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QuickTake:
The Cornhuskers have a habit of showing up at important junctures in Oregon Ducks history.
Most game days don’t give you too much time to think.
The Ducks have played two 12:30 p.m. games, a 9 a.m. game and a 4:30 p.m. game. Only their Friday night nonconference game against Portland State had previously been banished to the late-night slot.
But because Oregon is 3-2, because the Ducks are no longer in the AP Top 25, because the eyes of the nation are no longer fixed upon Eugene, Saturday’s kickoff comes at 8 p.m.
Which gives us a whole lot of time to think about what kind of Nebraska game this is going to be.
The Ducks have faced the Cornhuskers twice in the last decade, with both games serving as barometers for what was to come.
2016: The falloff
The Ducks were 2-0 and ranked No. 22 when they traveled to Lincoln in September 2016. They hadn’t missed a bowl game in more than a decade, and while there had been signs of trouble during Mark Helfrich’s tenure, there was still reason to believe Oregon could be a contender.
And then came the two-point conversions.
Helfrich’s Ducks scored five touchdowns against Nebraska and went for two after every one of them. They converted only the first.
The final score? Nebraska 35, Oregon 32.
“We let it get away at the end,” Helfrich said.
The coach talked about evaluating everyone in the program, starting with himself, and said there were “a million scenarios” to address.
Then Oregon’s season unraveled in a million different ways.
It was the first loss in what became a five-game losing streak. The Ducks finished 4-8, Helfrich was fired, and a program that had played for the national championship less than two years earlier found itself looking for a new direction.
2017: The turnaround
A year later, Oregon welcomed Nebraska to Autzen Stadium with a new coach, a young quarterback and tempered expectations.
And for 30 minutes, Willie Taggart’s Ducks looked like they did during the prime Chip Kelly years.
Justin Herbert threw for 313 yards and three touchdowns in the first half alone as Oregon built a 42-14 halftime lead. The offense looked explosive again. Autzen was Swag Surfing.
Granted, Oregon didn’t score a single point in the second half. But the Ducks held on for a 42-35 win, with Ugo Amadi clinching it with an interception in the final minutes.
“It’s a confidence-builder,” Amadi said. “It says we can make plays when we need to.”
Now, Oregon wasn’t all the way back. Herbert would suffer a collarbone injury later that season, the Ducks finished 7-6, and Taggart left for Florida State after just one year.
But Oregon was moving in the right direction again.
2026: To be determined
Well, momentum certainly isn’t in Oregon’s favor. Quarterback Dante Moore will miss his second consecutive game, the backup quarterback competition is wide open and the Cornhuskers arrive in Eugene with only one loss — to defending national champion Indiana.
Nebraska is a good football team. Oregon was supposed to be a good football team.
And sometime around midnight, we’ll have a good idea of where the Ducks are headed.
How to watch
When: Saturday, Oct. 17, 8 p.m. Pacific
Where: Autzen Stadium, Eugene
TV: FOX
Broadcast team: Tim Brando (play-by-play), Devin Gardner (analyst), Josh Sims (sideline)
Radio: KUJZ 95.3 FM (Eugene), 105.1 The Fan (Portland)
What to wear: Green
Who’s playing?
Oregon: 3-2 (1-1 Big Ten)
Nebraska: 5-1 (2-1 Big Ten)
All-time series: Nebraska leads 6-2
Oregon players to watch: Dierre Hill Jr. and Jordon Davison
In the spirit of this post having a little shelf life, I’m not going to pick a quarterback. Because I don’t know if we’re going to see Dylan Raiola or Brock Thomas or, heck, even Akili Smith Jr.
“Football is like renting a house. It’s not owning a house. You have to pay rent every week,” Lanning said about the quarterback competition behind the injured Dante Moore.
Quarterback play is the key for the Ducks. But in lieu of that, it would be in Oregon’s best interest to figure something out on the ground.
Yes, offensive line play, which has been poor, will dictate much of that. But at some point, Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr. need to break through.
Davison’s 4.9 yards per carry is down a yard from last season and buoyed by his 81 yards on 13 carries against Portland State. Meanwhile, Hill, the supposed lightning to Davison’s thunder, has seen his yards per carry cut nearly in half (8.7 in 2025 to 4.4 in 2026) and has yet to break a run longer than 16 yards.
Neither running back has eclipsed 100 yards in a game here in 2026. Doing so Saturday would go a long way toward helping an Oregon team that’s already down a quarterback and could also be without senior receiver Evan Stewart, who is listed as doubtful for tonight’s game.
Nebraska player to watch: Anthony Colandrea
So far, it doesn’t seem like Nebraska is missing the quarterback who left for Oregon.
The Cornhuskers moved on from Raiola to Colandrea, a senior transfer from UNLV who has been one of the Big Ten’s most productive quarterbacks this season. He’s completed 64% of his passes for 1,406 yards, 13 touchdowns and three interceptions, while rushing for another 296 yards and three scores.
“We’ve got to contain him,” Oregon linebacker Devon Jackson said. “Make sure he can’t get off the spot. We have the athletes to do that, for sure. And then try to confuse him, get him off his game. But he’s a very good quarterback and I have a lot of respect for him for sure.”
Reads to get ready for the game
In case you missed any of this week’s coverage:
- Oregon’s 28-year-old punter knows a thing or two about having a real job
- The Sunday Duck Report: Oregon’s timeline is off
- Ducks deliver a forgettable performance in loss to UCLA
And with Thomas potentially in line for a start, here’s a story from last season worth revisiting:
Learn more about Nebraska
- Sports Illustrated’s Nebraska coverage looks at Matt Rhule’s confidence in Anthony Colandrea, Nebraska’s loss to Indiana and the challenge of an unusually late kickoff in Eugene.
- Corn Nation makes its case for why Nebraska can beat Oregon, including the Huskers’ familiarity with Dylan Raiola and Oregon’s problems holding on to the football.
- Addicted to Quack breaks down Nebraska on film, with a detailed look at Colandrea, the Huskers’ rushing attack and a defense that has made life difficult for opponents.
Watch The Inside Look
Ken and I revisit Oregon’s offensive struggles, the quarterback situation and the performance of a defense that deserved better against UCLA. We also look at what needs to change before the Ducks face Nebraska.
Listen to The Traffic Report
Justin Myers and I look ahead to Nebraska, assess the Ducks’ fading playoff hopes and try to find a little optimism heading into Saturday’s 8 p.m. kickoff.
