Dylan Raiola’s Answer After Oregon’s UCLA Loss Goes Beyond Football

The Oregon Ducks were upset by the UCLA Bruins but quarterback Dylan Raiola showed an attitude that could serve him well as questions mount about his and the Ducks' future.

oregon ducks dylan raiola ucla bruins benched brock thomas dante moore injury dan lanning bob chesney quarterback nebraska | Darby Winter

EUGENE - The No. 13 Oregon Ducks fell to the No. 21 UCLA Bruins in what could be described as an offensive nightmare. The stats tell the story and Oregon quarterback Dylan Raiola had every reason to dread the questions from the press after the upset.

Raiola completed just six of his 19 passes for 43 yards and two interceptions before third-string quarterback Brock Thomas took over. Oregon finished with seven turnovers and converted only one of its 12 third-down attempts, falling to UCLA 17–15.

Oregon quarterback Dylan Raiola | Darby Winter

Dylan Raiola Takes Responsibility After UCLA Loss

After arguably the worst performance of his career, Raiola faced the media and was asked why he elected to do so.

His little brother is watching.

“He looks up to me. I mean, this isn't just football, this is life,” Raiola said when asked why he chose to speak with the media. “And tough situations happen, and you gotta own them. There's no running around them, there's no dodging them.”

With his answer came an accountability that offer a glimpse of an attitude that could take Raiola far, with two years of college eligibility still ahead of him. His younger brother, Dayton Raiola, is also on the Ducks team as a freshman tight end.

Oregon QB Dylan Raiola was asked why he elected to meet with the media after Oregon's 17-15 loss to UCLA.

Worth your time.#GoDucks https://t.co/WtbPpABN3T pic.twitter.com/gt7df5QYew

— Bri Amaranthus (@BriAmaranthus) October 10, 2026

For an Oregon team with two losses and mounting questions, those words do not fix what happened on the field.

The 2026 season has been confounding. The Ducks returned much of the roster that reached the College Football Playoff quarterfinals last season. Although they did lose both coordinators to head coaching jobs.

Returning talent creates (understandable) expectations, but it does not carry last season’s success into the next one. Oregon is learning that painfully. The Ducks have exciting talent that makes these performances difficult to understand, which puts the responsibility for finding answers on the coaches as well as the players. Seven turnovers suggest the work extends well beyond one player.

Raiola owns his part.

“The product we put out there, the product I put out there, I gotta live with that,” Raiola said. “So I gotta own everything, take it on the chin, and move forward.”

Oregon’s Quarterback Questions Grow Before Nebraska

Moving forward, what is Oregon going to do at quarterback?

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, left, greets Oregon offensive lineman Dave Iuli as the Oregon Ducks host the UCLA Bruins on Oct. 10, 2026, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Oregon's starting quarterback Dante Moore did not dress for the game after suffering a concussion against USC. He did participate in warmups but there is not a timetable for his return and Lanning has reiterated they are operating from an abundance of caution after Moore's scary injury in Los Angeles.

Raiola earned the nod against UCLA after his impressive performance in an emotional win over USC. The contrast is severe. Against USC, Raiola completed 19 of 25 passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns, showing poise in the pocket and extending plays with his legs.

Oregon QB Dante Moore running off the field at Autzen Stadium.

The Ducks fall short and UCLA wins, 17-15. https://t.co/wgNXSppZ7O pic.twitter.com/m4snJwyL8g

— Bri Amaranthus (@BriAmaranthus) October 10, 2026

Then, following a bye week, Raiola and Oregon looked lost against UCLA. When Lanning elected to put Thomas in, the offense did find a little momentum. Will the Eugene-native Thomas start the next Oregon game?

The next game is not just any game for Raiola. The Ducks host the Nebraska Cornhuskers, the team he transferred from, on Oct. 17. Raiola is still close with some of his former Nebraska teammates and it will undoubtadely stir up different emotions.

Raiola acknowledged his own performance and the responsibility that comes with playing quarterback at Oregon, including facing disappointed fans. It was only Lanning's third defeat at Autzen.

“All the respect to you guys (the media), all the respect to the fans and everybody that's incorporated in this thing,” Raiola said.

Oregon Ducks quarterback Dylan Raiola | Darby Winter

The next step is turning that accountability into improvement.

Dan Lanning Shares Blame for Raiola’s Struggles

Lanning recognized the scrutiny that will be pointed towards Raiola after the Ducks defeat. He also made clear that Raiola should not carry the responsibility alone.

“He wasn’t good enough today. I think he can acknowledge that. But we didn’t prepare him to be good enough today,” Lanning said. “We didn’t put him in positions to have the success he needs to have. We need the best version of Dylan moving forward. Two weeks ago, he was phenomenal.”

“We want to see him continue to improve and get better and regain some of his confidence, because certainly he lost some of that today,” Lanning said. “If he pays too much attention to the news, he’s going to lose some more of it.”

And for Oregon's dwindling College Football Playoff hopes, that improvement needs to happen quickly.

It's going to begin with Raiola and the team reviewing a game they would soon rather forget. But Raiola's character is showing that he's not afraid to face the music.

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