Oregon’s night looked headed for the wrong kind of finish long before the fourth quarter arrived. The offense never found its footing with Brock Thomas, the Ducks were stuck searching for anything that could spark them, and Nebraska had every reason to feel good about the way the game was unfolding.
Then the quarterback switch changed everything.
With Dylan Raiola coming off the bench, Oregon suddenly had a different pulse. The former Husker entered, stayed composed, and helped flip a game that had been slipping away.
He had already shown the ability to swing a matchup in relief against USC, and he did it again here - this time against the team that had taken some parting shots at him. Raiola ended up with the last laugh and helped save Oregon’s season while handing Nebraska a crushing blow.
The Ducks’ defense kept the door cracked all night, and Teitum Tuioti made sure it stayed that way. The veteran edge rusher was relentless, piling up 2 sacks and 2.5 tackles for a loss while constantly wrecking Nebraska passing attempts and pressuring Anthony Colandrea. Oregon needed every bit of that production to hold the Huskers to 14 points.
Nasir Wyatt deserved just as much credit. The numbers show a sack and two tackles for a loss, but that only scratches the surface. Behind Tuioti and Matayo Uiagalelei, Wyatt still found a way to be everywhere, especially as a spy on Colandrea.
Oregon also needed a receiver to step forward after Evan Stewart was out, and Jalen Lott answered when it mattered most. The true freshman didn’t put up a flashy box score line, but he delivered in the biggest moments of the final drive.
He picked up the first down on 3rd and 2, then became the target Raiola trusted on 4th and 3. That was the kind of sequence that keeps a season alive.
And when the game reached its breaking point, Jamari Johnson finished it. After this week’s message from the Oregon coaching staff that they were going to start calling players and not plays, Raiola found Johnson in the back of the end zone to break Nebraska hearts. It wasn’t a clean offensive night for the Ducks, but Johnson delivered the final rescue act.
The comeback also masked an ugly start that left a few people on the wrong side of the night.
Dan Lanning has now watched Oregon get off to back-to-back rough starts, and the quarterback situation only made the optics worse. He was slow to make the change, and even with the win in hand, this wasn’t one of his better-coached games. The way he handled the end of the first half didn’t help.
Jordon Davison had his own costly moment. After Ify Obidegwu’s interception gave Oregon fans something to finally cheer about and set the offense up in the red zone, Davison fumbled and erased a chance to turn that takeaway into points. He did make some solid plays, but with this offense struggling, the Ducks could not afford that kind of mistake.
And then there was Brock Thomas, whose shot at a real Cinderella story never took off. The walk-on started in Autzen Stadium, but the early signs were bad.
He missed easy screen throws, struggled to get the offense moving, and eventually got pulled at the start of the fourth quarter. Thomas finished 9 of 20 for 54 yards with an interception.
In Other News...
Oregons Comeback Was Fueled By Unsung Ducks Fans Cant Ignore
Nebraska had the early edge, but Oregon steadied itself and turned the game with a quarterback change that put Dylan Raiola in position to spark the comeback. Even before the offense found its rhythm, the Ducks defense kept the margin within reach, and that mattered just as much as the late surge. It was the kind of win that looked messy for stretches and still ended with Oregon in control, thanks to a roster that kept making plays when the pressure built.
Hudson Lewis, Jalen Lott, Brandon Smith and kicker Gage Hurych all had a hand in finishing the job, and defensive coordinator Chris Hampton drew credit for the way Oregon handled things on that side of the ball. For a team that had to work through an uneven start, the breadth of the contribution stood out as much as the comeback itself. The Ducks didnt just survive the slow beginning, they leaned on unsung pieces to pull away when the game demanded it. [Read more 🡒]
Oregons Late Quarterback Switch Changed Everything Against Nebraska
A late quarterback change ended up reshaping Oregons win over Nebraska, with Dylan Raiola coming off the bench in the fourth quarter and helping the Ducks rally from behind. He finished the comeback with a touchdown pass to Jamari Johnson and then helped Oregon punch in the two-point conversion with less than 30 seconds left, turning what had been a tight, tense finish into a 17-14 victory.
For Oregon, the sequence only added to the sense that this team can survive pressure in different ways, even when the script changes late. Dan Lanning praised Raiolas courage and the Ducks overall performance, while Nebraska coach Matt Rhule pointed to the effort his team gave despite the loss, a reminder of how little margin there was throughout the night. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Fans Have One Big AP Poll Debate After Costly Loss
The AP Top 25 is set for a shakeup after a wild Saturday that saw five teams in the top seven go down, and that kind of chaos always has ripple effects far beyond the teams that actually lost. For Oregon, the timing matters because the Ducks are part of the group whose position could be affected by all the movement above them, with the poll likely to look very different once the latest ballots are counted.
Indianas loss grabbed plenty of attention, but the broader debate now is how voters sort through the wreckage when so many contenders stumbled at once. BYU and Oregon are among the teams watching closely as the rankings sort themselves out, and the next poll should offer a much clearer picture of who benefited most from the days upheaval. [Read more 🡒]