The Oregon Ducks head into Saturday Night's clash with Nebraska missing Dante Moore for another Big Ten clash. Wednesday Night's injury report revealed that Moore will officially be out, but now the question becomes who will start when the game kicks off in Autzen Stadium. The Ducks started Dylan Raiola against UCLA, but benched him in favor of Brock Thomas complicating matters.
Dan Lanning stated that the Ducks would have a competition for the starting role if Dante Moore was out, and now that the starter is out, the competition comes into focus. Oregon has Dylan Raiola, Brock Thomas, and Akili Smith Jr all battling for the role, and while the case can be made for each, there's one true answer at the position.
Dissecting Oregon's QB competition ahead of Nebraska clash
Making the case for Dylan Raiola
Dylan Raiola showed in his struggles against UCLA that a quarterback having success off the bench doesn't always lead to success, which could be the knock on starting Brock Thomas. Oregon went out and got Dylan Raiola for a reason this offseason, and it's to start games of this caliber. While Raiola struggled, he didn't get much help from his offensive line, making it hard to fully blame him for his woes.
This game will especially give Dylan Raiola extra motivation as he faces off against Matt Rhule and his former team. With the Ducks potentially being eliminated from Playoff contention with their next loss, leaning on starting experience makes the most sense, even if Oregon gives him an extremely short leash.
Making the case for Akili Smith Jr.
Dan Lanning was asked about Akili Smith Jr. being in the competition, and he is being included, but it seems like a long shot that he'd start. If Oregon wanted to throw off Nebraska's game plan, starting Smith would certainly be the curveball to throw the Huskers off. Smith only has limited experience with his playing time against Portland State, but he flashed in the role.
Why Brock Thomas is the only choice for the Oregon Ducks
The Ducks are holding a "competition" for the role, but in the end, the only choice is starting Brock Thomas vs. Nebraska. Oregon's offense looked the best against UCLA when Thomas entered the game, and he's been with the team long enough that he may know the offense more than Raiola at this point.
Dylan Raiola is going to have extra motivation and emotions in this game given that he's facing his former team. Given all the extra pressure that will be on Raiola if he starts, it may make the most sense to remove that distraction from the equation.
Brock Thomas has earned the chance to start with the way he executed against UCLA, and if he didn't get the job it would be shocking. The Ducks are going to need to play better on the offensive line regardless of who's at quarterback, and if Oregon gives Thomas balance, it could allow the offense to rebound.
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