Oregon turned to former top prospect Dylan Raiola after quarterback Dante Moore was ruled out with an injury, but his time as starter may be short-lived.
Raiola struggled in Saturday’s game against UCLA, leading to calls for the team to bench the quarterback.
Ducks Urged to Send Dylan Raiola to the Bench
After Raiola threw his second interception of the game, with the Ducks trailing UCLA 17-6, many fans called on Oregon to bench the quarterback.
“I’m sorry but if Dylan Raiola comes out for another drive, you can absolutely put Daniel on the hot seat,” one fan shared in a post on X.
Early in the fourth quarter, Raiola had completed just 6-of-19 passes for 43 yards. Though he turned in a strong performance in last week’s win over USC, he struggled against a stronger defense.
“Raiola looked incredible last week against usc,” noted reporter Jason McIntyre in a post on X. “He looks unplayable vs ucla. One team has a real defense.”
“How the hell did USC lose to Dylan Raiola?” added reporter Doug McKain in a post on X. “He legit looks like the worst QB in America.”
Fans in attendance appeared to turn on Raiola as well, SI.com reporter Ally Osborne added.
“Raiola’s pass is intercepted on the Ducks’ 33-yard line by Tao Johnson to give the Bruins a first down,” Osborne wrote. “This is Raiola’s second interception of the game. Middling boos are coming out of the home fan sections.”
Ducks Had Rallied Behind
Ahead of this week’s game, Ducks head coach Dan Lanning said the team was rallying around Raiola as he started again in relief of the injured Moore.
“He had an exception when he stepped out there on the field and performed at a really high level, and everybody had confidence in him because they see him do it a lot in practice. You got a lot of reps in practice, regardless of where you’re sitting,” Lanning said, via SI.com.
Lanning said the team expected Raiola to continue with another strong performance against the No. 21-ranked Bruins.
“So very similar in that situation for him is he went out there and executed, and now everybody expects every one of the guys on the team to continue to grow and continue to improve and take advantage of opportunities when they get him,” Lanning continued.
Oregon Urged to Make Dylan Raiola Move Amid Struggles