Oregon’s offense has been nonexistent all season, and the bottom fell out when quarterback Dylan Raiola was benched during Saturday’s game against UCLA. With two losses already on the books, the Ducks are reeling, and the questions swirling around the quarterback room after Dante Moore’s injury are getting louder, not quieter.
From USC Hero to UCLA Nightmare
Man, talk about a fall from grace. It wasn’t that long ago that Raiola looked like the answer against USC after Moore went down. He tore it up in that game, slinging the ball for 289 yards and two touchdowns, completing 19 of his 25 passes. That’s a performance that makes you think, “Okay, we got this.” But then you watch him against UCLA and it’s a completely different guy. He was straight-up bad, completing only 6-of-19 passes for a measly 43 yards and throwing two interceptions. Two picks! He only completed 32% of his passes. What happened? Coach Dan Lanning had no choice but to pull him in the fourth quarter with the Ducks down 17-6, bringing in third-stringer Brock Thomas. Raiola was once a true five-star coming out of high school, and for him to look that lost, it’s a massive head-scratcher.
Oregon’s Offense Is a Turnover Machine
Even with Raiola sidelined, the offense kept giving the ball away. The Ducks coughed it up seven times total in the game. Seven! Thomas, to his credit, gave them a spark. He fumbled on his first drive, yeah, but then he went 11-of-15 for 156 yards and a touchdown. He nearly pulled off the impossible, coming up short on a two-point conversion that would have tied the game. They even got the ball back with 44 seconds left, but couldn’t get into field goal range. It’s brutal. With Moore out for an extended amount of time, the quarterback situation could absolutely get worse before it gets better. This team is sitting at 3-2, and after making the semifinals last season, their playoff hopes are on life support right now. That’s a punch to the gut for any fan base.
What’s Next for Raiola and the Ducks?
So, what happens now? Is Raiola done for Lanning and Oregon? His time in Eugene would be incredibly underwhelming if this is it. Nobody knows but Lanning and his staff. Maybe this benching is the wake-up call a one-time top quarterback needs to find that motivation and redeem himself. Or maybe he decides he’s had enough. The picture’s gonna get clearer in the next few weeks. The Ducks have to get their act together fast, because they’re facing Raiola’s former team, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, this Saturday at 11 p.m. ET on FOX. That’s a game with some serious personal stakes, and Oregon desperately needs answers, and a win, to even think about salvaging this season.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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