Oregon got the result it needed late Saturday night, but the Ducks didn’t exactly make it easy on themselves.
Dan Lanning’s team held off Nebraska 17-14 at Autzen Stadium to keep its College Football Playoff hopes alive, yet the win also put a spotlight on just how choppy things have become on offense with Dante Moore out for a second straight game because of a concussion. Oregon improved to 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the Big Ten, while Nebraska fell to 5-2 and 2-2.
Against that backdrop, a few Ducks surged forward in the aftermath of the bounce-back win, while others took a hit.
Dylan Raiola was the biggest mover. A week after landing on the “falling” side, the Nebraska transfer turned into Oregon’s unlikely savior against his former team. With Brock Thomas struggling and the Ducks stuck on 91 total yards and two field goals through three quarters, Raiola stepped in and delivered when Oregon needed it most.
He finished 11-for-18 for 59 yards and a touchdown, and he guided two scoring drives that ate up 12:45 of game time. That kind of late control could matter again soon, because Raiola may be the guy under center next week against Illinois if Moore is still unavailable. The speculation about Moore will hang over the week, but for now Raiola earned his way back onto the rising list.
Oregon’s linebackers also made life miserable for Nebraska quarterback Anthony Colandrea all night.
Teitum Tuioti and Matayo Uiagalelei kept coming, combining for 11 tackles, two sacks, 3.5 tackles for loss and three quarterback hurries. Then Nasir Wyatt added his own impact, finishing with a career-high three tackles, two solo stops, two tackles for loss, a sack and two hurries. That kind of production from a sophomore only deepens what is already one of the nation’s best outside linebacker groups.
Special teams gave Oregon another steady edge. Gage Hurych was perfect again, drilling field goals from 36, 36 and 37 yards while the Ducks’ offense stalled around him.
Oregon went 3-for-16 on third down, so those kicks mattered. Bailey Ettridge also turned in a solid night, punting seven times for 305 yards, an average of 43.6 yards per kick.
Hurych remains one of a dozen FBS placekickers who are still perfect this season, including a 44-yard field goal against Boise State, and he’s been Oregon’s most dependable scoring weapon.
Not everyone came out of this one better off.
Brock Thomas had a rough start in what was shaping up as his debut in the role. The Eugene native helped Oregon nearly beat UCLA in relief of Raiola a week earlier, but against Nebraska he never found any rhythm. He went 9-for-20 for 54 yards with an interception, and the offense went nowhere with him directing it.
Oregon went 0-for-9 on third down under Thomas, had five three-and-outs and put together three possessions that lasted less than a minute. His tipped interception was picked off by Dwayne McDougle III and set up Nebraska’s 14-6 lead in the third quarter, which effectively ended Thomas’ run and may have ended any realistic shot of him jumping Raiola on the depth chart.
Jordon Davison’s status also slipped. He’s been Oregon’s short-yardage hammer all year, and all six of his rushing touchdowns have come from five yards or fewer, but the sophomore had a mixed night. He finished with 12 carries for 29 yards and converted two key fourth-and-1 runs on the game-winning drive, yet he also coughed up a costly fumble after Ify Ibidegwu’s interception gave Oregon the ball at the one-yard line.
His workload and production have both changed in a hurry. Davison averaged 5.31 yards per carry in September, with 260 yards on 49 attempts, but that number has dropped to 2.80 on 70 yards over 25 attempts midway through October.
Against Nebraska, Dierre Hill Jr. led the team with 67 rushing yards, and freshman Brandon Smith took some of the important fourth-quarter work from Davison. That trend makes his spot look shakier.
Messiah Hampton rounds out the falls. The true freshman opened his college career with a burst, catching 14 passes for 142 yards and two touchdowns against Oklahoma State, Portland State and USC.
But with Moore out, his involvement has dried up. Over the last two games, Hampton has only four catches for 19 yards, and against Nebraska he had one reception on two targets for five yards.
There is still a path back for Hampton, especially with Evan Stewart recently dealing with an undisclosed injury and Moore hopeful to return. For now, though, the offense’s struggles have dragged down one of its most promising young receivers.
In Other News...
Oregon Suddenly Faces A Big Evan Stewart Question
Evan Stewarts status has become another uneasy subplot for Oregon, which is already managing his return from injury after he missed the recent game. The wide receiver was booked into Springfield Municipal Jail on a charge of driving under the influence of intoxicants and released about an hour later, turning what should have been a football-focused week into a fresh off-field concern for the Ducks.
Springfield Police also moved quickly to shut down the noise around the incident, saying rumors of street racing involving Oregon players were unfounded and that Stewarts arrest was not tied to a separate police pursuit. For a team counting on Stewart as part of its offensive mix after his recovery, the bigger question now is less about what happened in Springfield and more about how Oregon handles the situation from here. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon Exposed A Nebraska Problem That May Get Worse
Oregons defense left Nebraska searching for answers after holding the Huskers to 242 yards on 67 snaps, a performance that exposed how much work still remains for an offense trying to find any rhythm. Anthony Colandrea finished 18 of 33 for 164 yards and a touchdown while adding 38 rushing yards and a score on the ground, but the passing game rarely found easy openings and the run game never really got going.
The bigger concern is how many different parts of the offense looked stuck at once. Nebraskas primary backs managed just 58 yards on 18 carries, injuries took a toll on both the offensive line and the backfield, and wide receivers had trouble separating against Oregons coverage. The line gave up only one sack but allowed five pressures and was flagged four times, leaving a problem that could get a lot harder to solve if the protection and health issues linger. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska Left Wondering After Two Late Replay Moments Swung Everything
Nebraska spent the final minutes of its loss to Oregon wrestling with two replay moments that ended up defining the finish. The Cornhuskers had a touchdown catch by Kwazi Gilmer upheld after review, with officials saying there was not enough clear evidence to overturn the call, and the Ducks kept hanging around until they finally grabbed their first lead with 28 seconds left.
Isaiah Mozee then became part of the late-game frustration when a potential Nebraska fumble was not reviewed, leaving the Huskers in possession and the sequence unresolved in real time. For Oregon, it was another close escape in a game decided by a handful of snaps and a couple of calls that Nebraska will be replaying for a long time. [Read more 🡒]