Oregon survives against No. 20 Northwestern in stunning 14-point comeback at home

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Dylan Raiola passed for 336 yards and three touchdowns as unranked Oregon erased a 14-point first-half deficit to upset No. 20 Northwestern 34-26 on Saturday afternoon in Jay Johnson's debut as the Ducks' lead offensive play-caller.

Dakorien Moore delivered the game’s signature moment early in the fourth quarter, hauling in a 75-yard touchdown bomb from Raiola immediately after Northwestern pulled within 27-26 on a field goal. Moore finished with seven catches for 128 yards and two touchdowns.

Oregon (5-3, 3-2 Big Ten) mounted the comeback despite losing its top two running backs, Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill, to injuries during the contest. Reserve tailback Brandon Smith stepped in admirably, rushing for 82 yards, while tight end Jamari Johnson caught a touchdown and sealed the win with a clutch first-down conversion with 1:20 remaining.

Northwestern quarterback Aidan Chiles threw for 281 yards and rushed for 93, accounting for a touchdown both through the air and on the ground. However, Oregon’s pass rush took over down the stretch, collecting three fourth-quarter sacks to blunt the Wildcats' rally attempts.

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Northwestern (6-2, 3-2) dominated early tempo, piling up 284 yards of total offense in the first half while scoring on four of its five possessions.

The Wildcats built a 10-0 advantage midway through the opening frame when former Oregon head coach and current Northwestern offensive coordinator Chip Kelly dialed up a triple-stack formation at the line of scrimmage, freeing Griffin Wilde wide open down the middle for a 64-yard touchdown reception.

Oregon managed only a pair of Gage Hurych field goals before Chiles scrambled for a 5-yard touchdown run with 1:53 left in the second quarter, extending his streak of games with a rushing score to eight and pushing Northwestern's cushion to 20-6.

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The Ducks captured crucial momentum with 27 seconds left in the half when Raiola dropped a 10-yard fade into the back corner of the end zone to Moore, cutting the deficit to 20-13 at intermission.

An Oregon fumble near midfield early in the third quarter allowed Jackson Kleather to drill the first of his two 49-yard field goals, extending Northwestern’s lead to 23-13 before the Ducks' high-octane attack took control over the final 20 minutes.