After a come-from-behind 17-14 win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Autzen Stadium, the Oregon Ducks (4-2 overall, 2-1 Big Ten) hit the road again to face the Illinois Fighting Illini (3-3 overall, 1-2 Big Ten) on Saturday in Champaign.
With star quarterback Dante Moore out for the third consecutive game with a concussion, the Ducks have opted to start Dylan Raiola for the second time since his injury. This time, the Ducks are hoping for a complete game from their quarterbacks after Raiola and third-string Brock Thomas struggled in their last starts for Oregon, contributing to the team’s recent offensive woes.
In addition to receiver Evan Stewart, Oregon receivers Messiah Hampton and Jalen Lott have now joined the Ducks who are out. As a result, Raiola will be missing a few of his top targets against Illinois, likely leaning on receiver Dakorien Moore and tight end Jamari Johnson.
As the Ducks look to keep their very slim College Football Playoff chances alive, here’s a look at Oregon’s current injuries, per Friday’s Big Ten availability report.
Oregon Ducks Injury Report vs. Illinois Fighting Illini
Out
Jeremiah McClellan, wide receiver
Dante Moore, quarterback
Evan Stewart, wide receiver
Jalen Lott, wide receiver
Messiah Hampton, wide receiver
Aaron Flowers, defensive back
Brayden Platt, linebacker
Matthew Johnson, defensive lineman
Trent Ferguson, offensive lineman
Kawika Rogers, offensive lineman
Immanuel Iheanacho, offensive lineman
Oregon Continues Dealing With Offensive Injuries
Since Moore’s concussion in the Ducks' 41-27 win over the No. 16 USC Trojans on Sept. 26 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, coach Dan Lanning’s Oregon group has become used to dealing with injuries on offense.
The Ducks will again be without two of their leading wide receivers, Jeremiah McClellan and Evan Stewart. McClellan has been out since the 84-0 win over the Portland State Vikings on Sept. 18 with a broken foot. Stewart missed the Ducks' recent win over the Cornhuskers with an undisclosed injury.
With all the recent injuries, several underclassmen have stepped up for the Ducks, one of them being wide receiver Messiah Hampton. However, now Hampton and Lott are also out.
Lanning recently mentioned the importance of players stepping up amid the recent injuries.
“So, you got to make sure that guys have enough reps at certain positions, and it’s that balance of carrying volume that has answers, right? Versus what can you execute at a really high level well,” Lanning said.
Over the last two seasons, which featured the Ducks making the CFP, the Ducks have found success despite injuries, something they hope to carry with them in this important stretch of the schedule.
Throughout last season’s CFP run, the Ducks dealt with injuries to running back Jordon Davison and wide receiver Dakorien Moore. Stewart also missed the entire 2025 season with a torn patellar injury. Lanning recently spoke about how last season’s injuries can help them this time around, as the injury bug has hit them yet again.
“Yeah, it’s beneficial,” Lanning said. “It’s been beneficial for us too because it’s looked different for the guys that we’ve had out there, and we’ve talked about it before, where if we need to be an 11-personnel team, we’ll be an 11-personnel team," Lanning said.
“If we need to be a 12-team, we’ll be a 12-team; a 21-team, so we can change, we can adapt, right? Where that can become more of a challenge is as coaches. All right, we call it this formation when we want this guy here.”
“We call it this formation; we want this guy here, and then how much parity, and how do you practice that well based on what happens within the sequence of a game, or an injury might happen, right? We’ve had injuries in pregame this year, where that totally kind of changes what you prepared for and how you plan it,” Lanning continued.
Oregon Ducks vs. Illinois Fighting Illini Kickoff Time, Betting Odds
The Ducks and Fighting Illini last met at Autzen Stadium on Oct. 26, 2024, in a top-25 matchup that Oregon won 38-9 en route to an undefeated regular season. The Ducks look to replicate that success without Moore at quarterback as they enter Saturday’s matchup as a ten-point favorite, per the DraftKings Sportsbook betting odds.
The Ducks and Fighting Illini will kick off from Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois, at 12 p.m. PT with the game broadcast on the Big Ten Network.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
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