As public address announcer Don Essig announced Dylan Raiola as the Oregon Ducks' starting quarterback before the first series of the day, the crowd at Autzen Stadium erupted with cheer. A few hours later, those same fans couldn't stand the sight of Raiola under center.
That was illustrative of the roller coaster day for the Ducks. The offense struggled to pick up a first down on any given drive, held under 100 yards entering the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, the defense raked in three takeaways and delivered multiple short fields that the offense couldn't take advantage of.
Blame could be spread in a variety of directions. Dan Lanning wasn't good enough. Drew Mehringer wasn't good enough. The running game still wasn't great. But above all, Oregon's
quarterback play with Dante Moore watching from the sidelines was atrocious. The offense has never been as out of sync under Lanning as it was on Saturday, and now the Ducks need to find an answer as the schedule only gets tougher.
"Never been in a situation where we turn the ball over that much and still have an opportunity to have success there in the game," Lanning said. "But we weren't successful on offense in any phase tonight. Obviously didn't really get into a rhythm, weren't able to create success there."
Raiola owned his poor play, finishing just 6-of-19 passing with 43 yards and responsible for three of the seven turnovers for the Ducks. Lanning stuck with the Nebraska transfer after halftime, but after two turnovers in the third quarter, Raiola was sent to the bench.
"I thought we were prepared. I thought our coaches prepared us," Raiola said. "We lost, and they were the better team today. I've got to do a better job of rallying the guys, making a play, or getting us going to flip the switch, because we're really one play away from things going the other way. But I can't turn the ball over. I was reckless with the ball today, and you can't win football games like that."
Similar to when Raiola first took the field, the crowd roared in approval when Eugene local Brock Thomas was announced as the new quarterback. Thomas led Oregon in relief last season against Wisconsin when Moore went down with an injury, and he found success to give the Ducks a victory in less-than-ideal conditions.
The Ducks were still hesitant to throw the ball with Thomas on Saturday, as Mehringer reduced the offense to the most basic and fundamental form. But when push came to shove, Thomas delivered, completing 11-of-15 passes for 153 yards and a touchdown.
EVAN STEWART -- HOW?!?! pic.twitter.com/A6h0kCrey2
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) October 10, 2026
So, why didn't Lanning make the quarterback change sooner, especially given Raiola's struggles in the first half?
"Probably a fair question," Lanning admitted.
Lanning didn't want to make a rash decision based on the series of turnovers prior to halftime, but after Raiola made another fatal error at the end of the third quarter, he felt like he couldn't put the move off any longer.
"Brock went in and operated well," Lanning continued. "You can always go back and say, 'Hey, we should have done that earlier.' If you knew that turnover was coming, you would have done that earlier, right? We felt like that's a play that we've seen Dylan make a lot in practice, and he didn't make that play today."
Lanning didn't commit to Moore returning to play against Nebraska, and it's fair to wonder if the star quarterback who is a projected first-round pick in the NFL draft will throw another pass for the Ducks this season. In the immediate future, the Ducks have two options: roll with Raiola and see find out if he can be the future for next season, or turn to Thomas, the senior who hasn't always played well but has certain limitations.
Thomas had success in relief, nearly leading the Ducks to tie the game before a facemask penalty against the Bruins prevented him from crossing the goal line on the 2-point try. In his four seasons playing for his hometown team, Thomas has never started a game. He could be in line to do so for the first time next week against Nebraska.
"I think Brock showed up when his number was called, waited for his opportunity," Lanning said. "There's going to be some things that he did really well in this game, and I'm sure there's going to be some moments for growth for him. But he works extremely hard. There's a reason we put him in that situation. I thought he operated well when he had those moments. I'm not surprised about what Brock was able to do when he did go in."
The Ducks didn't give Thomas a chance to throw the ball until seven minutes remained, trailing by two scores. He connected with Dakorien Moore down the left sideline for a 36-yard gain while eating a massive hit from UCLA defensive lineman Aidan Gobaira. The big play and the penalty yardage instantly put the Ducks' offense in goal-to-go.
BROCK THOMAS TO DAKORIEN MOORE HUGE PLAY OMG pic.twitter.com/mkxjZ87IZf
— FD (@flooduck) October 10, 2026
Raiola's poise and calmness were praised in the lead-up to Saturday's ranked matchup, but it was Thomas who displayed those traits in his limited action, giving Lanning and the offensive staff something to consider this week, as well as potential changes to the play-caller.
"Going in there, if you're frantic, freaking out, thinking about a million different things at quarterback, you're not going to be successful," Thomas described his mindset when Lanning gave him the nod. "Going in there with a clean mind, just trying to calm myself down, get in there and trust the guys that I've got around me, and going in there with the most confidence I can."
Sitting on the bench was disappointing for Raiola, but he understood the reason why.
"Look, Brock's my boy. If we're trying to spark something to get us going, I just want to win," Raiola said. "Unfortunately, I wasn't in the plans to lead us down the stretch. But I can't speak on that right now. I'm not sure what that's going to look like. I want to think it was just that we were trying to spark something, but we'll see. The game of football is all about competition. That's what it is, and we've got to be ready to go next week."
"He knows he didn't have the best day," Thomas said of Raiola. "He's going to respond better than anyone, in my opinion. He's a great guy, fun to be around. I've loved him ever since he came here, and I think he's going to do great."
Oregon now has a competition on its hands. Moore's immediate future with Oregon is uncertain. If the Ducks were to lose again, Moore might not have much to gain by returning to the field, risking injury or lowering his draft stock.
That leaves Raiola and Thomas dueling for the starting role, and even Akili Smith Jr. could get an opportunity at some point. Never has Oregon's offense been more of an unmitigated disaster, and the Ducks have to make a change this week. The problems go beyond preparation or "evaluating the film" to fix things in practice, as Lanning often says.
Raiola was not in a position to succeed, and he also didn't do himself any favors when he did have open receivers. Unless the offense makes a sudden change in scheme and overall aggression, it could be difficult for Raiola or Thomas to have more success next week against a Nebraska defense that held Indiana to 20 points.
Difficult conversations need to be had, and Lanning should provide some clarity to Oregon's quarterback position on Monday. If Moore doesn't return this week, the Ducks could be in a heap of trouble, and it doesn't appear there is much they are willing to do about it, other than hoping for a flip of the switch in practice.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Ducks on the pond: Oregon QB situation in flux after unnerving defeat
