After the Oregon Ducks were already without quarterback Dante Moore, who continues to recover from a concussion sustained on Sept. 26, the Oct. 14 injury report caused shock with a new addition. Wide receiver Evan Stewart initially ended up on the report as questionable, before ultimately missing the 17-14 win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Coach Dan Lanning once again pointed to the looming injury report when asked about Moore and Stewart’s statuses this week. Wednesday night provided a little more clarity on where the offensive playmakers are in relation to playing or not playing in Week 8.
Both Moore and Stewart are officially out for the road trip to Illinois, while defensive lineman Matthew Johnson and offensive lineman Immanuel Iheanacho are the new additions to the injury report.
Below are all of the players listed as out, with no one marked as probable, questionable or doubtful for the first availability report. This is the first of four required injury reports from the Big Ten, which start three days ahead of the game. Oregon’s next injury report is expected at 5 p.m. PT on Thursday.
Oregon Ducks Injury Report vs. Illinois Fighting Illini
Out
Receiver Jeremiah McClellan
Quarterback Dante Moore
Receiver Evan Stewart
Defensive Back Aaron Flowers
Linebacker Brayden Platt
Defensive Lineman Matthew Johnson
Offensive Lineman Trent Ferguson
Offensive Lineman Immanuel Iheanacho
Oregon Ducks Quarterback Battle Still Without Clarity
Without Moore, the quarterback battle continues to come down to Dylan Raiola vs. Brock Thomas. Raiola started in Moore’s first game out after throwing a pair of touchdowns off the bench following the injury against the USC Trojans.
But a 6-for-19, multi-turnover performance against the UCLA Bruins caused Lanning to bench Raiola for Thomas. Thomas threw for 156 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter of the UCLA loss.
The Eugene native quarterback started against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, but the back-and-forth cycle of inconsistent performances continued. Thomas threw for 54 yards and 9-for-20 passing, causing Lanning to bench him in favor of Raiola in the fourth quarter.
Raiola led the Ducks to a comeback victory with a touchdown drive, plus a two-point conversion. He appears to be the favorite to start at Illinois, but Lanning hesitated to indicate that one quarterback is leading over the other.
“Yeah, every week's week-to-week, and I think that's the best thing that those guys have recognized is we got to go out and work again, right? It's your body of work. It's what you do in practice,” Lanning said. “They're attacking it, and both getting reps and doing a great job of that.”
The Fighting Illini are dealing with their own starting quarterback injury, with Katin Houser out. Coach Bret Bielema acknowledged on Monday that the uncertainty about who the Oregon starter will be makes game prep challenging.
“They’ve gone through some injuries, and you knew how that was going to change things, as you saw, obviously, with the quarterback transition in the fourth quarter, a guy that we’ve seen before,” Bielema said. “Raiola’s obviously a very accomplished player. Kind of almost unusual. You have to prepare for possibly three quarterbacks on Saturday.”
Thin Receiver Depth Brings Younger Players Into the Mix
Outside of the quarterback position, Oregon’s lack of continuity is showing up everywhere on offense. The offensive line rotation has struggled to find a core five-man unit. Starting tight end Jamari Johnson missed multiple games at the start of the season, and then there are the receivers, who are dealing with a handful of injuries.
The receiver position is notably without a strong veteran presence amid injuries. Along with Stewart, Jeremiah McClellan continues to be listed as out on the injury report after breaking his foot in warmups ahead of the Portland State game.
Dakorien Moore is expected to be the leading target, after already notching four touchdowns and 347 receiving yards to open the season. Outside of the sophomore, Lanning might lean on true freshmen more than in the past.
Messiah Hampton stepped up as a target when Johnson was out, picking up nine receptions for 102 yards and two touchdowns in the two-game stretch between Oklahoma State and Portland State.
Recently, five-star Jalen Lott made his collegiate debut against UCLA after missing the start of the season with a wrist injury. Lott came up big on the final drive against Nebraska, finishing with three receptions for 23 yards.
“Yeah, I mean it's super impressive,” Lanning said. “I mean, obviously, I think the first one he touched, which he got back, right, could have been a big play opportunity for us. Some tough, tough catch, but we expect them to make big plays like that. We've seen it a lot of practice, so having a healthy version of him is beneficial.”
Hudson Lewis is another freshman who showed flashes vs. the Cornhuskers. Lewis’ only stats came against the Vikings, when he recorded three receptions for 23 yards, but he also connected with Raiola on the two-point conversion on the final drive against Nebraska.
Without two of the Ducks’ most experienced playmakers, the true freshmen might be needed more than ever.
“There's no timeline for any players (to make an impact), but it's awesome that when you can have young players that are able to contribute and make an impact on your program,” Lanning said. “And we've had some guys that are able to show up.”
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