Oregon Benches Dylan Raiola For Brock Thomas as Bigger Questions Emerge

The No. 13 Oregon Ducks lost the No. 21 UCLA Bruins 17-15, and the Ducks' struggles on offense prompted Oregon coach Dan Lanning to make a change at quarterback, benching Dylan Raiola and inserting quarterback Brock Thomas to lead the offense.

Oregon Ducks Bench Dylan Raiola

Oregon's starting quarterback Dante Moore did not dress for the game after suffering a concussion against USC, giving Raiola the nod against UCLA after the bye week.

With the Ducks picking up their second loss of the season, can Moore come back and salvage the team's College Football Playoff hopes? The CFP Selection Committee has been known to take injuries into account when considering rankings, so could Oregon catch a break with Moore's injury?

That being said, the Ducks seemed to have the best backup quarterback in the nation after Raiola's performance against USC.

oregon ducks dylan raiola ucla bruins benched brock thomas dante moore injury dan lanning bob chesney quarterback — Oregon Ducks quarterback Dylan Raiola | Darby Winter

However, after completing 6 of 19 passes for 43 yards and 2 interceptions, Lanning and the Oregon coaches turned to Thomas. Raiola also lost a fumble, as did receiver Evan Stewart and running back Jordon Davison, giving the Ducks six turnovers against the Bruins.

In relief of Raiola, Thomas finished completed 11 of 15 passes for 149 yards and one touchdown. The Ducks offense seemed to benefit as a whole when operating at a faster pace, but turnovers ultimately held Oregon back.

On Thomas' first drive, the quarterback fumbled the snap under center from Iapani Laloulu on fourth down, ultimately logging the Ducks' sixth turnover of the game. The Ducks had some momentum with running back Dierre Hill Jr. after fellow running back Jordon Davison left the field with an injury in the fourth quarter. Davison did return later in the fourth quarter.

The first Thomas-led drive was Oregon's longest of the game at six plays, with the Ducks' lone touchdown coming off of a fumble from UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava at the goal line. Thomas bobbled the first snap on his second drive.

Thomas did connect with receiver Dakorien Moore for a 36-yard gain with a roughing the passer penalty placing the Ducks at the 10-yard line. The Ducks ultimately settled for a field goal to cut UCLA's lead to 17-9.

Thomas found Evan Stewart on a short pass, and Stewart did the rest on a 44-yard touchdown to cut UCLA's lead to 17-15. The Ducks attempted to go for the two-point conversion, and Thomas was stopped short of the goal line on a quarterback keeper. A facemask penalty gave the Ducks another try, and running back Jordon Davison was stopped short.

Oregon Ducks Offensive Questions

So far, the Ducks have punted six times, the same amount of points that the Oregon offense scored through the first three quarters.

With the inability to sustain drives as well as protect the football, the absence of Moore looks more significant than ever. Raiola entered the USC game and gave Ducks fans confidence after leading Oregon to a win over the Trojans, but that success did not translate when facing UCLA at home.

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. The Nebraska transfer never looked comfortable against the Bruins, however.

With Oregon turning to Thomas over Raiola, what will the Ducks' quarterback plans be against Nebraska on Saturday, Oct. 17? Lanning and company have not placed any timeline on the return of Moore, but he did return to practice during the week before the UCLA game.

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