Eugene won’t be seeing prime-time football next Saturday, and it’s all thanks to some absolutely brutal Week 6 performances that have both the Oregon Ducks and Nebraska Cornhuskers reeling. The Ducks, man, they are in a serious spot, staring down a Big Ten battle in Autzen Stadium at 8 p.m. PT on Fox, and it’s gonna be ugly. This game is actually the *last* one to kick off in the entire Big Ten slate for Week 7, and you know what that means: all eyes on them, and both teams got some massive questions they gotta answer.
The Quarterback Crisis Nobody Saw Coming in Eugene
Seriously, what in the world is happening with Oregon’s quarterback room? It’s a total mess right now. Star QB Dante Moore might be out a second week, still recovering from a concussion, and that’s left a gaping hole. Dylan Raiola stepped in against UCLA, and it just did not go well. The dude turned the ball over three times before they benched him at the end of the third quarter. Yeah, you read that right, *benched*. Then the third-stringer, Brock Thomas, came in and actually led a touchdown drive in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough to pull off the comeback. The Ducks ended up falling 17-15 at home, and get this: they lost the ball SEVEN times. Seven! That’s just catastrophic for any team, let alone one trying to make a run.
Nebraska’s Nerves and Raiola’s Toughest Test Yet
On the other side of the field, Nebraska isn’t exactly riding high, even though their loss felt a lot different. They took Indiana right down to the wire in Lincoln, holding a lead for most of the game thanks to some incredible special teams play and quarterback Anthony Colandrea making plays with his legs. But then, just like that, a couple of late defensive mistakes cost them, and the Hoosiers stormed back for a 20-17 win. Now, if both these teams had won, this game was supposed to be a prime-time blockbuster. Instead, Oregon’s ugly defeat and Nebraska’s narrow loss totally sunk those expectations. But don’t sleep on this matchup! A ton of eyeballs are still gonna be on Raiola, especially since he could be facing his former team for the first time. And knowing how well Nebraska fans travel, those Cornhusker faithful are gonna make the trip to Eugene and make it a seriously challenging environment for Raiola to try and bounce back in.
This isn’t just another game for Oregon. With any shot at reaching the College Football Playoff, they literally have to win out, and this Nebraska game is where that crazy road starts. Autzen Stadium needs to get its swagger back for this night game, especially with the Cornhuskers, who’ve already crushed some expectations, rolling into town. Remember when Justin Herbert led the Ducks to a 42-35 win over Nebraska in 2017? Man, the Ducks need that kind of magic, but they gotta bring it for all four quarters this time, especially after that second-half shutout in that very game. Let’s see if they can finally answer some of these huge questions.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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