‘I’ve Never Wanted to Be Anywhere Else Than Oregon’ — Walk-On Brock Thomas Takes Over for Dylan Raiola When Ducks Trailed UCLA in Fourth Quarter

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

Trailing No. 21 UCLA 17-6 at Autzen Stadium on Saturday, No. 13 Oregon benched Dylan Raiola in the fourth quarter for Brock Thomas, who walked on out of Eugene’s Sheldon High School. It was Raiola’s first start for the Ducks, and it looked nothing like the relief outing that came before it.

Raiola had completed 6 of 19 passes for 43 yards with two interceptions when he was pulled. The Nebraska transfer was starting in place of Dante Moore, who was ruled out after sustaining a concussion in Oregon’s 41-27 win at USC on Sept. 26.

Dylan Raiola Benched After Struggling Against UCLA

Oregon already lost at Oklahoma State in Week 2, so another defeat would cost the Ducks plenty. Pro Football Network’s College Football Playoff Meter gave Oregon a 73.2% chance to make the playoff and a 45.2% chance to reach the Big Ten title game before the game, figures that fell to 49.3% and 22.6% with the loss to UCLA.

Raiola’s afternoon unraveled in the second quarter, when he lost a fumble that set up Wayne Knight’s 35-yard touchdown run. His second interception, by Tao Johnson, came late in the third quarter.

“One team has a real defense,” one fan wrote, contrasting the quarterback’s struggles with his outing at USC.

Raiola went 19 of 25 for 289 yards and two touchdowns in relief of Moore against the Trojans. Raiola said this week that the team had “put that game to bed last week and been preparing” for UCLA.

EVERY QB, GRADED:PFN’s CFB QB Impact Rankings

Oregon coach Dan Lanning said this week that when Raiola stepped in at USC, “everybody had confidence in him because they see him do it a lot in practice.” Entering Saturday, Raiola’s PFN Impact grade of 81.3 this season ranked tied for 40th of 165 graded and qualified FBS quarterbacks.

The Ducks had not reached the end zone since the first quarter, and another wrote that Thomas and Akili Smith Jr. were warming up during the break, adding, “Dylan Raiola is sitting on the bench without his helmet.”

Smith is the son of former Oregon quarterback Akili Smith Sr. UCLA’s Ty Dieffenbach, in for injured starter Nico Iamaleava, threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Knight for a 17-6 lead. When the Ducks got the ball back, Thomas went in for Raiola.

Brock Thomas Replaces Raiola as Oregon Offense Struggles

Thomas entered Saturday 3 of 5 passing for 16 yards this season, all of it in mop-up duty during an 84-0 win over Portland State.

At Sheldon, Thomas produced 7,311 yards of total offense and 101 touchdowns over his junior and senior seasons, then turned down scholarship offers from Eastern Washington, Northern Arizona, Portland State, Air Force and Army to walk on at Oregon in 2023. His father, Aaron Thomas, played receiver for the Ducks from 1985 to 1989.

“Fans cheering the Eugene kid,” another fan wrote after Thomas went in at quarterback.

“I’ve never wanted to be anywhere else than Oregon,” Thomas told OregonLive in August. Last season, he went 4 of 4 for 46 yards and a touchdown in a 21-7 win after Moore left with a nose injury.

BUILD THE CFP FIELD:PFN’s Free CFB Playoff Predictor

This time, the Ducks were chasing the game. ESPN College Football posted that Raiola “was replaced by Brock Thomas at the start of the fourth quarter as No. 13 Oregon trails No. 21 UCLA in Eugene.”

Thomas’ first drive ended without a pass. He lost a yard on a fourth-and-1 run and fumbled at the end of it, and UCLA’s Anthony Sacca recovered.

All told, Oregon had 118 total yards, five first downs and six turnovers and was 0 for 9 on third down, with UCLA still ahead 17-6 in the fourth quarter.

Looking Ahead in Week 7 to Nebraska

Oregon hosts Nebraska, Raiola’s former school, in Week 7 on Oct. 17 at Autzen Stadium. The Cornhuskers lost 20-17 to Indiana earlier Saturday.

Moore returned to practice this week in a limited capacity, though he remained in the concussion protocol and still had several benchmarks to clear before he could play in a game.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos