Redemption arrives in many forms. For Oregon quarterback Dylan Raiola, it came against his former team, just one week after being benched and hours after losing the Ducks’ starting job.
Raiola and the Ducks (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten) escaped Autzen Stadium late Saturday night, stealing an improbable 17-14 win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-2, 2-2 Big Ten) to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive.
The junior came off the bench in the fourth quarter and Oregon trailing 14-6 to relieve starting quarterback Brock Thomas and a listless Ducks offense that managed just 91 total yards through three quarters and was 0-for-9 on third down.
When Raiola hit tight end Jamari Johnson for what would prove to be the game-winning touchdown 4-yard touchdown with 28 seconds left, the redemption came full circle.
Dylan Raiola Engineers Comeback
It might go down as the greatest 59-yard passing performance in Oregon history. Raiola’s 11-point fourth-quarter performance against Nebraska will certainly be talked about for quite some time.
After guiding the Ducks to a 37-yard Gage Hurych field goal, Raiola got the ball back on the Oregon 18-yard line with 5:31 showing on the clock and trailing by five points.
Raiola marched Oregon 82 yards in 20 plays over 5:03, converting a pair of fourth downs along the way before Johnson capped the drive with the winning score in the back of the end zone.
He finished 11-of-18 for 59 yards, a touchdown and a 107 passer rating. More importantly, he provided a vital spark for a moribund offense, possibly saving the Ducks’ season in the process.
From Benched to Hero
Raiola has gone from hero to goat (not the good kind) and back to hero in what equates to one rollercoaster of a month for the Nebraska transfer.
This is the second time this season that Raiola has rallied the Ducks to a win off the bench, after spelling injured quarterback Dante Moore and leading the team to a 41-27 win over then-No. 12 USC in Week 4.
A week later versus UCLA was a different story as Raiola completed 6-of-19 for just 43 yards, two interceptions and a lost fumble.
Despite throwing for 4,819 yards and 31 touchdowns with the Cornhuskers between 2024 and 2025, it appeared Raiola would not get a shot at his former team, with Oregon coach Dan Lanning tabbing third-string quarterback Brock Thomas on Saturday morning as his Week 7 starter.
Thomas earned the starting nod against Nebraska, ironically, after spelling Raiola during the fourth quarter of Raiola’s disastrous showing against the Bruins.
Instead, Thomas struggled against the Huskers, allowing Raiola to make the most of his chance to reclaim the starting job while Dante Moore recovers from the concussion he suffered versus USC.
For Raiola, tuning out the noise became vital.
“I just learned not to really care,” Raiola told Fox Sports’ Josh Sims on the field after the game. “You can say I’m on top of the world after USC and then I have the UCLA game. Then the world hates me and everything like that, but that doesn’t bother me. I got my family. I got my supporting cast. And I got these guys out here. I love them truly and I wouldn’t want to be any other place.”
Honorable Mention
The Oregon defense and special teams are the only reason why Raiola and the Ducks found themselves within striking distance.
The unit contained Nebraska’s star quarterback Anthony Colandrea to 18-of-33 passing for 164 yards, a touchdown and interception, to go along with 38 rushing yards and a six-yard scoring run to put the Cornhuskers up 14-6 with seven seconds remaining in the third quarter.
Senior outside linebacker Teitum Tuioti sacked Colandrea twice to finish with five tackles (two solo), 2.5 tackles for loss and a quarterback hurry.
The Ducks kept Colandrea moving all night. Outside linebacker Nasir Wyatt was a menace all evening, registering three tackles (two solo), a sack, two tackles for loss and a pair of quarterback hurries.
Cornerback Ify Ibidgewu also added a clutch interception to thwart a Nebraska drive at the Ducks’ 14-yard line. Placekicker Gage Hurych added field goals of 36, 36 and 37 yards, plus a PAT, to round out the scoring.
Oregon hits the road next week with a showdown in Champaign against Illinois. If Dante Moore cannot play once again, Raiola will get another shot to build off of his performance tonight.
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