Dan Lanning says Oregon has confidence in Dylan Raiola starting for injured Dante Moore

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Dan Lanning says Oregon has confidence in Dylan Raiola starting for injured Dante Moore originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore is officially out for Saturday's top 25 matchup between No. 13 Oregon and No. 21 UCLA, according to Wednesday's official Big Ten injury report.

Dan Lanning said Moore was back at practice in pads and throwing after sustaining a concussion against USC, but he did not set a timeline for his return. Now the Ducks' offense will rely on former Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola. The transfer replaced Moore and threw for 289 yards and two touchdowns during the win against the Trojans. This will be his first start for the Ducks.

"He had an expectation when he stepped out there on the field and performed at a really, really high level," Lanning said Wednesday of Raiola. "Everybody had confidence in him because they see him do it a lot in practice."

Raiola moves over in the Big Ten. In two seasons at Nebraska, he threw for 4,819 yards and 31 touchdowns as well as 17 interceptions. Raiola had a 13-9 record as a starter in Lincoln.

With Moore's status unknown right now, Lanning is putting his trust in having a solid solution at quarterback. There aren't many college football programs around the country who have a backup that was a full two-year starter elsewhere in the Power Four. Raiola as a plug-and-play backup will be valuable to the Ducks moving forward.

The former five-star recruit is proving his worth early as Oregon still has championship aspirations as a one-loss team. 

"We're going to continue to make sure we do what's best for Dante as we move forward," Lanning said. "But it was great to see him back out there with his teammates and able to do a little work."

Moore was injured attempting to slide after scrambling up the field against USC. Trojans linebacker Desman Stephens II hit him while he was in the motion of going to the ground. He was taken by an ambulance to Los Angeles General Medical Center for evaluation.

Moore was widely projected to be a top pick in the 2026 NFL draft. He decided to return to college for one more year. He came into the season as a Heisman Trophy contender. In four games, Moore has 926 passing yards and nine touchdowns.

Oregon faces UCLA on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS. 

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