The Heartland Line
Oregon pulls Dylan Raiola in loss to UCLA, leaving a three-way quarterback question
With Dante Moore still in concussion protocol, Raiola went 6 of 19 in his first Oregon start before Brock Thomas took over. The Ducks turned it over seven times and host Nebraska next.
Oregon went to its third quarterback of the season on Saturday. Dylan Raiola, making his first start for the Ducks in place of the concussed Dante Moore, was pulled in the second half of a 17-15 home loss to No. 21 UCLA after completing 6 of 19 passes for 43 yards with two interceptions, according to the Associated Press game story on ESPN.
Brock Thomas, listed as the third-stringer, finished the game and nearly saved it. He went 11 of 15 for 156 yards, and his 44-yard touchdown pass to Evan Stewart pulled Oregon within two with 2:16 left. The two-point try failed even after a UCLA facemask penalty moved the ball to the half-yard line, and the Ducks' final drive ended in a lost fumble.
Moore was ruled out for the game earlier in the week, ESPN's Paolo Uggetti reported. He has not played since taking a late hit while sliding in the first quarter of the Sept. 26 win at USC, a play that ended with him leaving the Coliseum in an ambulance. His scans came back clean, and he returned to practice in pads on Monday, but Dan Lanning has refused to put a date on his return. "We're going to continue to make sure we do what's best for Dante as we move forward," Lanning said during the week.
Seven turnovers
The quarterback change is only part of what went wrong in Eugene. Oregon lost five fumbles and threw two interceptions, seven giveaways in a game that featured ten in all. Raiola was sacked and fumbled in the third quarter, and UCLA turned that into Wayne Knight's 35-yard touchdown run for a lead it never gave back. The Ducks finished with 272 yards and 12 first downs and held the ball for less than 21 minutes.
Raiola, the Nebraska transfer, had looked like a ready-made answer two weeks ago, when he came off the bench at USC and threw for 289 yards and two touchdowns. Against a UCLA defense that leads the country with 10 interceptions, he never found a rhythm.
Moore, a preseason Heisman contender, has 926 passing yards and nine touchdowns this season.
What it means for Saturday
The loss drops Oregon to 3-2 and 1-1 in the Big Ten, with defeats at Oklahoma State and now at home to UCLA. Another loss would leave the Ducks almost no margin in the playoff race, and the next opponent comes with a storyline attached: Nebraska, Raiola's former team, comes to Autzen Stadium on Oct. 17 at 5-1 after losing 20-17 to No. 7 Indiana on Saturday.
Who starts for Oregon is the first question of the week. If Moore is cleared, he is the incumbent. If not, Lanning has to choose between Raiola, who struggled in his first start, and Thomas, who moved the ball in relief. The Big Ten availability report, released midweek, will be the first official answer.
Kickoff time and network for Nebraska at Oregon had not been set by ESPN as of Saturday night. Prices for the game will be on the weekly board and the Oregon and Nebraska team pages.
