Oregon loses QB Dante Moore for the season with a concussion, and Dylan Raiola keeps the job

Dante Moore will not play again for Oregon this season. Coach Dan Lanning said the quarterback has not recovered from the concussion he took in the Ducks' Week 4 win at USC, Yahoo Sports reported. That makes Dylan Raiola, the former Nebraska starter, the quarterback for the rest of a season that has already gone wrong.

Lanning said the decision was out of his hands and out of Moore's, and that Moore is still expected to make a full recovery. "But for him to be out on the field for us right now, that's not going to happen," Lanning said, according to Yahoo Sports. Moore was hurt late in a scramble. USC linebacker Desman Stephens II hit him in the head as he slid, and the back of his head struck the turf.

The loss is a big one. Moore came back to Eugene instead of entering a draft where he was seen as a possible top-five pick, and Oregon opened the season No. 2 in the AP poll. He finished 69 of 99 for 926 yards and nine touchdowns in parts of four games. Under the five-in-five rule he can return in 2027 for one final season.

Without him, the offense has stalled. Raiola finished off the 41-27 win over USC. In the three games since, the Ducks have not scored more than 17 points. Oregon turned the ball over seven times in a 17-15 loss to UCLA, a game in which Raiola was pulled for Brock Thomas in the second half. Raiola then came off the bench against his old Nebraska team to rally a 17-14 win, and he played all of the 21-10 loss at Illinois. That defeat all but ended Oregon's playoff hopes. A day later, Lanning fired first-year offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer, so Raiola will also be working under a new play-caller.

What it means against Northwestern

Oregon is 4-3 and has lost two of its last three, all with Raiola taking most of the snaps. No. 20 Northwestern comes to Autzen Stadium on Saturday, October 31 (Peacock). After that comes No. 2 Ohio State, then Michigan visits on Nov. 14. Yahoo Sports framed that run as the stretch that should show Oregon what it has at quarterback. The goal has also shifted from a national title to reaching bowl eligibility.

The market still has the Ducks as the favorite. On this site's board for the game, which tracks 11 venues, Oregon is favored at -163 on the moneyline on Novig. Northwestern is +153 there, almost the same as the best price anywhere, +154 at Pinnacle. The spread is Oregon -3.5. Novig lists the Ducks at -104 and Hard Rock Bet has the best price at even money. Sportsbook hold on the moneyline ranges from 3.5% to 6.6%, so the venues are close on this game. The total is 47.5 on Novig. Other venues range from 46.5 to 48, a low number for an offense that has averaged about 14 points over its last three games.

Oregon is still favored by about a field goal at home. The question is whether a new offensive coordinator can get more out of Raiola in a matter of days.