Oregon heads to Illinois on Saturday carrying quarterback uncertainty and another key absence at receiver, with Dante Moore still sidelined and Evan Stewart out again for the Ducks’ Big Ten trip to Champaign, Ill.
Moore, who was ruled out Wednesday after sustaining a concussion, will miss his third game in a row. He did not play in Oregon’s loss to then-No.
21 UCLA or in last weekend’s win over Nebraska. The injury happened in the Sept. 26 victory at Southern California.
Dan Lanning has not said who will get the start against Illinois for Oregon, which enters at 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the Big Ten. Dylan Raiola opened against UCLA, but the offense stalled before Brock Thomas took over. Thomas started against Nebraska, and when that approach also bogged down, Raiola came back in and sparked a fourth-quarter rally that ended with the winning drive.
Stewart was also unavailable against Nebraska because of an undisclosed injury. Then came another development early Sunday, when he was arrested in Springfield, Ore., on a charge of driving under the influence of intoxicants.
The arrest happened not far from campus. Lanning spoke about it Monday and said, "There was a situation this weekend that didn't match our standard here in our program," he said.
"There will be appropriate action taken. Still gathering some details with what the situation looks like, but that'll be handled internally."
Illinois is dealing with quarterback uncertainty of its own. Katin Houser was injured in the Fighting Illini’s 38-37 overtime win at Michigan State on Oct. 10 and is expected to be out for several weeks with a hand injury. Before going down, Houser had thrown for 1,440 yards and 12 touchdowns and added 120 rushing yards and two more scores in six games.
The bye week last weekend gave Illinois time to reset, but it also left the team waiting on Houser’s recovery. Freshman Michael Clayton II is expected to make his first college start after stepping in against Michigan State and throwing for 88 yards and two touchdowns.
"He was obviously ecstatic after the game, and (I) had a long conversation with him ... just kind of about what it means to be a starting quarterback in this league, and in college football," Illinois coach Bret Bielema said of Clayton.
The teams’ most recent meeting came last Oct. 26 in Eugene, where Oregon, then ranked No. 1, rolled past then-No. 20 Illinois 38-9.
In Other News...
Oregon Is In Position For A Big Hawaiian QB Recruiting Win
Oregon has put itself in the mix for one of the more intriguing young quarterbacks on the West Coast, as Hunter Fujikawa trimmed his early college list to six schools and included the Ducks among them. The 2028 recruit from Mililani High School in Hawaii is rated by 247Sports as the No. 17 quarterback and No. 237 overall player in his class, a sign that this is a name worth tracking closely as his recruitment develops.
Fujikawa is still weighing possible visits to Oregon, Arizona State, Arizona, UCLA, Stanford and Ole Miss, so there is a long way to go before anything settles down. Even so, the Ducks have a potential edge in the form of future teammate Toa Satele, the linebacker already committed to Oregon, and that connection could matter as the process starts to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon Could Get Another Shot At A Huge Former Recruiting Miss
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The name to keep an eye on is Zion Elee, the freshman edge rusher and former top recruit who could become available if he decides a fresh start is best. For Oregon, it would be a familiar kind of reminder that recruiting battles do not always end on signing day, and even a miss can come back around if the transfer market opens the door. [Read more 🡒]
Dante Moores Return Could Decide How NFL Teams View Him
Dante Moores absence has become one of the quieter but more consequential storylines around Oregon, especially with NFL evaluators already watching him closely. The Ducks quarterback has missed two games after sustaining a concussion against USC, and with no firm timeline for his return, the focus around him has shifted from weekly production to the bigger question of how much more he can show before draft season starts to take shape.
Scouts still view Moore as a legitimate prospect, and the early buzz around the 2027 NFL Draft has placed him anywhere from the first round to early Day 2. But the concern is obvious: injuries and limited playing time can make it harder to separate talent from projection, even for a quarterback teammates describe as a leader away from the field. How he responds when he gets back on the field may matter as much as the next box score. [Read more 🡒]