After Dylan Raiola steered the Oregon Ducks to a statement road victory, Dan Lanning mocked the Coliseum’s attendance and delivered a stinging recruiting pitch to Southern California prospects.
No. 20 Oregon Ducks looked a completely different football team on Saturday night than the one that struggled in its first two weeks, defeating the No. 12 USC Trojans on the road in Los Angeles.
The Ducks looked like they could be in trouble in the first half when Dante Moore took a stretcher off the field after USC linebacker Desman Stephens committed a late hit on the quarterback. But backup quarterback Dylan Raiola didn't miss a beat, going 19 of 25 passing for 289 yards and two touchdowns in a 41-27 win for the Ducks.
Saturday night's win was huge for Ducks head coach Dan Lanning, who was facing pressure to avoid a second loss on the early season. Opposing head coach Lincoln Riley needed a win just as bad after USC received College Football Playoff hype before the season.
In the end, USC proved just one point better than the Trojans team that lost 42-27 to Oregon last season. This time, the loss came in front of 75,500 fans at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
It was a huge turnout for USC, who didn't have large crowds for its first three home games.
During his postgame news conference, Lanning trolled USC fans, saying it took Oregon playing in Los Angeles to draw a crowd.
"I've watched three of their TV games," Lanning said, via On3. "I haven't seen a game packed yet, but we were here, it was packed tonight. So I guess when the Ducks show up, that's how you fill up the Coliseum."
Lanning, who is 3-0 against USC while at Oregon, didn't stop there, giving a recruiting pitch to future college football players in the Southern California region.
"If you're interested in winning football games, you're from this area, you should go to Oregon," Lannign said. "You want to go to a Chris Brown concert, you should go here (USC)."
Oregon can breathe a sigh of relief after earning a huge win against USC. The Ducks needed to avoid two losses in September as they chase the College Football Playoff.
Oregon will have a bye in Week 5, which will be key with Moore dealing with an injury.
The Ducks will next play UCLA on Oct. 10. That game could be tricky for Oregon. The Bruins made a statement on Saturday, beating Maryland 54-3 on the road. UCLA intercepted Maryland quarterback Malik Washington four times in the win.
Oregon is glad to have a strong backup quarterback
Raiola chose to transfer to Oregon from Nebraska before Moore decided to return for this season. His experience was crucial for the Ducks to get the win over USC on Saturday night.
He could be called upon when Oregon plays UCLA if Moore is not healthy enough to return. Having a strong backup quarterback might have saved the season for the Ducks.
