Oregon Beat Northwestern 34-26 as Raiola Throws for 336 Yards and Moore Scores Twice

Oregon beat Northwestern 34-26 on Saturday, October 31, 2026, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene. The Ducks trailed until the fourth quarter, then closed out a comeback win behind Dylan Raiola, who completed 22 of 31 passes for 336 yards and three touchdowns, and Dakorien Moore, who caught seven passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns.

Oregon trailed 20-6 in the second quarter and 20-13 at halftime. The Ducks outscored Northwestern 21-6 in the second half.

The comeback in the second half

Jamari Johnson caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from Raiola in the third quarter to cut Northwestern's lead to 23-20.

Brandon Smith gave Oregon its first lead early in the fourth quarter. Smith rushed for 82 yards and a touchdown on eight carries, playing in place of injured running backs Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr. His 2-yard touchdown run on fourth and goal with 14:19 left put Oregon ahead 27-23.

Moore then scored on a 75-yard touchdown pass from Raiola with 10:20 left in the fourth quarter, making the score 34-26. Northwestern kicker Jackson Kleather, who had already made four field goals in the game, missed a 42-yard attempt with 5:14 left, and Oregon kept its 34-26 lead.

Oregon's defense held Northwestern to a pair of field goals and 172 yards in the final two quarters.

Chiles fades after a strong start

Northwestern quarterback Aidan Chiles threw for 281 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 93 yards. Most of that passing came early. Chiles threw for just 67 yards in the second half, while Oregon's defense tightened and the Ducks took the game away.

The records after the game are Oregon 5-3 overall and 3-2 in the Big Ten, and Northwestern 6-2 overall and 3-2 in the Big Ten. The quarter scores were Northwestern 10, 10, 3 and 3, and Oregon 3, 10, 7 and 14.

A new play caller and a backup quarterback

Raiola was starting at quarterback with starter Dante Moore out for the rest of the season, a fact reported in the Register-Guard pregame coverage.

It was also Oregon's first game with assistant quarterbacks coach Jay Johnson calling the plays, after head coach Dan Lanning fired offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer during the week.

Lanning explained the change at his October 26 press conference, as reported by the Register-Guard. "I felt like we needed a change on offense," Lanning said.

The change produced a slow start and a strong finish. Oregon scored three points in the first quarter and trailed by 14 points in the second, then scored 21 points after halftime to complete the comeback at Autzen Stadium.