Dylan Raiola threw for 336 yards and three touchdowns as unranked Oregon rallied from a 14-point deficit to defeat No. 20 Northwestern 34-26 on Saturday in Eugene, Ore., in Jay Johnson’s debut as the Ducks’ lead offensive play-caller.
Oregon (5-3 overall, 3-2 in Big Ten play) won despite losing its top two running backs, Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill, to injury during the game. The Ducks rallied from a 14-point first-half deficit, with backup running back Brandon Smith rushing for 82 yards and tight end Jamari Johnson catching a touchdown and sealing the win with a first-down grab with 1:20 to play.
Northwestern quarterback Aidan Chiles threw for 281 yards and ran for 93, accounting for a touchdown through the air and another on the ground. Oregon’s defense countered with three fourth-quarter sacks.
Northwestern (6-2, 3-2) put up 284 yards of total offense in the first half, scoring on four of five possessions. The Wildcats took a 10-0 lead midway through the first quarter on Chiles’ pass down the middle to a wide-open Griffin Wilde for a 64-yard touchdown.
On that play, former Oregon head coach and now Northwestern offensive coordinator Chip Kelly lined up three players in a triple stack formation at the line of scrimmage.
Oregon managed only two Gage Hurych field goals before Chiles scored on a 5-yard run with 1:53 remaining in the half to give Northwestern a 20-6 lead.
Chiles has a rushing touchdown in eight straight games.
But the Ducks cut the deficit to 20-13 at the half, with Raiola throwing a fade to Moore in the back corner of the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown.
An Oregon fumble at midfield set up Jackson Kleather’s 49-yard field goal for a 23-13 Wildcats lead early in the third quarter. Kleather made a pair of 49-yard kicks.
