Dylan Raiola didn’t get the chance to ease into Saturday night. He got thrown straight into the fire, and Oregon needed him to hold steady on one of college football’s biggest stages.
That’s exactly what happened at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, where No. 15 Oregon pulled out a 41-27 win over No.
18 USC to move to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the Big Ten. The Ducks also improved to 10-0 all-time on the road in Big Ten play.
Raiola, making his primetime debut with Oregon in just his second appearance in green and yellow, entered after starting quarterback Dante Moore left following a late hit from USC linebacker Desman Stephens II. Stephens II was flagged for targeting and ejected.
From there, Raiola settled in and ran the offense with a calm that clearly stood out to Dan Lanning.
“Dylan was great, man,” Lanning said after Oregon’s first conference win of the season. “I think a lot of times, when guys come into that situation, they feel like all of a sudden they have to press.
“I think what gave Dylan confidence is he’s like ‘I got great players around me, I’m gonna take what they give me.’ Probably a couple decisions tonight where I’m like ‘OK that’s probably not where we wanted the ball to go.’
Very few of those. A lot of decisions where he made the great decision to get rid of the ball.”
Raiola finished 19-of-25 for 289 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Through four games, Oregon still hasn’t thrown a pick with either Moore or Raiola at quarterback.
The Ducks scored 24 points on Raiola’s first four drives, flipping a 7-3 USC lead into a cushion they never gave back.
Lanning also pointed to Raiola’s ability to escape pressure and keep plays alive.
“I thought he utilized his ability to scramble at times, make plays…could have been sacks, but he did a great job continuing down the field and keeping his eyes downfield,” Lanning said. “I don’t know what he finished, but the guy operated.
Threw for almost 300 yards, 19 of 25, two touchdowns. I mean that’s the kind of performance you get excited about.”
Lanning said he wasn’t shocked by the way Raiola handled the moment.
“I’m very proud of Dylan, and we’ve all seen it,” the Oregon coach said of Raiola, who finished with 11.6 yards per attempt. “That momentum happens in sports a lot of times, when guys who weren’t ready, and they stepped up.
And that becomes the story, and it’s ‘Oh that guy wasn’t ready for his moment.’ Regardless of how Dylan performed, I love that guy.
He works so hard, incredibly hard, to put himself in position to have success and be successful. And he came in and operated, man.”
Raiola’s biggest throw came in the fourth quarter, when he found Dakorien Moore for a 29-yard touchdown to finish a nine-play, 75-yard drive and break a 27-all tie.
In fewer than two full games with Oregon, Raiola has now thrown for 413 yards and five touchdowns on 30-of-36 passing.
The night carried extra meaning for Raiola as well. USC was the team that ended his 2025 season when he suffered a broken fibula in Nebraska’s 21-17 loss to the Trojans in Week 10.
There was no official update on Moore’s condition beyond the report that he has movement in his extremities and is undergoing further examinations.
Oregon has a bye week to sort through Moore’s health. If he can’t return, Lanning said he believes Raiola will be ready when the Ducks come back to face former Pac-12 rival UCLA on Oct 10 at Autzen Stadium.
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USCs first real test of the season brought the kind of reminder Trojans fans have seen before: the Coliseum can be loud, the offense can move the ball, and still the game can slip away when the pressure rises. Oregons 41-27 win in Los Angeles ended USCs 10-game home winning streak and left the Trojans with the familiar frustration of coming up short in the kind of matchup that tends to define a season.
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USC Must Rework Its Linebackers At The Worst Possible Time
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Riley addressed the situation during a Sept. 28 media appearance, noting the need to adjust the depth chart while also pointing to the broader lessons from the Oregon game. For a defense that is still trying to find more reliable execution, losing a key piece for even one week only sharpens the urgency heading into the next round of games. [Read more 🡒]