Raiola Gets First Oregon Start As Moore Sidelined
Dylan Raiola will make his first start at quarterback for No. 13 Oregon on Saturday against No. 21 UCLA, with Dante Moore still unable to play while in the concussion protocol. Moore returned to practice this week in a limited capacity but was listed as out on the conference's availability report and must still clear several benchmarks before he can return to game action.
Moore was injured by a late hit from USC linebacker Desman Stephens in the second quarter of Oregon's 41-27 win over Southern California on Sept. 26. He was placed on a stretcher and taken off the field by ambulance. Raiola replaced him and finished that game with 289 yards passing and two touchdowns. Across his two appearances this season, Raiola has thrown for 413 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions. floorball betting
Raiola transferred to Oregon after starting two seasons at Nebraska, arriving in Eugene knowing Moore was expected to be the starter. Oregon coach Dan Lanning said adjusting to the Ducks' offense has required time, even for a quarterback he described as cerebral, citing the complexity of pre-snap checks and play calls compared with Raiola's previous system. Lanning also noted the lift the team got from seeing Moore back at practice, even in a reduced role.
Oregon (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) hosts UCLA (4-0, 2-0) at Autzen Stadium on Saturday. UCLA coach Bob Chesney said his team is preparing for either quarterback, calling Moore and Raiola comparable players who don't force the Bruins to change their defensive approach. Raiola said the team has moved past the emotional weight of the USC game and is focused on the matchup with a Bruins squad he called a very good football team.
