Oregon’s season may now hinge on Dylan Raiola.
What started as a reassuring year for Dan Lanning’s team took a sharp turn Saturday night when Dante Moore went down against USC. Moore’s return for one more season had given Oregon real national championship hopes and spared the Ducks from having to chase a new starter. Instead, the depth move the staff made became the storyline.
Raiola was brought in to wait, learn and stay ready for an emergency. That emergency arrived in the second quarter, when Moore took a heavy hit on a play described as a disgusting one by USC defensive back Desman Stephens II. Moore was placed on a stretcher, loaded into an ambulance and taken to LA General Hospital.
Now the job belongs to Raiola, and Oregon’s title path has to be reworked around him.
That’s not an ideal spot for any team, especially one with championship ambitions, but Oregon’s staff at least built a roster that can support a quarterback change. Raiola brings two years of starting experience to the offense, along with the pedigree of a former 5-star recruit. He has shown plenty in his career, even if consistency has not always followed.
The challenge for Oregon is not asking him to be a one-man show. At Nebraska, Raiola was often forced into that kind of burden.
With the Ducks, the expectation is different. Dan Lanning has enough playmakers around him that Raiola can operate more like a point guard than someone trying to force big plays on every snap.
So far, that approach has looked workable. Raiola finished the first half 6 of 8 for 63 yards and a touchdown.
He also delivered a deep ball to Jamari Johnson that was taken away by a holding call. Even with the change at quarterback, he didn’t appear overwhelmed, and he helped push Oregon into halftime with the lead.
For now, the biggest unknown is how long Moore will be out. Until that answer comes, Raiola is the one steering Oregon’s season.
In Other News...
Bear Alexander Twisted The Knife After Oregon Beat USC
Bear Alexander had a little extra spotlight waiting for him at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and he seemed to lean into it. The Oregon defensive tackle, facing his former team in the Ducks 41-27 win over No. 18 USC on September 26, played a key role in a result that carried plenty of edge even before kickoff. With NFL scouts scattered through the building to watch the matchup, Alexander gave them something to note on the field and the Trojans crowd plenty to react to off it.
The boos from USC fans did not end when the game was over. Alexander took to social media after the victory to mock the Trojans and celebrate Oregons win, turning a tense reunion into a full-on postgame swipe. For Oregon, it was another signature road result in a season already built around high-stakes moments, and for Alexander it added an unmistakably personal layer to a night his old school probably would rather forget. [Read more 🡒]
Oregons USC Win Put One Transfer Story Front And Center
Week 4 offered a reminder that Oregons roster churn has reached far beyond Eugene, with several former Ducks making their presence felt for new teams. The most visible example came in the win over USC, where backup quarterback Dylan Raiola helped lead the way with 289 passing yards and two touchdowns, a performance that put his transfer path back into the spotlight.
Raiola was hardly alone in turning heads. Kingston Lopa, Kamar Mothudi, Sione Laulea, Makhi Hughes, Keith Brown, Jericho Johnson and Blake Purchase all turned in meaningful work for their new programs, adding another layer to Oregons transfer-era story. For the Ducks, the week was a useful snapshot of just how many familiar names are still shaping games elsewhere, even as one of the biggest results of the weekend came against USC. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon Just Teased A New Look Bruins Fans Need To See
During the bye week, Oregon used a little downtime to stir up plenty of offseason-style intrigue, teasing a new alternate look that fits right into the programs long-running habit of making uniforms part of the brand. The matte black jersey features green and yellow paint streaks, along with a nod to the origin of speed inside the collar, a clear callback to the Chip Kelly era that helped define a lot of what the Ducks became.
The timing makes the tease even more interesting, with the full reveal expected on September 29 and a possible debut lined up for the October 10 matchup with UCLA. A version of the jersey had already surfaced through Dicks Sporting Goods, both online and in some stores, so the only real mystery now is how Oregon plans to package the finished product when it officially goes public. [Read more 🡒]