Raiola’s 4-yard touchdown pass with 28 seconds left gives Oregon a 17-14 win over Nebraska
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Dylan Raiola came off the bench and threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Jamari Johnson with 28 seconds left to give Oregon a come-from-behind 17-14 victory over Nebraska on Saturday night.
Raiola, who played two seasons for Nebraska before coming to Oregon in the offseason, came into the game in the fourth quarter with the Huskers up 14-6. His first drive ended with Gage Hurych’s 37-yard field goal.
Raiola appeared to find Dakorien Moore with a 4-yard touchdown pass with 33 seconds left but it was overturned upon review. He then connected with Johnson in the back of the end zone and the 2-point conversion was good to give Oregon (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten) the win.
“Everyone was dialed in,” Raiola said about the final drive. “We just kept preparing until the end and JJ had a cute little toe-drag touchdown to win the game.”
Anthony Colandrea finished 18 of 33 for 164 yards and a score, and ran for 33 yards and another touchdown for the Cornhuskers (5-2, 2-2 Big Ten). It was the second straight game that Nebraska squandered a lead in the fourth quarter, having lost to Indiana 20-17 last weekend.
“Obviously, we have a pretty devastated football team in there — a bunch of guys that showed up and competed. And, for the second week in a row, we just came up short,” Nebraska coach Matt Rhule said. “I thought it was one of the finer defensive performances I’ve been around, with short fields and not much help, and in the end it just kind of wore out.”
Raiola was 11 of 18 for 59 yards in the fourth quarter. Third-string quarterback Brock Thomas started the game for the Ducks but was largely ineffective, going 9 of 20 for 54 yards and an interception.
Dante Moore, the Ducks’ starting quarterback, remained unavailable because of a concussion he sustained in Oregon’s 41-27 victory over USC on Sept. 26.
Oregon coach Dan Lanning said Thomas understood the decision to pull him in the final quarter.
“I just think that shows so much remarkable courage from a guy like that to be in that situation, and it’s got to be disappointing that moment to know, `Hey, I’m good with it. Let’s do whatever we got to do to win,’” Lanning said.
The game was scoreless until late in the second quarter when Colandrea found Kwazi Gilmer in the back corner of the end zone. The two teams punted 13 times and turned the ball over once each in first half.
Colandrea dove for the pylon at the end of a 6-yard scramble at the end of the third quarter to make it 14-6.
Oregon struggled for most of the game. Three second-half drives — one fueled by an accidental kneel down on a low snap to Nebraska punter Archie Wilson — resulted in a trio of field goals for the Ducks.
The Ducks’ offense had just 91 total yards before Thomas, a former walk-on, was replaced by Raiola.
“It wasn’t good enough in the first half. You know, there’s certainly nobody in the nation working harder to try to find ways to do that,” Lanning said. “I’ll never make excuses. We have talented enough players for us to be better than we’ve been.”
Up Next
Nebraska: Plays Oct. 31 at Washington.
Oregon: Visits Illinois next Saturday.
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Atkinson leads Oregon State’s high-flying offense to 48-30 win over Washington State
CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) — Braden Atkinson threw for 347 yards and three touchdowns and Oregon State established early control to beat Washington State 48-30 on Saturday.
Running back AJ Newberry ran for 105 yards on 11 carries and had 120 yards receiving on five receptions and a touchdown for the Beavers.
Jesse Legree had 108 receiving yards on eight receptions and two touchdowns for the Beavers (5-2, 3-0 Pac 12). Legree is the first wideout to 1,000 yards receiving this season.
Jake Reichle added two rushing touchdowns for Oregon State.
Reichle’s 1-yard touchdown run gave Oregon State a 7-0 lead. Atkinson followed with a 90-yard touchdown to Legree, and Caleb Ojeda’s 48-yard field goal before the end of the first quarter made it 17-0.
The Beavers went to halftime up 27-10.
In his first career start, redshirt freshman quarterback Owen Eshelman threw for 289 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 136 yards on 15 carries and a touchdown for Washington State (1-6, 0-3).
Branden Granashamoorthy had 147 yards receiving on a 11 receptions with a touchdowns.
Eshelman led three-straight touchdown drives late for the Cougars whose 30-point effort was the highest against an FBS program this season.
Up next
Washington State hosts 23rd-ranked Boise State on Saturday.
Oregon State is off next week before traveling to face Fresno State on Oct. 31.
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