Do Dante Moore and Dylan Raiola have what it takes to keep the Oregon Ducks’ College Football Playoff hopes alive?
The Oregon Ducks have a bit of a unique quarterback situation on their hands.
Both Dante Moore and Dylan Raiola have had big moments with the team, but obviously, Raiola’s biggest opportunities may still be coming now that Moore has a concussion.
The Nebraska transfer has undoubtedly helped the Ducks get to 3-1, and their bye arguably couldn’t have come at a better time.
Moore went down in that USC game, but it’s one where Oregon was still able to pull out a 41-27 victory.
Now, all eyes are on this dynamic duo moving forward as the No. 15-ranked Ducks will do whatever it takes to make the College Football Playoffs.
Moore and Raiola sit just outside the top 20
According to ESPN’s Power Four rankings, Moore and Raiola have done enough to earn the No. 21 spot this season.
Obviously, it would’ve been quite odd for Bill Connelly to have them take up separate spots in these rankings, since it went from No. 1 all the way to No. 68, as that’s how many teams make up the Power Four conferences.
Keep in mind, this is a major fall from where this duo was coming into the year. All eyes were on Moore at that point in time as it’s clear Raiola was the clear QB2, but no one had any idea the Trojans would unleash one of the most brutal hits of the season on Moore in Week 4.
Seeing as Connelly had Oregon ranked sixth coming into the year, it’s quite a big drop to see them fall 15 spots.
This team has a Total QBR of 83.8. For reference, the Miami Hurricanes’ Darian Mensah leads the nation with his 93.9 QBR.
Moore himself is only 28th in Total QBR, so that’s a number where this Ducks team desperately needs him to improve.
Connelly noted that Raiola is a “very expensive backup,” but praised him for what he’s been able to do with the team thus far.
Raiola has completed 83.3% of his passes, and that comes with no small sample size (36 attempts). Raiola is averaging 11.5 yards per completion, which is over two yards more than what Moore has done.
Combined, these two QBs have thrown for 14 touchdowns without a single interception.
Neither is a threat to run the ball, but they don’t need to be, with Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr. holding things down in the backfield.
Overall, this QB duo is the fifth-best in the Big Ten, according to Connelly.
