Raiola Leads Oregon Rally Past Northwestern
On October 31 in Eugene, Oregon rallied from a halftime deficit to beat No. 20 Northwestern 34-26, led by quarterback Dylan Raiola’s three touchdown passes.
Oregon came back from a 20-13 halftime deficit on October 31 to defeat No. 20 Northwestern 34-26 in Eugene. Quarterback Dylan Raiola went 22-for-31, throwing for 336 yards and finding the end zone three times in his second straight start for the Ducks, who improved to 5-3 overall and 3-2 in Big Ten play.
Northwestern took an early lead, and quarterback Aidan Chiles threw for 281 yards and a touchdown while adding 93 rushing yards and a score. A 10-yard scoring connection from Raiola to Dakorien Moore in the final minutes of the second period brought Oregon within seven at halftime.
Oregon’s Jordon Davison was sidelined by an injury before halftime. Freshman Brandon Smith then helped lead the comeback, rushing for 82 yards and scoring on a 2-yard run on fourth-and-goal in the fourth quarter to give Oregon its first lead, 27-23. Raiola also connected with Jamari Johnson for a 17-yard touchdown and found Moore again for a 75-yard score. Moore finished with 128 yards and two touchdowns.
Raiola said the Ducks played with renewed aggression and praised teammates for continuing to fight through a difficult season. Oregon is scheduled to visit No. 2 Ohio State next Saturday. Northwestern, now 6-2 overall and 3-2 in the conference, is set to host Iowa.