Two of the Oregon Ducks’ first five games of the 2026 season came on the road. Following their bye week and two straight games at Autzen Stadium, the Ducks now prepare to fly to the Midwest to take on the Illinois Fighting Illini.
Oregon and Illinois played in Eugene in 2024 during the Ducks’ first season in the Big Ten. Oregon won that matchup 38-9, but will play in Champaign for the first time as members of the same conference.
Ahead of the Week 8 showdown, Fighting Illini coach Bret Bielema reacted to the challenge of preparing for three different Oregon quarterbacks and acknowledged the quarterback injuries plaguing the Big Ten.
Big Ten Quarterback Injuries Impacting Both Teams
Bielema opened up by talking about Oregon, showing his respect for coach Dan Lanning and the Ducks’ program.
“Obviously, Oregon (played) in a four-quarter game on Saturday,” Bielema said. “I made it til half, and knew I was going to watch that game a lot. But obviously, a lot of respect for Dan and his staff and his program and what they’ve been able to accomplish.”
Bielema spoke about the similarities between Illinois and Oregon in the sense that they are both dealing with injuries to their starting quarterbacks. Dante Moore sustained a concussion against the USC Trojans on Sept. 26, ultimately heading to the hospital before returning to Eugene with the team.
Moore missed the last two games, but has participated in practice during those two weeks. Lanning continues to express that the program is handling his return to the active roster with care, but hasn’t yet ruled him out against the Illini. The first injury report is set to be released on Wednesday at 5 p.m. PT.
Meanwhile, Illinois senior quarterback Katin Houser is expected to miss four to six weeks following a procedure to his throwing hand.
“I think they’ve kind of experienced the same things in the weekend. Katin (Houser) got hurt,” Bielema said. “There were three or four teams around the league that lost their potential No. 1 guy for a certain part of time. Part of college football that we’re seeing now, and I think the biggest thing for us is take advantage of the moment.”
To Bielema’s point, Oregon’s most recent loss to the now-ranked No. 9 UCLA Bruins saw starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava exit with an injury. The Ducks’ upcoming ranking opponent, the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes, lost quarterback Julian Sayin to injury against the Indiana Hoosiers.
But for Illinois, losing Houser is a notable loss entering the matchup with Oregon. Houser recorded 12 touchdowns and 1,440 yards on 66.3 percent completion, along with 120 rushing yards for two touchdowns in six games.
Illinois Prepares for Three Oregon Quarterbacks
While the Fighting Illini will be without their starter, Bielema faces the challenge of not knowing which opposing quarterback to prepare for. Moore could make his return on the road, or former walk-on Brock Thomas could start for the second consecutive game. Oregon could also let Dylan Raiola pick up where he left off against the Cornhuskers.
“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.”
Raiola threw two interceptions and went six-for-19 against UCLA in the 17-15 Week 7 loss, resulting in a benching for Thomas. The latter entered and threw for 156 yards and a touchdown on 11-for-15 passing.
But it was the complete opposite against Nebraska. Thomas threw for just 54 yards on nine-for-20 passing and recorded an interception. Raiola replaced him at the start of the fourth quarter and tossed for 59 yards and a touchdown, plus a two-point conversion.
Raiola has more experience of the two if Moore is unavailable. He has six touchdowns and 515 yards on 64.4 percent completion in 2026, while also having two years of starting experience at Nebraska under his belt, with 2,000-plus passing yards in each of those seasons.
Interestingly enough, Illinois was the very team Raiola made his Big Ten debut against as a true freshman in 2024. He threw three touchdowns, an interception and 297 yards on 68.6 percent completion in his first career loss. Raiola and the Cornhuskers fell 31-24 in overtime in a game he rushed seven times for negative 52 yards and got sacked six times.
If Raiola earns his second starting nod at Oregon against Illinois, he’ll surely look to accomplish a different result this time around.
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