts with something simple: the Ducks are enjoying themselves again.
Since that 21-10 defeat on Oct. 24 in Champaign, Oregon has answered with wins over Northwestern and No. 20 Ohio State, with Raiola throwing for 593 yards and five touchdowns during that stretch.
Now the No. 16 Ducks are back in the thick of the postseason race, and they’ll try to keep the surge rolling Saturday when they host Michigan at Autzen Stadium.
Raiola said the atmosphere around the offense has loosened up without losing its edge.
“Just fun. Guys are smiling.
Guys are having a blast playing the game we love. I think we kind of got lost in the monotony of football.
It can get like that when you’re doing the same thing for a while. And coach Lanning has done a great job of mixing some things up and getting us different ways to kind of enjoy football, but also be focused-in on our job assignments.
So, it’s a good mix we have right now and hopefully keep it going.”
The junior quarterback also made sure to credit the people protecting him. Oregon’s offensive line has been a major part of the turnaround, and Raiola said he’s showing his appreciation the old-fashioned way.
“I haven’t bought them a steak dinner yet, but they get an extraordinary amount of cookies every week. I make them or my girlfriend makes some cookies, so that’s cool.
But no, those dudes, they strain. That’s the bottom line, is they strain and they just honestly want to fight to keep me clean.
And I’m very grateful for that.”
That protection has mattered as Raiola works through pocket movement and pressure. He said the Ducks have spent real time on that part of the game in practice.
“I’ve done so much pocket work in practice and feeling the spots in the pocket where I need to move to or get to. I feel like we’ve done a great job of working the pocket and kind of maneuvering around in the pocket when there’s push or pressure. And just being able to get the ball to my receivers in space.”
And there are plenty of those receivers to choose from. Raiola pointed to the depth in Oregon’s passing game and the way those players are buying into the bigger picture.
“It’s a lot of fun. There’s a lot of options, a lot of guys to throw the ball to.
It just gives us a little bit more of what we can do. I also think those guys are very selfless players.
Normally they’d want the ball thrown to them every single play and they want all the attention, but they’re going to go block on the perimeter. They’re going to put their face in there in the run game and then they’re going to make tough catches.”
Raiola also spoke about one of those connections, saying he and J-Mac stayed close after crossing paths during recruiting.
“We were on a couple of visits together. Through the recruiting, we just stayed in touch and we obviously both went our separate ways, but we stayed connected through it. J-Mac’s the type of guy who lights a room up with his smile, with his joy.”
Michigan is next, and Raiola made clear the Ducks are treating the matchup like a serious test. He called the Wolverines’ front “Elite front. Elite front.” and said the challenge is obvious from the moment the film starts.
“Immediately when you turn the tape on, that’s what jumps out at you, and it’s a great challenge for us. I mean, tremendous respect. They’re the most winningest program in college football for a reason and they have players there for a reason.”
For Oregon, the focus remains on execution, especially on early downs. Raiola said the Ducks can help themselves by staying out of obvious passing situations.
“We can be better on third and long by not being in it. And like you said, it ties back to first down efficiency.
I think just us being able to communicate whatever the check or whatever we need to get down the line communicated. I think that’ll help us.”
He also said the offense doesn’t need to force fireworks on every snap.
“Sometimes ending in a punt’s not the worst thing. You’re gathering information on what they’re doing, and you get later into the game, and that’s when you see the big plays and that stuff kind of happening.”
Raiola added that his own mindset has been sharpened by past adversity.
“I don’t think I’ll ever slip back into those habits. You never forget the feeling, what it was like, the times it got taken away from you or like in the moment of getting physically beat. That motivation keeps me going and I don’t want to experience anything like that again.”
As for Oregon’s place in the larger picture, Raiola said the Ducks aren’t getting distracted.
“Obviously, you hear about it, you see about it. It’s cool, but we also don’t control our own destiny right now.
So it doesn’t really mean a whole lot, to be honest. We just go to keep controlling what we can, and all we control is getting ready and preparing for Michigan, and it’s a great challenge.”
He closed by emphasizing the level of opponent coming to Eugene.
“It’s a great football team. Their record shouldn’t say anything about the kind of team they are because they got the players.”
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