‘Football Is Not As Important’ — Dylan Raiola Shares Heartfelt Perspective on Dante Moore’s Comeback After Scary Injury vs. USC

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The first thing Dylan Raiola did when he saw Dante Moore again had nothing to do with Oregon’s quarterback room. He gave his teammate a hug, relieved to see Moore walking around after the frightening scene against USC.

That reunion carried more weight for Raiola. He was the quarterback, suddenly asked to finish the game after Moore went down, but days later, the football part barely made the conversation.

Dylan Raiola’s First Move Was a Hug

“I saw him [Dante Moore] a couple days after, I mean, dude was moving around. He looked great,”Raiola said. He added that the first thing he did was give Moore a big hug and tell him how good it was to see him upright.

The game never really came up, and Raiola explained why.

“We didn’t really talk about the game ’cause in that situation football is not as important,”Raiola said. “That’s a relationship that I hopefully have for a long time, and as my friend and as my buddy, he’s back upright. He’s back in the building doing what he loves. So, I think that’s where we can celebrate that first.”

It was a simple answer from a player who had just lived through a pretty unusual two weeks. TheUSC game put Raiola in a position nobody wanted. Moore was taken from the field on a stretcher and transported by ambulance after the hit, leaving Raiola to take over with Oregon trailing.

He handled the football part about as well as anyone could have asked. Raiola completed 19 of 25 passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns as Oregon rallied for a 41-27 win.

The Ducks kept their season moving that night. Raiola’s comments made clear that seeing No. 5 back around the building carried its own kind of relief.

Oregon’s QB Room Has Been Through Plenty Already

Raiola could have spent the week talking about the throws he made or the chance now sitting in front of him. His first thought was the guy whose injury created that opportunity.

That says plenty about the relationship between Oregon’s two quarterbacks. Raiola transferred in after two seasons as Nebraska’s starter and entered 2026 behind Moore. When his number was called at USC, he looked comfortable almost immediately.

The currentPFN’s CFB QB Impact rankings have Moore at No. 37 nationally with an 82.4 grade through four games. Raiola sits No. 41 with an 81.3 grade through his two appearances.

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Moore had completed 69.7% of his passes for 926 yards, nine touchdowns, and no interceptions before the injury. Raiola has gone 30 of 36 for 413 yards, five scores, and no interceptions in limited work.

The quarterback conversation will keep moving as Oregon’s season does. Raiola’s reaction to seeing Moore again was much easier to understand.

His friend was back on his feet and back in the building. For a few days, that was plenty.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.

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