‘I Gotta Own Everything,’ ‘It’s Going to Be Weird’ — Dylan Raiola Owns UCLA Loss, Eyes Possible Nebraska Reunion as Oregon Weighs QB Options
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Oregon quarterback Dylan Raiola started two seasons for Nebraska. On Saturday night, he could start against the Cornhuskers.
Oregon coach Dan Lanning said he will review the film before picking a starter for the Ducks’ home game against Nebraska at Autzen Stadium, after Raiola struggled in a 17-15 loss to UCLA.
Raiola, filling in for injured starter Dante Moore, completed 6 of 19 passes for 43 yards with two interceptions before Lanning turned to Eugene native Brock Thomas.
Dylan Raiola Says Facing Nebraska Will Feel Weird
Raiola made 22 starts and threw for 4,819 yards over two seasons at Nebraska under coach Matt Rhule before transferring to Oregon.
“Coach Rhule gave me a chance my first two years of college,” Raiola said after the loss. “And nothing but love and respect for him.”
Raiola said winning is all that matters against Nebraska, but he expects the reunion to feel strange. “It’s gonna be weird, you know, seeing that team across, like I’m not on that team.”
His father, Dominic Raiola, was an All-America center for the Cornhuskers, and his younger brother Dayton, now an Oregon tight end, was once committed to Nebraska.
After Oregon’s win at USC on Sept. 26, Rhule said he loves Raiola and roots for him and his family forever.
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“Well Duck fans, you now know what it was like to be a Husker fan last year…Raiola can look so good and then he turns into a pumpkin,” one Nebraska fan wrote.
Raiola’s first two games at Oregon looked nothing like the UCLA loss. He completed 30 of 36 passes for 413 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions, including 19 of 25 for 289 yards and two touchdowns in relief of Moore in a 41-27 win at USC.
Dan Lanning Shares Blame for Raiola’s Struggles in UCLA Loss
The Ducks turned the ball over seven times, converted 1 of 12 third downs and ran for 73 yards. Raiola lost a fumble along with his two interceptions, while Thomas went 11 of 15 for 156 yards and threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to receiver Evan Stewart.
Pro Football Network’s CFB QB Impact Grade has Raiola at 73 this season, tied for 100th of 170 qualified FBS quarterbacks.
Raiola met with reporters after the loss and said a player has to own tough situations.
“There’s no running around them, there’s no dodging them. The product we put out there, the product I put out there, I gotta live with that. I gotta own everything and take it on the chin and move forward.”
Lanning shared the blame, saying he wanted to find Raiola right after his news conference so the quarterback would know his coach shares responsibility for the performance. Lanning said Raiola wasn’t good enough against UCLA, but that the coaches didn’t prepare him to be good enough or put him in positions to succeed.
One fan made the same point. “Respect this kid a lot. The adults in the room failed him.”
Lanning Waits on Film and Dante Moore Before Naming a Starter
Asked about the quarterback situation heading into the Nebraska game, Lanning pointed to the film and to Moore. “It’d be too early to make a decision there, but have to go back, evaluate the film, evaluate practice, and see what it looks like, and then see where Dante’s at.”
Moore has been sidelined by a concussion suffered at USC. Lanning said Moore has been practicing with the team and that he anticipates an opportunity for him to return, but that it would be unfair to say so right now. PFN’s Impact grade has Moore at 83.3 this season, tied for 30th of 170 qualified FBS quarterbacks.
Nebraska is coming off a 20-17 home loss to Indiana.
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“We’re preparing for all three quarterbacks,” Rhule said Monday. “I have a lot of respect for Dante [Moore]. I don’t know his situation.”
Rhule added that Oregon’s offense has stayed much the same no matter which quarterback is in the game.
“Let’s pray Raiola is starting because he looks absolutely awful against UCLA,” one content creator wrote.
PFN’s College Football Playoff Meter gives Oregon a 76.8% chance to beat Nebraska and a 40.3% chance to make the College Football Playoff. A win would raise the Ducks’ playoff chance to 48.0%, and a loss would drop it to 14.6%.
Oregon (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten) and Nebraska (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) kick off at 8 p.m. PT Saturday at Autzen Stadium on FOX.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.
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