Dylan Raiola was texting Dan Lanning all week. He heard one thing about USC in a press conference and spotted something else while watching film, and wanted his head coach to know. Raiola, Oregon's backup quarterback, was unlikely to take a snap against the Trojans last Saturday.
But he wanted to be helpful and proactive, just in case. The best backups, whether they're quarterbacks or play another position, often say they prepare as if they’re going to start. They study and stay ready even without first-team reps.
We don’t always see that effort pay off. But in Raiola’s case, it did. The Nebraska transfer was thrust into Saturday's game against USC early in the second quarter after Oregon starter Dante Moore took a frightening hit to the head.
Moore, a Heisman Trophy candidate and projected first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, had led the Ducks to the College Football Playoff semifinal last season. After receiving medical attention for several minutes, Moore was taken off the field on a stretcher before leaving in an ambulance. It was later announced that he had suffered a concussion, but did not have any additional injuries.
On Wednesday, Lanning said that Moore is "healthy and doing well." Moore and Raiola are close friends and have developed something of a mentor-mentee relationship. So while Raiola was shaken up after seeing his teammate go down, there wasn’t much time to dwell on it. He had to lock in and take over.
"Every guy had faith in him," Lanning told reporters after the Ducks’ 41-27 win at the LA Coliseum. "He was ready for his moment." Raiola’s story is well-known by now. Originally from Buford, Georgia, he was a five-star prospect in the 2024 class who initially committed to play for Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs before flipping to play for Matt Rhule and the Cornhuskers.
Raiola started 22 games at Nebraska until he broke his leg last November, ironically against USC. He transferred to Oregon in the offseason, and shortly after, Moore announced he would be returning for his senior year. This kind of situation is unusual in the transfer portal and NIL era, when players often change schools in search of more playing time or better monetary opportunities.
Coming off a major injury, Raiola knew he could learn from Moore, who had gone through a similar transition after transferring from UCLA to Oregon ahead of the 2024 season and sitting behind Dillon Gabriel. "They want each other to be the best QB they can both possibly be," said former Oregon Hall of Fame running back Kenjon Barner, who remains closely connected to the program. "I don't think there's another QB room in the country that has what this room has in two starters.
When you go back to Dillon Gabriel and Dante, it was the same type of situation. The way their relationship is, [Gabriel] laid the foundation; Dante stood on that foundation." Raiola had barely seen the field this season, earning his first meaningful snaps when he completed 11-of-11 passing attempts in garbage time of Oregon’s 84-0 rout of Portland State in Week 3. He certainly wasn’t expecting his next opportunity to come against USC.
"It's complicated," Raiola said following the win over the Trojans. "You don't ever want to see someone be hurt, especially how much [Moore] means to me, how much he teaches me, how much he means to the team." It was an emotional few moments after Moore was carted off the field. Lanning said everybody wanted to "go get in a street fight," but the Ducks remained composed and chose to honor their teammate by winning the game.
Raiola leaned on the preparation he’d done earlier in the week, while offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer adjusted the game plan to better suit his backup’s skill set. On Raiola’s second play of the game, he found wide receiver Evan Stewart for a 3-yard touchdown pass to give Oregon a 10-7 lead. There were only a few times Saturday night when Raiola made a decision and Lanning thought, "OK, that’s not where we wanted the ball to go." For the most part, Lanning was impressed by Raiola’s ability to execute the offense, get rid of the ball when necessary and avoid taking sacks.
He finished the night 19-of-25 passing for 289 yards and two touchdowns. "Dylan has never stopped seeing himself as the guy," Barner said. "To step into that spot with so much pressure speaks volumes about the professional that Dylan Raiola is.
When you watch that kid play, he doesn't allow anything to affect him. He remains the same player every week – calm, cool, collected, completely in control of the offense." That kind of poise and confidence is a reflection of the growth Raiola has made since first arriving in Eugene. "I’m very proud of Dylan," Lanning said.
"That moment happens in sports a lot of times when guys aren’t ready and that becomes the story. And regardless of how Dylan would have performed, like, I love that guy. He works so hard – so incredibly hard – to put himself in that position to be successful.
He came in and he operated, man, and we’ve seen that go other ways before. "To know he put in the work, the prep, was ready in his moment, and then didn't come in and try to force it, he just played the game, man," Lanning added. "I can't say enough great things about Dylan and how he operates.
That's why he came here." On Monday, Matt Rhule, who coached Raiola for two seasons at Nebraska, was asked about his former quarterback during his weekly press conference. "There’s no doubt that Dylan is an elite quarterback," Rhule told reporters. After rallying to beat Boise State in its season opener and falling to Oklahoma State the following week, Oregon has rebounded to put itself in position to make another CFP run.
The Ducks are now 4-1 and ranked No. 15 in the country. They're idle this week before diving into the heart of their conference schedule – Oregon hosts No.
23 UCLA on Oct. 10 and visits No. 5 Ohio State on Nov.
7. There’s no timetable yet for Moore’s return. But if Raiola is needed again, he’s shown he’s ready.
"I never knew when my moment was going to happen or what to expect," Raiola said. "The ultimate goal is to win, no matter how it happens, no matter, sadly, whoever goes down. The game of football doesn't feel sorry for us.
We’ve got to step up and keep fighting and those guys in that locker room did just that. Coming in on the road and doing what we did is not normal."
