Ducks Drop Top-25 Matchup to Bruins

Saturday, October 10

Eugene, OR

12:30 PM

University of Oregon

3-2 , 1-1

UCLA

5-0 , 3-0

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
UCLA	3	7	0	7	17
Oregon	6	0	0	9	15

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Photo by: Eric Evans/GoDucks.com

10/10/26 | Football

Box Score #21 UCLA 17, #13 Oregon 15 Photo Gallery

Oregon struggled to find offensive consistency without injured QB Dante Moore and lost Saturday.

By: Rob Moseley

EUGENE, Ore. — With injured starting quarterback Dante Moore watching from the sidelines in street clothes, the No. 13 Oregon football team struggled to find offensive consistency until the fourth quarter and lost, 17-15, to No. 21 UCLA at Autzen Stadium on Saturday.

Moore was sidelined by a concussion suffered at USC two weeks earlier. The quarterback who led Oregon's win there in his absence, Dylan Raiola, started Saturday and was 6-of-19 for 43 yards. Eugene native Brock Thomas entered for the fourth quarter and was 11-of-15 for 156 yards and a score, but the Ducks couldn't complete a comeback after falling behind 17-6 early in the fourth.

The Oregon defense fought gamely, holding UCLA's vaunted rushing attack to 140 yards — half its season average — and forcing three turnovers. The UO special teams blocked a field goal and was solid in other facets as well.

But offensively the Ducks had seven turnovers and were 1-of-12 on third down, unable to take advantage of solid play in the other two phases of the game.

"I felt like this was going to be the game, based on our prep, where all three phases really came together," UO coach Dan Lanning said. "And obviously it didn't with the offense today. It's all come together for us quite a bit in the past; it hasn't so far this year. We've got to continue to figure out what that looks like."

Oregon's defense helped the Ducks take an early lead, recovering a fumble near the goal line that set up Jordon Davison's rushing touchdown that made it 6-3 midway through the first quarter. But the UO offense ultimately didn't mount a drive longer than 27 yards until the fourth; 179 of Oregon's 272 total yards came after UCLA took a 17-6 lead with 13:31 left in the game.

By that time, Thomas had replaced Raiola.

"You can't turn the ball over," said Raiola, who threw two interceptions. "I was reckless with the ball today, and you can't win football games like that. I thought we prepared; I thought our coaches prepared us. And we lost. … The team counts on me to make those plays, and I let them down today. So I'm going to work my hardest to not let this happen again."

UCLA also finished the game without its starting quarterback, as the UO defense had two sacks among seven tackles for loss on the afternoon and made two interceptions. But the Bruins had a handful of explosive plays in the passing game to complement their rushing attack and came away with the win.

"At the end of the day, although we did a good job on defense, we didn't do a great job," UO edge defender Teitum Tuioti said. "We didn't live up to our own expectations. Seventeen points is too much for us; our standard is 13 points or less. So us as a defense has to do better."

Oregon's first play of 20 yards or longer was a 36-yard pass from Thomas to Dakorien Moore that set up a UO field to make it 17-9 with 5:16 to play. Three minutes later, a 44-yard touchdown reception by Evan Stewart got the Ducks within 17-15. But as they did after the early Davison touchdown, the Ducks went for two and were unsuccessful.

Asked postgame about the quarterback situation heading into a home game against Nebraska next week, Lanning said "it would be too early to make a decision there. Have to go back, evaluate the film, evaluate practice, and see what it looks like, and then see where Dante (Moore) is at."