Raiola leads Oregon past Northwestern 34-26

Oregon quarterback Dylan Raiola completed 22 of 31 passes for 336 yards and three touchdowns to secure a 34-26 victory over No. 20 Northwestern on Saturday in Eugene, Oregon. The result gives the Ducks a 5-3 record and a 3-2 mark in Big Ten play. Raiola made his second consecutive start after Dante Moore was ruled out for the season.

Northwestern built a 10-0 lead in the first quarter and extended its advantage to 20-13 at halftime. Oregon trailed 20-13 until Raiola connected with Dakorien Moore on a 10-yard touchdown pass with 49 seconds remaining in the first half. The Wildcats kicker Jackson Kleather converted four of five field goals, missing a late attempt in the fourth quarter.

Running back Jordon Davison exited the game in the first half with a leg injury, according to head coach Dan Lanning. Freshman Brandon Smith replaced him as the primary rusher and finished with 82 yards. Smith scored the go-ahead touchdown on a two-yard run from fourth-and-goal in the fourth quarter to put Oregon ahead 27-23 for the first time.

Raiola found Jamari Johnson for a 17-yard touchdown pass earlier in the game. He later threw a 75-yard score to Dakorien Moore in the fourth quarter to seal the win. Dakorien Moore finished with 128 receiving yards and two touchdowns, marking his first 100-yard game in college football. The offense averaged 15.3 yards per pass and 3.8 yards per rush.

Northwestern quarterback Aidan Chiles completed 22 of 38 passes for 281 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for 93 yards and scored on a run late in the second quarter, which was his 10th touchdown of the season. Oregon held the Wildcats to six points in the second half.

The Ducks fired offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer on Oct. 25 following a loss to Illinois. Assistant quarterbacks coach Jay Johnson was elevated to lead play-calling duties. Lanning said the team stayed competitive despite earlier struggles, noting that the defense prevented Northwestern from reaching the end zone in the second half. "We weren't gonna go down without swinging, and I think that kind of got lost a little bit," Raiola said.