Oregon · Big TenOregon answers with 84-point rout before USC
Dante Moore threw four touchdown passes and Dylan Raiola added three as Oregon posted its highest total since 1916.
SEP 24, 2026
Oregon's final score
Halftime lead
Portland State total yards
01 · The NewsOregon Answers With 84-Point Rout
Oregon answered its Sept. 12 loss at Oklahoma State by beating Portland State 84–0 on Friday, Sept. 18, its highest-scoring game since 1916 and a setup for Saturday’s far more important trip to USC.
Oregon led 49–0 at halftime and kept its offense moving late. With the Ducks ahead 77–0 in the final six minutes, fourth-string quarterback Akili Smith Jr. directed a 14-play, 79-yard touchdown drive. Brandon Smith scored from 2 yards with 29 seconds left.
That late score revived the same question from Oregon’s 81–7 win over Portland State in 2023, when the Ducks also scored in the closing minutes. Dan Lanning offered Chris Fisk the option of making the second-half quarters 10 minutes long, but the Portland State coach declined. Lanning and Fisk shook hands after the game.
The 84 points marked Oregon’s highest total since its 97–0 victory over Willamette in 1916. Now the Ducks take the response to Los Angeles, where they play USC at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday, Sept. 26. Moore and Raiola supplied the rebound; USC gets to test it.
02 · The StakesThe USC Test
Oregon is 2–1, but its playoff margin remains narrow. Josh Pate’s preseason bracket placed the Ducks at No. 6 in the field, and the response kept that projection alive; USC will offer a much stronger test than a Portland State team that finished with 103 yards, including 101 passing yards by Gabe Downing.
03 · The Detail Beneath the HeadlineWhat Most People Are Missing
Dante Moore threw for 280 yards and four touchdowns. Nebraska transfer Dylan Raiola completed all 11 of his passes and threw three touchdown passes, giving Oregon production from both quarterbacks after the Ducks fell 39–31 in Stillwater.
“Moore and Raiola supplied the rebound; USC gets to test it.”
From the story04 · The Open QuestionsQuestions to Be Answered
Which quarterback gets Oregon’s meaningful snaps at USC on Saturday, Sept. 26?
Oregon’s response produced two different passing lines: Dante Moore’s 280 yards and four touchdowns, and Dylan Raiola’s 11-for-11, three-touchdown appearance. Portland State’s 103 total yards did not force Oregon to reveal how it would deploy either quarterback in a close game, while the Sept. 12 loss at Oklahoma State left the Ducks 2–1 and narrowed the room for another loss. The USC snap count, before Oregon returns home to face UCLA on Oct. 10, will show whose performance carries forward.
05 · The Watch ListWhat We're Watching
Can the two-quarterback production carry over?
Dante Moore threw four touchdown passes, while Dylan Raiola completed all 11 of his passes and threw three touchdown passes.
Was this a rebound or a mismatch?
USC will offer a much stronger test than Portland State, which finished with 103 yards, including 101 passing yards by Gabe Downing.