Oregon earned a hard-fought 17-14 win over Nebraska last weekend, keeping its College Football Playoff hopes alive despite another game without starting quarterback Dante Moore.
The Ducks' offense struggled for much of the night under Brock Thomas, who finished 9 of 20 for 54 yards and zero touchdowns with one interception. Then, Dylan Raiola came on in the fourth quarter and sparked a dramatic comeback against his former team.
The Ducks entered the final frame down 14-6, but their defense held firm, and Raiola led a 17-play, 69-yard drive en route to a 37-yard field goal from Gage Hurych to cut the Huskers' lead, before capping off a long, 20-play, 82-yard drive with a touchdown pass to tight end Jamari Johnson to take the lead with less than a minute remaining.
The win moved Oregon to 4-2 overall and 2-1 in Big Ten play, but the Ducks can't afford any more setbacks. Saturday's road game against Illinois is especially important given Oregon's upcoming schedule, including games at No. 3 Ohio State and Michigan State, along with matchups at home against No. 24 Northwestern and Michigan.
Another loss would make their path back to the CFP incredibly difficult. Unfortunately, the Ducks will have to manage without both Moore and top wide receiver Evan Stewart, who have both been ruled out for the Illinois game.
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Moore's absence is more concerning because this will now be the third game he will miss with the concussion. He's one of the top quarterbacks in college football and was off to a strong start before the injury, suffered during the USC game on Sept. 26. He completed 69 of 99 passes (69.7%) for 926 yards and nine touchdowns with zero interceptions through the first four games of the season.
Stewart, meanwhile, is in the middle of a breakout season with the Ducks. After posting 613 receiving yards and five touchdowns on 48 catches last season, his first at Oregon, he was already on pace to smash those totals this year. He currently leads the Ducks with 27 catches for 352 yards and four touchdowns, and that's with him missing the Nebraska game with the injury.
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Raiola is the leading candidate to start at quarterback after coming off the bench and leading Oregon to their win over Nebraska, but head coach Dan Lanning hasn't officially named the starter yet. Raiola, Thomas, and sophomore quarterback Akili Smith Jr. are all reportedly taking reps in practice.
Raiola has completed 64.4% of his passes this season for 515 yards and six touchdowns with two interceptions in four appearances. Meanwhile, without Stewart, Dakorien Moore and Jamari Johnson will need to step up, along with Oregon's defense.