Dylan Raiola Names One Advantage UCLA Bruins May Have Over Oregon Ducks

Though senior quarterback Dante Moore has joined the No. 13 Oregon Ducks in practices leading up to their battle at Autzen Stadium against the No. 21 UCLA Bruins, junior backup Dylan Raiola will indeed be starting for the Ducks in the programs' Big Ten opener.

During Raiola's meeting with the media to speak more about going under center for the Ducks in his third regular season appearance, amongst other topics, the quarterback pointed out an aspect about this new-look Bruins team that could give them an edge.

Oregon quarterback Dylan Raiola throws out a pass as the Oregon Ducks face the USC Trojans on Sept. 26, 2026, at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Dylan Raiola Points Out UCLA Bruins' Familiarity With Autzen Stadium

For Raiola, a likely overlooked strength of Bruins' coach Bob Chesney and his 11 transfers from James Madison University is their experience at Autzen Stadium during 2025's College Football Playoff round one game, in which the Ducks won 51-34.

Though Oregon sealed the deal to advance to the Orange Bowl against Texas Tech, the Dukes punched in 323 passing yards and 186 rushing yards, a fairly impressive statement for the then-No. 12 ranked group of five team against the then-No. 5 team in the country.

"Well, I think first, their familiarity with Autzen and Oregon. Staff came from JMU. I wasn't here last year when they played them, but they're definitely not going to shy down," Raiola said. "They're a team that just competes. They fight. They're the best in the fourth quarter. And so I think when you see a team like that, no matter how the game goes, you just got to know their best is coming at the end and when the game matters the most."

Chesney himself even spoke in his pregame press conference about his second game in less than a year focusing on the intensity of Oregon's game environment, and commended the program for the pressure they applied on his then-Dukes, which helped contribute to JMU's 13 penalties for 113 yards on offense during the game.

Oregon quarterback Dylan Raiola takes a snap as the Oregon Ducks face the USC Trojans on Sept. 26, 2026, at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Dylan Raiola Gets UCLA Game Advice From Dante Moore

Raiola also shared that Moore plays a huge part in his preparation for facing Chesney's Bruins, as the former starter continues to give him notes throughout the week. Last season against the Dukes, Moore punched in 19/27 and 313 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions, so he knows a thing or two about facing a Chesney-coached team.

Collaboration between these two quarterbacks also harkens back to Raiola's message of wanting to learn and grow under Moore, which he stated during Oregon's media day prior to the 2026 season.

"Dante's been saying it all week is, you know, we got to keep pushing and we got to keep growing and find ways to get people open and just following his lead and doing that," Raiola added.

Oregon quarterback Dylan Raiola throws out a pass as the Oregon Ducks host the Portland State Vikings on Sept. 18, 2026, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Confidence In Dylan Raiola Against UCLA

Coming off a stellar performance against the USC Trojans in which Raiola put up 19/25, 289 yards, and a pair of touchdowns, the back-up-turned-starter needs to punch in a similar performance against what coach Dan Lanning deemed to be a Bruins team that reminds him of 2025's Indiana Hoosiers.

High praise from Lanning, but Oregon's coach also had some high remarks for Raiola, in which the coach shared on Monday that Raiola brings "game ready" throws to practice. For Lanning, there's no shift needed in the offensive plan to accommodate Raiola stepping in.

"If he can just play like he played last time every single time, I think we'd be sitting in a really good situation. Dylan's got to keep doing what he's been doing, preparing like he's going to be the guy who goes out there every single day," Lanning said.

"We don't need anything special from Dylan other than doing what he's been doing," Lanning added.

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