Facing a fourth down late in the fourth quarter with the game and potentially the season on the line, the Oregon Ducks were down a couple of key options.
Dakorien Moore and Jamari Johnson lined up in the formation, but the Nebraska defense knew Dylan Raiola would probably look in their direction. Elsewhere, there were freshman receivers on the field, several still looking to prove themselves in Oregon's offense.
For Jalen Lott, the moment wasn't too big. He snuck into the middle of the field on a slant behind Moore's clearing route. Raiola zipped it to the freshman a bit late, but Lott hung on as the Nebraska defender hit him from the side. The catch was good, just beyond the first down marker to keep the game alive on what would be the winning drive for the Ducks.
That was the first taste of the five-star talent the Ducks brought to campus from Frisco, Texas. In his second game on the field, Lott made three catches for 23 yards, two of which came on the Ducks' final drive.
It wasn't all pretty, as Lott did drop a pass early in the game from Brock Thomas as another Nebraska defender closed in. Playing in just his second game, some of those highs and lows are to be expected from a young player trying to make a name for himself. Dan Lanning isn't worried; rather, the opposite. But he knows Lott will reel in some of those catches as he gets more game reps.
“Super impressive," Lanning said of Lott. "I mean, obviously, I think the first one he touched, which he got back. Could have been a big play opportunity for us, and a tough catch. But we expect him to make big plays like that. We've seen it a lot in practice, so having a healthy version of him is beneficial.”
It didn't take long for Lott to make a big first impression on the coaching staff. After enrolling over the summer, missing all of the spring practices, Lott immediately began making highlight-reel-worthy grabs in practice for the Ducks. It wasn't a matter of if Lott would see the field this season, just a matter of when.
A minor corrective surgery on his left hand during fall camp meant Lott would be sitting on the sideline in street clothes to begin his college career. He worked to get healthy and stayed involved with the team as he recovered, but missing reps in a loaded receiver room can lead to an uphill battle for playing time.
DYLAN RAIOLA TO JALEN LOTT TO KEEP THE SEASON ALIVE pic.twitter.com/TgMTdgVgow
— FD (@flooduck) October 18, 2026
The Ducks lost Jeremiah McClellan early in the season to a foot injury, clearing the way for fellow freshman wideout Messiah Hampton to take on a bigger role in the offense. Not long after, Lott suited up against UCLA and made one grab early on before remaining quiet for the rest of the game.
Against Nebraska, Lott showed up in the biggest moments and was a relied-upon weapon as the Ducks engineered a 20-play drive to win the game. Without Evan Stewart on the field, Lott was elevated to a starting role over fellow receivers who had worked with the team throughout the spring, summer and fall camp. The coaching staff has no shortage of confidence in the budding star receiver, and neither does Raiola, who trusted Lott twice on the final drive after his early drop.
From off the radar entirely to getting the ball in a do-or-die moment, Lott is quickly learning and meeting the bar that comes with playing receiver for the Ducks.
“Talk about a culture that you have no choice but to live up to the standard," Raiola said of Lott. "When you come to a place like this, nobody really cares how long you've been here or when you got here. It's either ‘you know it or you don’t.’ I think that's the beauty of it. People are expected to know, and that's not going without saying: I'm proud of (Lott) for how he's handled it, how he knew what to do in the game, and being able to execute on some key plays for us.”
Moving forward, as the Ducks head to Illinois with McClellan and Stewart still unavailable, Lott will likely play a big role again, regardless of who is throwing him the football. Learning from the veterans around him and wide receivers coach Ross Douglas, the former five-star is quickly rounding into form, and it wouldn't be shocking to see Lott's role only continue to grow in the second half of the season.
Lott will have an opportunity for a breakout performance against the Illinois defense on the road this Saturday. Kickoff is set for noon PT with the game airing live on Big Ten Network.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Jalen Lott steps up in biggest moment after delayed Oregon start