The Oregon Ducks came into Saturday expecting a fight as the 21st ranked UCLA Bruins made the trip to Eugene. Oregon would be playing without star quarterback Dante Moore, but given the way that Dylan Raiola played against USC, it was easy to believe the Nebraska transfer could get the job done. UCLA on the other side jumped out to a perfect 4-0 record behind a blistering rushing attack which is always tough to defend.
Oregon's easiest path to winning this game was forcing UCLA to try and keep pace with the passing attack to slow the Bruins run game. The defense has done it's part in the first half, but Dylan Raiola has looked like the quarterback Nebraska parted ways with in the first half.
Dylan Raiola's struggles have Oregon in a rock fight vs. UCLA
The defense has had some ups and downs thus far in the 1st half against the Bruins, allowing a 62 yard pass leading to a field goal, and 35 yard touchdown run by Wayne Knight Jr. While the team has allowed some massive chunk plays, Nasir Wyatt pressured Nico Iamaleava leading to the offense's 1-yard touchdown while Oregon's offense has gotten great field position thanks to the defense.
The issue is that Dylan Raiola's struggles have allowed UCLA to take an early lead as the offense has had no answers. After completing his first 3 passes of the game, Raiola threw a career high 7 incompletions in a row, allowing the Bruins to build serious momentum.
The struggles for Raiola have led to the Ducks seeking any possible way to build momentum on offense. In the 2nd quarter, Oregon turned to the wildcat, which resulted in a big gain for Jordon Davison, but he also fumbled on the following play as the staff tried to have the two running backs execute a read option.
On the drive that followed, Dylan Raiola and the offense got the ball on the plus side of the field but gifted the Bruins the ball back as he fumbled trying to create something out of a play that looked dead from the start.
The UCLA defense is getting after Dylan Raiola. pic.twitter.com/LudN7jE5Fe
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) October 10, 2026
The fumble led to UCLA cashing in on the short field thanks to Wayne Knight executing the wildcat run the Ducks had been trying to tap into. While UCLA hasn't been perfect, the Bruins have been able to find balance in their offense, which has left the defense off balance.
Oregon doesn't need Dylan Raiola to be perfect to win the game, but he's going to need to execute the offense. The Ducks haven't been able to let the elite playmakers create in space as Raiola has missed throws, and if he can just hit on passes, the receivers may do the hard work for him.
As the Bruins have taken a 10-6 lead in the first half, this game is going to come down to whether or not Dylan Raiola can find success as a passer. The woes for Raiola have allowed the Bruins to load the box to take away the rushing attack, and it's only putting more pressure on the Nebraska transfer to make a play.
After losing to Oklahoma State, it's still far too early for Oregon to suffer a second loss, and the Ducks are going to need to rally to try and continue building momentum as the team looks to remain in the College Football Playoff race.
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