Saturday, October 10
Eugene, OR
12:30 PM
University of Oregon
vs
UCLA
5 Things to Watch: UCLA
10/10/26 | Football
The Ducks host the Bruins in a top-25 matchup at Autzen Stadium on Saturday (12:30 p.m., CBS).
EUGENE, Ore. — After a week off to recover and regroup from a dramatic end to their September schedule, the Oregon football team returns to action this weekend.
The Ducks will open their October slate by hosting UCLA on Saturday, a matchup of top-25 teams in Autzen Stadium. The game is scheduled for broadcast on CBS, with kickoff set for 12:30 p.m.
The No. 13 Ducks went 2-1 in nonconference play before opening their Big Ten schedule with a win at USC on Sept. 26. That game saw starting quarterback Dante Moore sidelined by a concussion, and he's been declared out for the UCLA game as well.
The No. 21 Bruins also are coming into Saturday off a bye, after going 4-0 in September. That included wins over a pair of West Coast rivals, California and San Diego State, and then two more in Big Ten play, over Purdue and Maryland. UCLA is coached by Bob Chesney, who took over the Bruins after leading James Madison all the way to a College Football Playoff appearance against the Ducks in Autzen Stadium last fall.
UCLA leads the all-time series, 40-33, but Oregon has won nine of the last 10 and is 15-13 when the Bruins travel to Eugene. The Ducks have won five of the seven previous matchups in which both teams have been ranked.
Saturday's CBS telecast will feature Brad Nessler with play-by-play, analysis from Charles Davis and sideline reporting by Jenny Dell.
Some storylines to watch when the game kicks off …
1. Oregon's bye week falling in early October means the Ducks now kick off a daunting stretch of eight games in eight weeks to wrap up the regular season.
But with everything swirling around the program in the wake of the emotional win over USC and Moore's injury, there may have been a benefit to having some extra time to regroup from that game. The proof will be in how the Ducks handle business Saturday.
"Bye weeks in general for us are always great opportunities for us to get a great self-assessment of where we're at, and improve," UO coach Dan Lanning said. "So I think it was valuable for us — as long as we use it the right way. I thought our guys were able to get a good reset. There's some rest involved there, and also getting an assessment of yourself and what you're going to face moving forward. So I thought we took advantage of it and utilized it well."
2. For the first time in nearly a decade, the Ducks will start a backup quarterback Saturday.
Dylan Raiola isn't just any backup of course, having started 22 games at Nebraska before transferring to Oregon. He's 30-of-36 passing for 413 yards and five touchdowns with the Ducks this season, including a performance off the bench at USC that might have been the most consequential by a UO quarterback off the bench since Joey Harrington against Arizona and ASU in 1999.
"Dylan's got to keep doing what he's been doing, preparing like he's going to be the guy that goes out there every single day — and we need that from every single person on our team," Lanning said. "But we don't need anything special from Dylan, other than doing what he's been doing."
Raiola is in line to become the first UO backup to start since Braxton Burmeister in 2017.
3. When Raiola drops back to pass against the UCLA defense, it will be strength against strength.
Offensively, Oregon is one of eight teams left in the country that has yet to throw an interception. Defensively, UCLA is No. 3 in the nation with eight picks.
The Ducks want to keep their perfect streak alive. The Bruins want to end it.
"Anytime you're creating some of the takeaways that they're creating, I think it speaks to a little bit of the brand you play," Lanning said. "Obviously, they teach attacking the ball."
4. Another strength of this UCLA team has been running the ball — the Bruins are fourth nationally with 281.50 yards per game on the ground, second with 18 rushing touchdowns and No. 1 in the country with 6.95 yards per carry.
"I don't think they're getting touched until 3.2 yards before contact, with some backs that are really, really dynamic and create great matchups," Lanning said.
Oregon's defense is allowing 3.59 yards per carry, which ranks close to the middle of the FBS, but the Ducks are one of just seven teams in the country to allow fewer than 10 runs of 10+ yards so far this season. The Ducks face another strong rushing attack next week, when Nebraska comes to Eugene, and will look to set the tone against the run this Saturday.
5. UCLA's rushing attack has helped the Bruins grind down the opposition this season. The Bruins are outscoring opponents 111-34 in the second half, including 76-17 in the fourth quarter.
Will UCLA be able to wear down the Ducks? Or can Oregon's defense get enough stops to stay fresh? The Ducks do lead the country in third-down defense, allowing only 11 conversions in 52 attempts, a sign they may be able to keep the Bruins from being as dominant late in the game as they were in September.
"They've been playing really good ball in the fourth quarter, really good ball in the second half, and really frankly pulling away from people," Lanning said. "When they get in those moments in games, they keep their foot on the gas. So it's a real challenge for us."
The Ducks will open their October slate by hosting UCLA on Saturday, a matchup of top-25 teams in Autzen Stadium. The game is scheduled for broadcast on CBS, with kickoff set for 12:30 p.m.
The No. 13 Ducks went 2-1 in nonconference play before opening their Big Ten schedule with a win at USC on Sept. 26. That game saw starting quarterback Dante Moore sidelined by a concussion, and he's been declared out for the UCLA game as well.
The No. 21 Bruins also are coming into Saturday off a bye, after going 4-0 in September. That included wins over a pair of West Coast rivals, California and San Diego State, and then two more in Big Ten play, over Purdue and Maryland. UCLA is coached by Bob Chesney, who took over the Bruins after leading James Madison all the way to a College Football Playoff appearance against the Ducks in Autzen Stadium last fall.
UCLA leads the all-time series, 40-33, but Oregon has won nine of the last 10 and is 15-13 when the Bruins travel to Eugene. The Ducks have won five of the seven previous matchups in which both teams have been ranked.
Saturday's CBS telecast will feature Brad Nessler with play-by-play, analysis from Charles Davis and sideline reporting by Jenny Dell.
Some storylines to watch when the game kicks off …
1. Oregon's bye week falling in early October means the Ducks now kick off a daunting stretch of eight games in eight weeks to wrap up the regular season.
But with everything swirling around the program in the wake of the emotional win over USC and Moore's injury, there may have been a benefit to having some extra time to regroup from that game. The proof will be in how the Ducks handle business Saturday.
"Bye weeks in general for us are always great opportunities for us to get a great self-assessment of where we're at, and improve," UO coach Dan Lanning said. "So I think it was valuable for us — as long as we use it the right way. I thought our guys were able to get a good reset. There's some rest involved there, and also getting an assessment of yourself and what you're going to face moving forward. So I thought we took advantage of it and utilized it well."
2. For the first time in nearly a decade, the Ducks will start a backup quarterback Saturday.
Dylan Raiola isn't just any backup of course, having started 22 games at Nebraska before transferring to Oregon. He's 30-of-36 passing for 413 yards and five touchdowns with the Ducks this season, including a performance off the bench at USC that might have been the most consequential by a UO quarterback off the bench since Joey Harrington against Arizona and ASU in 1999.
"Dylan's got to keep doing what he's been doing, preparing like he's going to be the guy that goes out there every single day — and we need that from every single person on our team," Lanning said. "But we don't need anything special from Dylan, other than doing what he's been doing."
Raiola is in line to become the first UO backup to start since Braxton Burmeister in 2017.
3. When Raiola drops back to pass against the UCLA defense, it will be strength against strength.
Offensively, Oregon is one of eight teams left in the country that has yet to throw an interception. Defensively, UCLA is No. 3 in the nation with eight picks.
The Ducks want to keep their perfect streak alive. The Bruins want to end it.
"Anytime you're creating some of the takeaways that they're creating, I think it speaks to a little bit of the brand you play," Lanning said. "Obviously, they teach attacking the ball."
4. Another strength of this UCLA team has been running the ball — the Bruins are fourth nationally with 281.50 yards per game on the ground, second with 18 rushing touchdowns and No. 1 in the country with 6.95 yards per carry.
"I don't think they're getting touched until 3.2 yards before contact, with some backs that are really, really dynamic and create great matchups," Lanning said.
Oregon's defense is allowing 3.59 yards per carry, which ranks close to the middle of the FBS, but the Ducks are one of just seven teams in the country to allow fewer than 10 runs of 10+ yards so far this season. The Ducks face another strong rushing attack next week, when Nebraska comes to Eugene, and will look to set the tone against the run this Saturday.
5. UCLA's rushing attack has helped the Bruins grind down the opposition this season. The Bruins are outscoring opponents 111-34 in the second half, including 76-17 in the fourth quarter.
Will UCLA be able to wear down the Ducks? Or can Oregon's defense get enough stops to stay fresh? The Ducks do lead the country in third-down defense, allowing only 11 conversions in 52 attempts, a sign they may be able to keep the Bruins from being as dominant late in the game as they were in September.
"They've been playing really good ball in the fourth quarter, really good ball in the second half, and really frankly pulling away from people," Lanning said. "When they get in those moments in games, they keep their foot on the gas. So it's a real challenge for us."
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