A week ago, Dylan Raiola got pulled in a home loss to UCLA. However, on Saturday night, he was the guy Oregon turned to with its season on the line against Nebraska, his former team. The Ducks beat Nebraska 17-14 at Autzen, after coming in 3-2 unranked for the first time in four years. One more loss could have impacted Oregon’s playoff conversation, but Raiola stepped in at the final moment and saved the day with a last-minute touchdown. But when the matchup ended, Raiola went missing, looking for his former teammates rather than celebrating the win with the Ducks.
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Raiola did not start the game, as Brock Thomas stepped in to play after he was sidelined in the UCLA game. Thomas, the former walk-on from Eugene, got the first start of his career, and Oregon trailed 14-6 after three quarters before Raiola entered to open the fourth quarter. He had spent two seasons in Lincoln, so this was personal, but Raiola wasn’t chasing a revenge game.
“Oregon wins 17-14. Following the win, Dylan Raiola chased after his former teammates to share a few moments,” Avarie Howard posted on X with a short video of Raiola running and embracing his former teammates.
Raiola had gone 6-of-19 for 43 yards with two interceptions and a fumble against UCLA last week. Thomas came in the fourth quarter and went 11-of-15 for 156 yards and a touchdown in a 17-15 loss.
This week the offense stalled, as Thomas finished 9-of-20 for 54 yards and an interception, and Oregon had 91 yards with him in the game. The Ducks were 0-for-7 on third down in the first half and trailed 7-0 at the break.
Raiola’s first drive was 17 plays and ended in a Gage Hurych field goal, 14-9 with about seven minutes left. After a Nebraska three-and-out, he took over at his own 18 for a 20-play, 82-yard drive. Oregon converted two fourth downs, Raiola to Jalen Lott on fourth-and-three and Jordon Davison on fourth-and-one. A fade to Dakorien Moore was ruled a touchdown and overturned.
On the next step, Raiola found Jamari Johnson from four yards out with 28 seconds left, and Hudson Lewis caught the two-point try. Raiola was 11-of-18 for 59 yards. Anthony Colandrea couldn’t get Nebraska into field-goal range. Then he went to the other sideline, as he was shown in the broadcast to stop to talk with his former teammates.
“I love Nebraska, that’s my home,” Raiola said on the broadcast afterward, according to Lindsay Schnell of Lookout Eugene Springfield. “But it was about Oregon tonight. I didn’t draw it up like that, but God has a perfect plan.”
HC Dan Lanning was just as elated as his star QB.
“Hey man, winning’s hard,” Lanning said. “Our guys just found a way. One more second, one more opportunity … Dylan waited all game. He’s an unbelievable teammate; he gets his opportunity and executes.”
That’s the second time this season he stepped up for the game. Dante Moore went out with a concussion in the second quarter against USC on September 26, Oregon’s fourth game, and Raiola went 19-of-25 for 289 yards and two touchdowns in a 41-27 win. Moore has been out since.
The Ducks are 4-2 and 2-1 in the Big Ten and avoided back-to-back home losses for the first time in the Lanning era. Nebraska is 5-2 and lost a fourth-quarter lead for the second straight week after blowing a 17-6 lead to Indiana.
Oregon plays at Illinois next Saturday, followed by Northwestern at home, and Ohio State on November 7 without Julian Sayin, while Lanning still has to decide who plays at quarterback when Moore gets back.