The Oregon Ducks flipped the script on offense with Jay Johnson taking over for Drew Mehringer at offensive coordinator in a huge Week 9 win Saturday that revived the excitement in coach Dan Lanning's program. The Ducks beat Northwestern 34-26 and a huge deep bomb to WR Dakorien Moore in the fourth quarter that was the biggest play of them all, and gave fans reason to celebrate on a fun Halloween day.
After the game, Sports Illustrated network journalist Bri Amaranthus shared comments from Lanning on Moore's injury status after he took a big hit against the Wildcats.
“Seems like Dakorien is going to be good,” Lanning said. “He just took a really big shot on the return, but in a little bit of pain. He told me when he's laying down on the ground, ‘I'm ready for the next play.' I'm like, ‘Well, gotta come out for one, right?'”
The Wildcats started off hot, building a 20-13 lead in the first half on the strength of Aidan Chiles' passing and rushing, along with the receiving prowess of Griffin Wilde, an underrated star in Chip Kelly's offensive attack.
Article Continues BelowThe Ducks continued to stay with their game plans on offense and defense as they came out firing in the second half.
Raiola passed for 336 yards and three touchdowns on the day, with two of them landing in Moore's soft hands. Moore finished with 128 yards receiving while the Ducks moved to 5-3. In a 24-team playoff, Oregon, might still have a reasonable shot at making it to the “big dance” of college football. In the 12-team era, Lanning's team would need a miracle, but they are still fighting long after fans began giving up hope in that department, and doing it well.