EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — With quarterback Dante Moore still sidelined because of a concussion, the Oregon Ducks started Brock Thomas rather than Dylan Raiola on Saturday night against Nebraska.

But in the end, it was Raiola who led the Ducks to victory.

With the Ducks down 14-6 to the Huskers, Raiola took over at quarterback to start the fourth quarter. After a 17-play, 65-yard drive that ended with Gage Hurych's 37-yard field goal that narrowed the score, he found Jamari Johnson with a 4-yard scoring pass with 28 seconds left that gave Oregon a 17-14 win.

“He was really unbelievable about it," Oregon coach Dan Lanning said about informing Raiola this week that he was starting Thomas. "'I think everybody will have self-doubts or thoughts in that moment of, ‘No, it needs to be like this.’ And a lot of people don’t necessarily get second chances. Dylan got a second chance to go out there and execute for us when he was ready, and I’m proud he was able to do that.”

Thomas played three quarters and was peppered by taunts of “We want Dylan!” from the crowd. He finished 9 of 20 for 54 yards and an interception. Raiola finished 11 of 18 for 59 yards and a touchdown.

Raiola was Moore's backup earlier this season, with Thomas as the No. 3 option. But Raiola struggled last weekend in a 17-15 loss to UCLA, completing just 6-of-19 passes for 43 yards, with two interceptions.

Thomas took over for Raiola against the Bruins and finished 11 of 15 for 146 yards and a touchdown.

Raiola said he understood coach Dan Lanning's decision to go with Thomas to start.

“I came into this week knowing I had to compete and ultimately, coach Lanning made the decision and I wasn't going to pout,” Raiola said. “I wasn't going to be miserable to be around. I wanted to make sure Brock knew what he was doing, which he did, and all these guys, we just rallied. We rallied around each other.”

Thomas, a senior from Eugene, was a walk-on for the Ducks in 2023. Both his father and grandfather played for Oregon. Last season he appeared in seven games, throwing for 130 yards and a touchdown.

Raiola was a two-year starter at Nebraska before transferring to Oregon in the offseason. He threw for 2,000 yards in each of his two seasons with the Huskers with 31 total touchdowns and 17 interceptions.

Moore sustained the concussion in a late hit by Trojan linebacker Desman Stephens during the second quarter of the Ducks’ 41-27 victory over Southern California on Sept. 26. Moore was placed on a stretcher and left the game in an ambulance.

Raiola took over and threw for 289 yards and two touchdowns against the Trojans.

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