With redshirt senior Dante Moore still in concussion protocol, walk-on redshirt junior Brock Thomas made his first collegiate career start at quarterback for the Oregon Ducks (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten).
Well-versed in his former team's tendencies, junior Dylan Raiola eventually replaced the walk-on under center and led the final push past the Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-2, 2-2 Big Ten) in a narrow 17-14 win at Autzen Stadium on Oct. 17.
Thomas couldn't get anything going offensively through the first three quarters, only producing 54 passing yards on 9-for-20 completions. The Eugene, Oregon, native threw an interception and had a mere 8.4 quarterback rating.
Enter Raiola at the start of the fourth quarter, who put together the game-winning drive starting at Oregon's 18-yard line. He would find redshirt senior tight end Jamari Johnson for a 4-yard touchdown in the back of the end zone. Raiola wasn't done, hitting freshman wide receiver Hudson Lewis for the two-point conversion.
Dylan Raiola's Energy Brought Life Back to Offense in a Dire Moment
Raiola showed poise while balancing urgency and clock management during the last 20 offensive possessions against Nebraska. That's exactly what was witnessed in the 41-27 victory at the USC Trojans (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) after he replaced Moore in the second quarter, but far from what was seen from him in the following 17-15 home loss to still-undefeated UCLA.
"He was ready for his moment. I think he created some juice and a spark, but our guys stayed pretty focused on consistently doing their jobs," Oregon coach Dan Lanning said to the media after the game on Raiola's showing off the bench.
"Dylan created some success. It didn’t always look exactly how we drew it up, but he gave us a chance. I felt like he moved in the pocket similarly to how he did in the USC game and didn’t put the ball in jeopardy, which gave us a great opportunity," he continued.
Dan Lanning Plans to Keep Starting Quarterback Spot Open
Despite his late clutch performance, Lanning made it clear that Raiola's recent comeback effort did not end the ongoing quarterback competition for the Ducks.
“You evaluate it again," Lanning pointed out after the game. "College football is crazy, and winning is hard. I’m certain there wasn’t a staff that worked harder this week to have a really good plan for what we wanted to accomplish. Sometimes it still doesn’t look the way you want, and we have to keep working through it, figure out what we need to do better, and determine how to replicate what we see in practice."
This group will look to improve by playing a full four quarters of football at practice this week. Plus, extending time of possession after only completing 3-for-17 third downs against the Cornhuskers this past Saturday and 1-for-12 against the UCLA Bruins (6-0, 4-0 Big Ten) on Oct. 10.
Oregon moves its attention and game plan preparation to the Illinois Fighting Illini (3-3, 1-2 Big Ten) inside Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois, on Saturday, Oct. 24. The Big Ten Conference matchup can be viewed on the Big Ten Network at 12:00 p.m. PT as the Ducks try to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive.
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