For the second time in a matter of weeks, Dylan Raiola came off the bench and delivered Oregon a Big Ten victory.
This time, the moment carried added significance.
With less than a minute remaining in the fourth quarter against his former program, Nebraska, Raiola connected with Jamari Johnson on a touchdown pass over the middle of the end zone to give the Ducks the lead for good. The score proved to be the game-winner in Oregon's 17-14 victory at Autzen Stadium, helping Dan Lanning's team avoid a second consecutive loss.
"(My game vs.) UCLA was very uncharacteristic," Raiola said after the win. "That was very uncharacteristic for me to play like
that. I felt horrible. I let these guys down. These guys put so much time in, these guys got futures in the league and they decided to come back and you have a performance like that. Now you got to take it on the chin and you’ve gotta grow. It was all about growth."
Raiola was in the mix to start against Nebraska on Saturday, but Oregon elected to go with Brock Thomas, who relieved Raiola after he threw his third interception against UCLA in Week 6 as Dante Moore remains sidelined with a concussion.
Thomas was pulled on Saturday after throwing an interception in the second half.
"This game was never about them," said Raiola of facing Nebraska. "It was always about Oregon, it was always about us and us getting back on track and playing our brand of football."
Lanning credited Raiola for being ready when his number was called on Saturday. Raiola completed 11 of 18 passing for 59 yards and a touchdown.
"A lot of people don’t necessarily get second chances," Lanning said of Raiola. "Dylan got a second chance to go out there tonight and execute for us when he was ready and proud that he was able to do that."
Dan Lanning opens up about the difficult conversation with Dylan Raiola after deciding he wouldn't start against his former team. pic.twitter.com/qveBI6gHdY
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 18, 2026
Lanning was non-committal about the Ducks' quarterback situation for next week's road game at Illinois if Moore is not able to return. The Ducks and Illini are set for a 3 p.m. ET kickoff on Saturday, Oct. 24.
"We’ll reassess and compete again this week to see where things are at as we move forward," Lanning said.
Be sure to check out USA TODAY Sports' new College Football Unfiltered podcast, hosted by USA TODAY Sports columnist Blake Toppmeyer. You can stream on YouTube or download via Apple podcasts and Spotify.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dylan Raiola has second dagger for Nebraska after go-ahead TD: 'Game was never about them'
