Oregon QB Dante Moore, Nebraska Safety Jamir Conn to Miss Huskers-Ducks Game

Nebraska may see Dylan Raiola on the field Saturday night after all.

Oregon announced Wednesday that potential No. 1 NFL Draft pick Dante Moore has been ruled out against the Cornhuskers. While not completely unexpected, his absence is a blow to the Ducks and could allow Nebraska to face its former starting signal-caller in Eugene.

Several other key players on both teams were included on Wednesday's availability reports, including a starter in Nebraska's secondary and a top receiver for the Ducks. Here's what the latest updates mean for Nebraska heading into its Week 7 matchup in Eugene.

Moore finished the 2025 season with 3,558 all-purpose yards and 30 touchdowns while leading the Ducks to a College Football Playoff berth. He could have been one of the first players selected in the 2026 NFL Draft, but he stayed at Oregon for another season in pursuit of the program's first national championship.

Moore's 2026 season has been on hold since he suffered a concussion against USC on Sept. 26, but Oregon had not indicated how much time he would miss. Now, Moore is set to miss a third straight week of practice and his second consecutive game.

Even with Moore ruled out, Nebraska doesn't know which of Oregon's quarterbacks will start. Last week against UCLA, Raiola got the nod but was replaced by Brock Thomas in the fourth quarter after an abysmal performance.

Raiola completed just 6 of 19 passes for 43 yards, threw two interceptions and lost a fumble. Thomas took over, completing 11 of 15 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown, but he couldn't lead Oregon to a comeback win.

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said the quarterback competition will continue throughout this week's practices. Along with Raiola and Thomas, sophomore Akili Smith Jr. could be in the mix.

Regardless of who starts, Nebraska defensive coordinator Rob Aurich is preparing his unit for each possibility. While the quarterbacks have different skill sets, Aurich said the Huskers will focus on defending Oregon's offensive strengths and executing in key situations, regardless of who's under center.

“At the core of who they are, they’re going to be who they are,” said Aurich. “They’re going to be 11 and 12 (personnel); they’re going to have play actions off of that. They’re going to have a little bit of RPO free access. They want to get their playmakers involved.”

“As we navigate each quarterback, I don’t know if it’s necessarily adding this plan to here, but we pull the best matchups from what we plan against all their core stuff,” he continued. “It’s much more of a where on the call sheet are we pulling from rather than a separate plan (for each quarterback).”

Also listed on Oregon's report is the Ducks' leading receiver, Evan Stewart. The fifth-year is listed as questionable for Saturday's game. 

On Nebraska's side, starting safety Jamir Conn has also been ruled out after suffering an injury against Indiana last week. Conn played just 17 snaps against the Hoosiers but made several key plays before being injured on the first play of the second half. The Kansas City-area native was replaced by junior defensive back Caleb Benning for the remainder of the game. Benning could be in line for a larger role against the Ducks, though Aurich has emphasized that Nebraska will prioritize getting its best 11 players on the field rather than simply plugging in the next man up.

Senior defensive tackle Riley Van Poppel, who missed Nebraska's game against Indiana, was also listed on the report as doubtful. In the five games he's played this season, Van Poppel has recorded seven tackles and 2.0 sacks.

Other Huskers, including Khamir Prescott, Larry Miles, Jase Reynolds, Jacob Bower, and Gabe Moore, have been ruled out since the start of the year. Junior tight end Carter Nelson is the only previously unavailable player no longer listed on the report, so he could see his first game action since Week 3 against North Dakota.

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