The Oregon Ducks have been without their star quarterback for the past game and a half as Dante Moore was knocked out of the USC game on a dirty hit while he was trying to slide. Given that Moore was carted off the field and into an ambulance, most fans understood that even the best possible outcome could be that the Ducks would be without their star QB.
While Moore returned to practice last week, he missed the game against UCLA as the Ducks are clearly going to take a long-term approach with his health. Coming off a loss, Oregon fans hoped that they'd get their superstar back after Dylan Raiola's struggles, but that won't be the case this weekend.
Dante Moore ruled out fueling QB competition
On Wednesday Night, the first availability report for this weekend's game against Nebraska was released, and the Ducks didn't opt to even play games with the Huskers as Moore was ruled out.
The ruling doesn't come as a major surprise, given that every concussion is different, and that Dante Moore is still less than 3 weeks removed from the injury. Dan Lanning has stated that it's not out of the question that Moore doesn't return, and it's going to loom large over the season.
After the way that Dylan Raiola led the Ducks to victory over USC, Oregon looked built to survive as long as Moore would need, but the UCLA game proved that wasn't the case. Raiola was abysmal vs. the Bruins, and the Ducks benched him for Brock Thomas who finally gave the offense the spark it was missing the entire game.
Heading into this week, Dan Lanning has made it clear that everything is on the table, and that Oregon would be holding a competition for the job. The decision would seem simple given the way that Brock Thomas came off the bench, but Oregon saw with Raiola that success off the bench doesn't always carry over.
The trio of Brock Thomas, Dylan Raiola, and Akili Smith Jr. have all received reps in practice this week as it appears to be a full competition for the gig, which could point toward Moore being out long-term.
The storyline will carry extra weight this week with the chance that Dylan Raiola starts against his former team with the Ducks facing Nebraska. Given all the extra emotion that would come with Raiola starting, and the way he played last weekend, it would make more sense to lean on Brock Thomas this week.
Brock Thomas has already led Oregon to a win in his career, and looked the best in limited playing time last weekend. Thomas finished the UCLA game 11-15 for 156 yards and a touchdown against the Bruins, nearly pulling off a comeback for the Ducks.
The competition will likely run into later in the week, and given that Oregon can leave Nebraska planning for several quarterbacks, we may not find out the winner until a quarterback trots onto the field to start the game.
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