usatoday
For the second time in just a few weeks, Dylan Raiola entered a game in relief and guided Oregon to a Big Ten victory. This latest comeback, however, carried extra weight.
With under a minute left in the fourth quarter against Nebraska, the program he once played for, Raiola found Jamari Johnson over the middle of the end zone for a touchdown that put the Ducks ahead for good. The score stood as the difference in Oregon's 17-14 win at Autzen Stadium, allowing Dan Lanning's squad to sidestep a second straight defeat.
Raiola was candid about his earlier struggles after the game. "(My game vs.) UCLA was very uncharacteristic," he said. "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 had been in contention to start against Nebraska on Saturday, but Oregon chose Brock Thomas instead. Thomas had relieved Raiola after his third interception against UCLA in Week 6, as Dante Moore remains sidelined with a concussion. On Saturday, Thomas was pulled after throwing an interception in the second half, opening the door for Raiola's heroics.
Despite the storyline of facing his former team, Raiola downplayed any personal vendetta. "This game was never about them," he said. "It was always about Oregon, it was always about us and us getting back on track and playing our brand of football."
Lanning praised Raiola for staying prepared. "A lot of people don't necessarily get second chances," Lanning said. "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." Raiola finished the game completing 11 of 18 passes for 59 yards and the crucial touchdown.
Key Analysis
Lanning remained non-committal about the Ducks' quarterback situation for next week's road game at Illinois if Moore is unable to return. The Ducks and Illini are scheduled 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.
Originally reported by usatoday.