Trying to add a payment method? You can do this on the 
QuickTake:
Oregon's quarterback passed for 336 yards and three touchdowns.
It wasn’t necessarily pretty, and sometimes it was downright scary, but just when Oregon really needed a win, the Ducks got one Saturday, coming from behind to beat No. 20 Northwestern 34-26.
Dylan Raiola finally looked like what everyone expected this season, completing 22 of 31 passes for 336 yards and three touchdowns, just one week after Oregon (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) fired its offensive coordinator and handed over playcalling duties to assistant Jay Johnson.
The offense totaled 441 yards, the defense recorded three sacks in the fourth quarter and the Ducks managed to save face in front of the coach who elevated their program to new heights when he was first hired as offensive coordinator 19 years ago.
This program has a history of big wins on Halloween weekend and while this one might not change the conference pecking order, Duck fans would surely agree that at this point, a victory is better than a trick or a treat. And the gritty win was made all the more impressive considering the Ducks again suffered some significant injuries.
The Ducks trailed 20-6 late in the second quarter as former Oregon coach Chip Kelly, now Northwestern’s offensive coordinator, had a little too much fun the first 30 minutes.
“We were down two scores a lot of the game, a lot of people fold up in that moment,” said coach Dan Lanning. “But there was zero quit from our guys. We knew every possession really mattered.”
Behind Kelly’s modernized Wing-T offense — which included some wacky, but successful, formations — the Wildcats hung 284 yards on the Ducks in the first half, racking up 14 first downs (Oregon had seven) and going 6-of-9 on third down.
But in the second half, it was the Wildcats’ offense that stalled, while Oregon got rolling.
“On offense, the rhythm we’ve been searching for showed up in big moments,” Lanning said.
Raiola led three scoring drives after the break, including tossing a 75-yard touchdown pass to Dakorien Moore with just over 10 minutes to play, which put Oregon up 34-26.
“He is a guy who feeds off of his confidence,” Lanning said of Raiola. “He made some big time throws today. I thought he played really well … there were some outstanding moments for him.”
The Ducks’ final score came after a big momentum swing, when Oregon’s defense recorded its third consecutive third down stop, this one courtesy of linebacker Nasir Wyatt. Wyatt sacked Northwestern quarterback Aiden Chiles for a loss of seven, forcing the Wildcats (6-2, 3-2) to settle for a field goal and keeping their offense from getting back into a groove.
Northwestern went for another field goal with 5:14 to play, but it was wide left, all but ensuring an Oregon win.
Raiola secured that win for sure with one of his riskier passes of the day when, with 1:29 to play on third-and-8 from the Oregon 37, he lofted a pass to Jamari Johnson that looked more like a jump shot than a passing attempt.
“I’m glad it worked out, because I might not be here if it didn’t,” Raiola joked afterward. “I’m kidding. Players make plays.”
For his part, Johnson was “a little in shock” when he saw Raiola let go of the ball.
“I was like, ‘I gotta catch it,’ so I caught it,” Johnson said.
Unfortunately it wasn’t all good news.
Jordon Davison, the Ducks’ leading rusher at 60.3 yards per game, came out of the game at the end of the first quarter pointing to his right knee, and didn’t return. (He came out of the locker room on crutches, though details of his injury were not immediately available postgame.)
Dierre Hill Jr., Oregon’s second leading rusher (54 yards per game) and one of the team’s best kick returners, didn’t play the second half. Moore went down with 1:43 left to play, though he managed to walk (gingerly) off the field under his own power.
True freshman Brandon Smith stepped up in Davison and Hill’s absence, piling up 82 yards on eight carries, scoring once. Meanwhile Moore caught seven passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns.
But the most impressive stat was 1-of-8, which was Northwestern’s third-down completion number in the second half, a testament to Oregon’s defense showing up when it was necessary.
“I thought our coaches made good adjustments,” Lanning said. “That’s the closest we’ve been to a complete performance.
“That being said, there’s a lot we can do better.”
