It’s been a rollercoaster of a season for Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks. Oregon was expected to compete for a Big Ten title and a top-four seed in the College Football Playoff, but through five games, the Ducks are nowhere near either of those expectations.
The Ducks had a rough start to the season, losing to Oklahoma State. And then the Ducks lost arguably their biggest piece of the pie when USC knocked out Dante Moore with a concussion. Moore missed the last game against UCLA, a game in which the Ducks lost 17-15.
Backup Dylan Raiola started in his place, and the third-year quarterback had three turnovers in the loss and was replaced by third-string quarterback Brock Thomas. With Moore’s status in the air for this week’s game against Nebraska, Lanning said there will be a lot of competition taking place — including at the quarterback spot.
“We really got competition in a lot of positions, right? Obviously, quarterback position if Dante’s not able to go. Offensive line, there’s a lot of competition at that position. There’s plenty of positions where there’s competition,” Lanning said ahead of the Nebraska game.
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Protecting the ball is the priority No. 1
Raiola, a former five-star quarterback, began his career at Nebraska. Matt Rhule landed the Georgia product and it signaled a massive win for the Huskers. But things didn’t work out between the two, and Raiola sought a fresh start.
He opted to go the Dante Moore route and learn behind Moore for a season, in hopes of becoming the Ducks’ starting quarterback in 2027. But Raiola’s time came before next season, and he was thrust into the spotlight in Week 4 once Moore got injured. Raiola shined, throwing for 289 yards and two touchdowns.
But his 43 passing yards and three turnovers against UCLA were demoralizing.
“You have to be able to protect the ball,” said Lanning. “That’s all part of it. And again, just like I said after the game, Dylan’s also a guy who played really well against USC, and you have to be aware of that as well, too. So, what are the differences in those two games?
“Differences in opponent? What’s it going to look like this week in practice? But it all starts with the number one job. I think if anybody ever asks me, what do you have to do at quarterback? You have to protect the ball, right?”
Lanning backs Raiola ahead of emotional game
In both seasons Raiola was at Nebraska, he threw for over 2,000 yards. He struggled with turnovers in Year 1, but Raiola improved in his sophomore season, throwing 18 touchdowns compared to six interceptions. While the game will be played in Eugene this weekend, it’s going to be emotional for Raiola.
And with how he prepares week in and week out, Lanning believes Raiola will be ready if his number is called against the Cornhuskers.
“Of course, it’s going to be an emotional game for Dylan,” Lanning said. “You know, being the place that he came from, he’s going to do everything he can to make sure that our team’s in the best situation to have success this week and be prepared and play as well as we possibly can. I know he’ll do that because he’s a pro.”
Oregon will host Nebraska for a late 11 p.m. ET start on FOX. As the week moves closer, we will learn if Raiola will indeed have his number called.
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