Dylan Raiola comes off bench to rally Oregon past Nebraska - ESPN

EUGENE, Ore. — Just a week ago, Dylan Raiola had turned the ball over three times when he was benched before the fourth quarter of Oregon's game against UCLA.

His replacement, Brock Thomas, and the Ducks fell short in their comeback attempt against the Bruins, but Raiola still faced the music after the game.

Raiola owned his performance, and one week later, he could only watch as Thomas, who started against Nebraska, led Oregon's offense for three quarters.

The results were suboptimal — seven punts and a fumble to start the game, and only two field goals in the third quarter for the Ducks.

«I went over to Brock and told him we need a spark,» Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. «Dylan throughout the game was completely engaged. He was ready for his moment.»

This time, when the fourth quarter began and the Ducks trailed by eight points with any semblance of hope for their season hanging on by a thread, it was Raiola who was called on to play the hero. Against his former team, Raiola delivered in the form of a hard-fought 17-14 victory over the Cornhuskers.

«I knew beforehand there was going to be emotions,» Raiola said of the matchup. «This game was never about them. It was always about us getting back on track.»

From the moment he stepped on the field, Raiola revived Oregon's anemic offense. The run game was resuscitated, and Raiola himself finally moved the ball up the field with his arm and his legs. He completed 11 of 18 passes for 59 yards and led a field goal drive that narrowed Oregon's deficit to 14-9 with 7:18 remaining.

With just over five minutes left in the game, Raiola plotted the offense forward again and finished things off with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Jamari Johnson with 28 seconds left, giving Oregon a 17-14