Oregon's Dylan Raiola Offers Valuable Insight Into Conversations With Dan Lanning

When Oregon starting quarterback Dante Moore went down against USC earlier this season, college football fans got to see a version of quarterback Dylan Raiola that looked composed, confident and built for the big moments. However, in the weeks that followed, that story quickly changed.

Inconsistency at the quarterback position became one of the defining storylines surrounding the Ducks. Oregon proceeded to drop games against UCLA and Illinois, casting uncertainty over the direction of a season that had once held so much promise.

Dylan Raiola Oregon Ducks Michigan football win College Football Playoff CFP hopes quarterback performance stats postgame — Nov 14, 2026; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Dylan Raiola (8) celebrates a touchdown by wide receiver Jeremiah McClellan (3) during the first half against the Michigan Wolverines at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

However, in recent weeks, it appears as if the composed and confident backup quarterback fans saw against USC is back.

Raiola led the Ducks to a dominant 31-7 win over Michigan on Saturday, Nov. 14, at Autzen Stadium. It was another impressive performance in what has become a late-season turnaround for Oregon.

After leading Oregon to back-to-back top-20 victories over Northwestern and Ohio State, Raiola once again handled business against a Michigan defense that entered Saturday ranked No. 4 nationally in both total defense and passing defense.

Despite Michigan's statistical dominance on the defensive side of the ball, Raiola put together one of his best performances of the season. The junior quarterback completed 20 of 28 passes for 341 yards and four touchdowns without throwing an interception.

“For me, this game was all about ending each series in a kick, whether that's field goal, punt, or an extra point, and that was my mindset," Raiola said.

"Coach Lanning in our meeting on Thursday, we talked about it, and as good as our defense is, the only way that we can allow teams to creep back in is if we make bad decisions on offense, including me putting the ball in jeopardy. So for me, if there's rush, I'm just covering the ball up. If not, I'm throwing it away, and if we got a punt, we got a punt. That's what we got a really good defense for," Raiola continued.

After facing questions about his consistency and overall ability to lead the Ducks, Raiola has emerged as a key piece of the team's late-season resurgence. His play over the last several weeks has helped put Oregon back into the national conversation and given the Ducks a legitimate opportunity to make a push toward the College Football Playoff.

Following the win over Michigan, Raiola had plenty to say about his performance, Oregon's turnaround and what the Ducks need to accomplish as they look to carry their momentum into the final stretch of the season.

Getting WR Jeremiah McClellan Back in the Flow

“Well, J-Mac [Jeremiah McClellan] scored 65 yards on first drive, so that was awesome to see. I didn't know that he broke free. I thought the safety was gonna make a play on it, but it's like I said on Wednesday at media, he's just such a joy in the huddle, and he's always smiling."

"When I got back in the locker room, smiling like, "J-Mac [Jeremiah McClellan], I appreciate your attitude and your effort." And as much as he's been through this year to go through injury and come all the way back and be in the fire with us, I can't say enough good things about him.”

Executing the Game Plan Against an Elite Defense

“That was more one of those things where we dialed it up during the week with an elite defense like this coming into town. There comes risk reward on their part. We knew they were aggressive. We knew they were going to play things and do things that maybe other defenses we've seen haven't done."

"So we got in our set that we knew we wanted to get into, and I just saw a little tug on the jersey as I was unleashing the ball. I just let it fly just a little bit higher, so he could kind of get back to speed. And J-Mac [Jeremiah McClellan] handled the rest.”

Processing Noise and Focusing on the Process

“We made a decision on Monday when we came in that we weren't going to let last week's game be our high of the season, and we knew there was a lot of growth in the last game and even this game.As good as it looks on paper, there's a lot of holes that we need to fix."

"Me getting the protection right on sacks or penalties—we got to clean penalties up because it'll get us beat. Maybe not now because the game's not close, but down the road it'll get us beat. So we need to clean that up. But it's a good feeling knowing that you put up a good performance, but there's better out there that we can tap into. So I'm excited to get to work on this short week and go back to East Lansing.”

Maintaining Offensive Rhythm and Flow State

“Yeah, we were rolling early and then we hit a lull on series five and six—I think two three-and-outs.It was more of like, let's get back to our DNA. Let's get back to who we are. Whether it's throwing, running, play actions, anything that we need to get done to get us back in that rhythm we were in. And the way our defense was playing, like I said earlier, just lights out."

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"I think you take away that one explosive, they're giving up a donut. So I'm proud of those guys. And when you have a defense like that on offense, things just flow a little easier because you're not stressing, "Oh, I gotta score! I gotta score!" Like, if we punt it, let's flip the field and then let our guys go to work.”

Attacking Downfield Against a Dominant Secondary

“Those receivers and those tight ends and those running backs and my O-line—we had a great plan going into the game, and we just felt like no one kind of really went after them in a way of just attack."

"I think people were kind of sitting back and letting them pressure, letting them get to the quarterback, letting them attack on the run game, and we wanted to swing first, and we did that early, and we kept it going through the rest of the game. But like I said, there's penalties and things, there's drives that should have scored that we didn't because of penalties. So when the games get tighter down the stretch, we need to clean that up in order to succeed.”

Connecting with Dakorien Moore Right Before the Half

“Yeah, they were a heavy pressure team, and we caught them in their blitz, and I knew right away what they were going to be in, and I knew our call, and I loved it."

"They just didn't have any contain on the right side, and they were getting to like a two tilt, so the nickel was supposed to run deep to the half, and he kind of got antsy and sat down, and Kori [Dakorien Moore] just mailboxed me, and I was like, "All right, shoot, let's go." I got the window. Let me let it rip to him. So it was a good way to end the half and to keep the momentum going.

Jeremiah McClellan's Selflessness

"Yeah, he's selfless. He's selfless. Whether he's getting the ball or not, he's gonna block. He's gonna make contested catches, and when his number's called—like we had those plays dialed up for him—he's gonna make sure that we keep dialing up because he's being successful with that."

"So, dude's been through a lot already, just like everybody in that locker room, and we just lean on each other. That's all we got.That's all we need, and we just keep it moving that way."

Describing the Autzen Stadium Home Advantage

“Oh, it's big time. I was telling my quarterback coach like it's loud. It's getting loud, and I just don't think teams can compete with our stadium. I think it makes it hard for opposing offenses to function and operate at a high level."

So we're grateful for our fans always showing out, and we appreciate them so much.And when "Shout" goes off, it never gets old. It always gives me goosebumps and chicken skin and all that. So grateful for them.”

Keeping the College Football Playoff in Perspective

“Not directly, we're not talking about it, but everyone's aware of what could happen, but none of that happens if we don't handle our business."

"So we just try to take it a week at a time and let everything else play itself out, and not worry about other people's results, but really on our process and our results. So obviously we're all aware of it, but we try not to get lost in it. I think that's what kind of led to those hiccups early in the year.”

RB Dierre Hill Jr.'s Explosive Play and Offensive Execution

“Yeah, he's a bad dude, man. You give him the ball and let him do the rest. What's crazy is that play wasn't even a screen. We were trying to catch a cheap one, but everyone kind of dropped out, and I just threw it to him."

"And he hit a hesitation and just hit a burst out of nowhere and guys were blocking downfield—like selfless acts we were talking about—and to score like that just takes the life out of them, because at that point it was a two-score game and they still had some life. So it was important that we made a statement and let them know that we were going to take control.”

Utilizing Mobility and Extending Plays

“That was more in the game, kind of just a feel thing. We knew they were a compress-the-pocket operation, and I like being out on the run. I like being on the move. I think things can get effective when we're outside of the pocket."

"But no, coming into this game it wasn't like, 'All right, we're gonna scramble and make all these crazy plays and convert.' But it's always a thing where, if I break the pocket, we always work scramble, and our guys do a great job finding soft spots, not getting greedy, and then ultimately, if I need to run, use my legs.”

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