While just who will start for Oregon against Nebraska isn’t known yet, the Huskers now know who they won’t see.
In Wednesday’s first Big Ten Availability Reports of the week, the Ducks listed quarterback Dante Moore as out. That means that either Dylan Raiola or Brock Thomas will start in Saturday night’s showdown between the Big Ten rivals.
Dylan Moore is out, Evan Stewart could be a second body blow for Oregon against Nebraska football
Nebraska won’t face the quarterback considered the No. 1 pick in the next NFL draft this season. However, the availability report wasn’t all good news. The Huskers also listed safety Jamir Conn as out. That’s an especially big blow, considering NU’s defense has struggled at times in pass defense, especially where the safeties are expected to provide support; Conn’s absence could be a major blow.
The Cornhuskers might also be without defensive lineman Riley Van Poppel for the second straight game. After missing the contest against Indiana, Van Poppel is listed as questionable on Wednesday night.
For Oregon, wide receiver Evan Stewart is also questionable. While Moore is a big blow to the Ducks at quarterback, if Stewart can’t play, the team's leading receiver won’t be on the field in a pivotal game for both teams. That could be an equally massive blow to whoever starts under center, since they won’t have Oregon’s most dependable safety valve.
While Oregon hasn’t had the kind of season anyone expected (they opened the season as the AP No. 2 team), Dante Moore was still a highly effective passer before he suffered a concussion in the game against USC. Before that injury, he’d completed 69% of his passes for 926 yards, 9 touchdowns, and no interceptions.
Before his early exit against the Trojans, he completed 8 of 10 passes for 77 yards. He also had a 10-yard run, but it ended when he slid at the end and was hammered in a helmet-to-helmet hit by a USC defensive back.
Dylan Raiola, who could start for the Ducks against Nebraska, came in for Moore and led a comeback win, 41-27. The reason there’s any question as to whether Raiola will start against the Huskers is that his first start of the season was an abysmal outing.
Last week against UCLA, Raiola completed just 6 of 19 passes for 43 yards and 2 interceptions. He played so poorly he was benched for third-string QB Brock Thomas. Thomas, in turn, almost led Oregon to a comeback win in a 17-15 loss to the Bruins. The game would have at least gone to overtime if Oregon had converted the two-point conversion after Thomas led them downfield and threw a touchdown. He finished 11 of 15 for 156 yards and that score.
Stewart’s 27 catches are 9 more than Dakorian Moore, Oregon's second-leading receiver. Stewart is more of a possession receiver, while Moore is the deep threat, averaging 17.3 yards per catch.
Stewart also leads the team in receiving yards with 352 and is tied with Moore for the team lead with 4 touchdowns.
Should Nebraska avoid Stewart, the Huskers should get a bonus. The wide receiver caught 5 passes for 77 yards against UCLA before suffering a head injury. His TD catch also kept his streak of four straight games in which he found the end zone alive.
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