Oregon benches five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola
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The Oregon Ducks have hit a rough patch with starting quarterback Dante Moore sidelined, dropping last weekend’s game against the UCLA Bruins to fall to 3-2 on the season. Now, with their College Football Playoff hopes dwindling, the Ducks are reportedly making a change under center.
Former five-star recruit Dylan Raiola, who got the start against UCLA, is set to be benched in favor of Brock Thomas for Saturday night’s game. To make matters worse for Raiola, Oregon’s next opponent is his former team, the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
Raiola Struggles Against UCLA
Moore, who returned to Oregon this season after passing on the NFL Draft, suffered a concussion in the Ducks’ game against USC on Sept. 26. Raiola came off the bench in that game and played well, throwing for 289 yards and two touchdowns.
That earned Raiola the start against UCLA last week, but it didn’t go nearly as well. Raiola completed just 6 of his 19 passes for 43 yards and two interceptions, and he also lost a fumble before getting pulled.
Thomas entered in relief and gave the offense a spark, going 11-for-15 for 156 yards and a touchdown. But the Ducks still fell short, losing 17-15 for their second loss of the season after an earlier defeat against Oklahoma State.
Brock Thomas Gets the Start
After Railoa’s struggles and Thomas’ optimistic performance against UCLA, Oregon is now set to start Thomas against Nebraska on Saturday, according to Pete Nakos of On3.
Needless to say, it’s a tough blow for Raiola. The former Nebraska starter was one of the most hyped quarterback recruits in the country coming out of high school, and now he’ll watch from the sideline as the Ducks take on the Huskers.
Moore’s status remains unclear. Head coach Dan Lanning said that the quarterback has cleared concussion protocol and returned to practice, but there’s no exact timetable for his return. Lanning also hinted earlier this week that the offense would look different moving forward.
“There’s going to be some changes, some differences in the way that we operate and what we do, and there already is, the way we’ve operated this week,” Lanning said this week. “But as far as revealing how we’ll do that, what things will look like, I’m not going to share that with [the media].”
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