Dylan Raiola left Nebraska for Oregon, only to risk watching his revenge game from the bench. What was supposed to be his chance to prove the Cornhuskers wrong has turned into an embarrassing setback. After a disastrous showing against UCLA, Raiola appears to have lost his starting job to Brock Thomas, a quarterback who entered the season third on Oregon’s depth chart.

According to CBS Sports’ Chris Hummer and Matt Zenitz, Brock Thomas is expected to start Saturday against Nebraska at Autzen Stadium after taking the majority of first-team practice reps this week. With Dante Moore still recovering from a concussion, Dan Lanning needs someone to steady an offense that has gone badly off course.

And this decision could hardly be worse for Dylan Raiola. Oregon enters Week 7 at 3-2 overall and 1-1 in Big Ten play after a stunning 17-15 home loss to UCLA. The Ducks committed seven turnovers, including five lost fumbles and two interceptions. The defeat also knocked Oregon out of the AP Top 25, putting its College Football Playoff hopes in serious jeopardy.

Dylan Raiola contributed three turnovers before Dan Lanning replaced him in the fourth quarter. Brock Thomas provided competent QB play, completing 11 of 15 passes for 156 yards and a touchdown. His 44-yard touchdown pass to Evan Stewart brought Oregon within two points, but the Ducks failed on the ensuing two-point conversion.

There is a hometown angle, too. Brock Thomas is a senior who attended Sheldon High School in Eugene, the same school that produced former Oregon QB Justin Herbert. Now he could make his first career start for the Ducks in his hometown, although his college resume is limited. Thomas joined Oregon as a walk-on in 2023 despite receiving scholarship offers from smaller programs.

Brock Thomas has barely seen the field, with 36 career attempts, 15 of them coming against UCLA. He’s completed 70% of his passes this season, with one touchdown and no picks. But Dan Lanning has seen him handle a tight spot before.

Against Wisconsin last year, Thomas came in for Dante Moore and hit all four of his second-half throws in a 21-7 win. Two drives chewed up nearly six minutes apiece, and he kept the ball out of trouble. Nebraska’s defense won’t be easy, but Oregon needs someone who won’t keep handing the ball away.

And the Cornhuskers aren’t exactly an easy opponent. Nebraska enters the game at 5-1 after pushing defending national champion Indiana to the brink in a 20-17 loss. Oregon also faces another offensive setback, with leading receiver Evan Stewart listed as doubtful against Nebraska.

As for Dylan Raiola, the situation is far from what anyone expected. He arrived at Oregon after two seasons at Nebraska, where he threw for 4,819 yards and 31 touchdowns. He started 22 games for the Cornhuskers before transferring, making Saturday’s matchup particularly awkward.

Before the UCLA fallout, Dylan Raiola gave Dan Lanning a reason to keep believing. Against USC, he completed 76% of his passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns, delivering one of his strongest performances of the season. That showing even raised questions about the QB hierarchy once Dante Moore returned.

Then UCLA exposed him. Dylan Raiola completed just six of 19 attempts for 43 yards before being benched. He threw two interceptions, and his inability to protect the football helped turn an already ugly performance into a potential change at QB.

However, Dan Lanning didn’t place the entire blame on Raiola. Speaking at his midweek press conference, the Oregon coach acknowledged that some of the situations his quarterback faced weren’t favorable.

“I think some of the positions we put [Raiola] in weren’t successful opportunities as well,” Lanning said. But he also made the deciding factor clear: “But you have to be able to protect the ball, that’s a part of it.”

Oregon’s struggles have drawn criticism beyond Eugene. Urban Meyer offered a bleak assessment on The Triple Option after reviewing the Ducks’ performance.

“I think they’re cooked,” he said.

The former Ohio State coach was particularly concerned about how far Oregon had fallen from Dan Lanning’s usual standards.

“It’s un-Oregon,” Meyer said. “Something’s going on there.”

Meyer pointed to the team’s declining fundamentals, lack of ball security, and effort that no longer resembles the Oregon teams he has grown accustomed to watching. He also acknowledged the impact of coordinator departures and roster turnover but maintained that something was wrong with Lanning’s program.

Dylan Raiola’s Nebraska reunion is taking a back seat. Right now, Dan Lanning needs someone to stop the bleeding, and that could mean handing the ball to a hometown senior who started the year third on the depth chart. With Oregon’s playoff hopes hanging by a thread, another loss could make its quarterback controversy the least of Lanning’s problems.