Oregon defeated Nebraska 17-14 at Autzen Stadium on October 17, 2026, overcoming a fourth-quarter deficit after head coach Dan Lanning benched Brock Thomas in favor of Dylan Raiola, who engineered two late scoring drives to secure the win with 28 seconds remaining.
Autzen Stadium played host to a chaotic, low-scoring Big Ten contest on October 17, 2026, where the Oregon Ducks pulled off a 17-14 victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Entering the matchup with a 3-2 record after opening the season ranked No. 2 nationally, Oregon faced intense scrutiny.
Brock Thomas Struggles in First Career Start for Oregon
With Dylan Raiola benched following a poor outing against UCLA, Oregon turned to senior walk-on and Eugene native Brock Thomas for his first career start. The offense ground to a halt under Thomas through the first three quarters, mustering just 91 total yards as the Ducks fell into a 14-6 hole. Thomas had previously completed 72.2% of his throws for 302 yards and two touchdowns in a very small sample size. Coming out of Sheldon High School in Eugene—the same school that produced former Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert—Thomas was the No. 96 quarterback and No. 10 player out of Oregon in the 2023 recruiting class according to 247Sports, turning down smaller scholarship offers from Air Force, Army, Eastern Washington, and Portland State to walk on as a Duck.
Dylan Raiola on the differences between Oregon and Nebraska:Full response: pic.twitter.com/Zc82MzhwFT
Nebraska capitalized on defensive stops and short fields. Cornhuskers quarterback Anthony Colandrea threw a touchdown pass to Kwazi Gilmer just before halftime, and Colandrea scrambled for a rushing touchdown late in the third quarter to push Nebraska ahead 14-6. Oregon managed only two field goals by Gage Hurych during those first three frames.
Dylan Raiola Engineers Fourth-Quarter Comeback Against Former Team
As the fourth quarter began, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning made the pivotal switch, inserting Raiola—who spent his first two collegiate seasons playing for Nebraska, starting 22 games and throwing for 4,819 yards and 31 touchdowns—into the game. The move immediately altered the trajectory of the offense.
Photo: Lincoln Journal Star
Dylan got a second chance to go out there tonight and execute for us when he was ready, and I’m proud that he was able to do that.
Photo: Addicted To Quack
Dan Lanning, Oregon Head Coach
Lanning further remarked on the situation by stating, A lot of people don't necessarily get second chances. Before falling out of favor in the UCLA game where he committed three turnovers, Raiola had delivered one of his strongest performances of the season in a win over USC by completing 76% of his passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns.
Against his former team, Raiola finished 11-of-18 for 59 yards and the game-winning touchdown. After the Oregon defense forced another stop, Raiola led an 82-yard march spanning 20 plays, culminating in a four-yard touchdown pass to Jamari Johnson in the back of the end zone with 28 seconds remaining. A successful two-point conversion sealed the 17-14 final score.
Offensive Struggles and Defensive Fatigue Doom Nebraska
Kwazi Gilmer hauled in six catches for 74 yards and one touchdown, while Isaiah Mozee chipped in with a 26-yard rush during a 14-6 third-quarter surge. Defensively, three Huskers finished with double-digit tackles, and the Blackshirts recorded a season-high 11 tackles for loss while holding Oregon to just 50 total yards and two first downs in the first half.
Oregon Storms Back vs. Nebraska: Dylan Raiola Rallies, Defense Dominates — Ducks Rising Podcast
Despite the strong defensive effort, the Cornhuskers came up just short against the 25th-ranked Ducks. The loss dropped Nebraska to 5-2 overall and 2-2 in Big Ten play, leaving the Cornhuskers with an off week before returning to Memorial Stadium to host the Washington Huskies on Saturday, October 31, 2026.
Daniel Richardson is the Editor-in-Chief of Archysport, where he leads the editorial team and oversees all published content across nine sport verticals. With over 15 years in sports journalism, Daniel has reported from the FIFA World Cup, the Olympic Games, NFL Super Bowls, NBA Finals, and Grand Slam tennis tournaments. He previously served as Senior Sports Editor at Reuters and holds a Master's degree in Journalism from Columbia University. Recognized by the Sports Journalists' Association for excellence in reporting, Daniel is a member of the International Sports Press Association (AIPS). His editorial philosophy centers on accuracy, depth, and fair coverage — ensuring every story published on Archysport meets the highest standards of sports journalism.
