Week 4 was a big one for Oregon, and not just because the Ducks knocked off USC to move to three wins. The transfer class showed up in a major way under the lights, with Dylan Raiola stepping in for the injured Dante Moore and delivering immediately.
Raiola, the Nebraska transfer, entered in the first half and didn’t waste time settling in. He threw a touchdown pass, then kept piling up production until he finished with 289 passing yards and two scores.
Oregon also got strong nights from tight end Jamari Johnson, who posted career highs with seven catches for 119 yards, and wide receiver Evan Stewart, who added seven receptions for 56 yards and a touchdown. Safety Koi Perich put the finishing touch on the night with his first interception as a Duck.
That same transfer impact was showing up elsewhere across college football, too, and several former Ducks made noise with their new teams in Week 4.
Kingston Lopa kept rolling for California on Friday night. Even in a 24-10 loss to Clemson, he tied for the game high with 11 tackles, seven of them solo. Through four games, Lopa has piled up 29 tackles, five interceptions and a pick six, turning his move from Oregon into a full breakout.
California got another big defensive moment from linebacker Kamar Mothudi. The Golden Bears scored just 10 points against Clemson, and Mothudi accounted for six of them himself when he recovered a fumble and took it to the end zone. He also finished with six tackles in the loss.
Missouri cornerback Sione Laulea continued to look like one of the Tigers’ most dependable cover men. In Missouri’s 31-24 loss at Mississippi State, he recorded eight tackles and now sits at 17 tackles on the year, fifth on the team, along with an interception.
Makhi Hughes has yet to produce a breakout game for Houston, but he keeps giving the Cougars steady production. Against Georgia Southern, he ran 16 times for 70 yards and added one catch for 14 yards in Houston’s 42-28 win.
Washington State linebacker Keith Brown is putting together the best season of his career. In the Cougars’ 34-24 loss to Arizona, he made eight tackles, second most on the team. He now has 24 tackles through four games, just two shy of his career-high for an entire season.
California got one more strong defensive outing from Jericho Johnson, who finished with five tackles and a tackle for loss against Clemson. He has settled into a consistent role along the Golden Bears’ defensive line.
And at Ole Miss, Blake Purchase held his own in a tough matchup. The No.
4 Rebels fell to No. 21 Florida, but Purchase still contributed five tackles and a tackle for loss.
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 🡒]
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 🡒]
Oregon Gets A Crucial Reset Before Its Toughest Home Test Yet
A win over USC gave Oregon a needed breather, and the timing could hardly be better. The Ducks head into a bye week with quarterback Dante Moore coming out of the game injured, giving the staff a chance to regroup, reset and sort through the health of the offense before the next stretch gets any tougher.
UCLA waits on October 10 in Autzen Stadium, and the matchup already carries real weight with the Bruins still undefeated and ranked No. 23. CBS will have the broadcast, but Oregons bigger question is under center, where Dylan Raiola is expected to step in if Moore cannot clear the concussion protocol in time. [Read more 🡒]