Deuce Alexander of the Mississippi Rebels attempts to catch a pass against Trajen Greco of the Missouri Tigers during the first half at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on October 17, 2026 in Oxford, Mississippi.
(Justin Ford, Getty Images)
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College football Week 7 photos capture big plays and big moments
Deuce Alexander of the Mississippi Rebels attempts to catch a pass against Trajen Greco of the Missouri Tigers during the first half at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on October 17, 2026 in Oxford, Mississippi.
(Justin Ford, Getty Images)
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College football Week 7 photos capture big plays and big moments
Tramell Jones Jr. of the Florida Gators celebrates after defeating the Texas Longhorns at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on October 17, 2026 in Austin, Texas.
(Tim Warner, Getty Images)
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College football Week 7 photos capture big plays and big moments
Julian Sayin of the Ohio State Buckeyes looks to throw over Tobi Osunsanmi of the Indiana Hoosiers during the second quarter at Memorial Stadium on October 17, 2026 in Bloomington, Indiana.
(Justin Casterline, Getty Images)
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College football Week 7 photos capture big plays and big moments
Safety Ty Benefield of the LSU Tigers celebrates after making an interception with cornerback PJ Woodland during the first half of a game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Tiger Stadium on October 17, 2026 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)
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College football Week 7 photos capture big plays and big moments
Kevin Jennings of the SMU Mustangs steps to the line of scrimmage during the first half against the Virginia Cavaliers at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on October 17, 2026 in Dallas, Texas.
(Stacy Revere, Getty Images)
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College football Week 7 photos capture big plays and big moments
Keshaun Singleton of the Auburn Tigers makes a reception for a touchdown during the first quarter against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium on October 17, 2026 in Athens, Georgia.
(Todd Kirkland, Getty Images)
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College football Week 7 photos capture big plays and big moments
Will Hammond of the Texas Tech Red Raiders celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the first half of the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Galaxy Stadium on October 17, 2026 in Lubbock, Texas.
(John E. Moore III, Getty Images)
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College football Week 7 photos capture big plays and big moments
DeSean Bishop of the Tennessee Volunteers runs the ball against the Alabama Crimson Tide during the first half at Neyland Stadium on October 17, 2026 in Knoxville, Tennessee.
(Camden Hall, Getty Images)
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College football Week 7 photos capture big plays and big moments
Tennessee Volunteer fans gather for the team’s VolWalk before their game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Neyland Stadium on October 17, 2026 in Knoxville, Tennessee.
(Camden Hall, Getty Images)
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College football Week 7 photos capture big plays and big moments
Dezmen Roebuck of the Washington Huskies hurdles over Don Saunders of the Purdue Boilermakers during the fourth quarter at Ross-Ade Stadium on October 16, 2026 in West Lafayette, Indiana.
(Justin Casterline, Getty Images)
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College football Week 7 photos capture big plays and big moments
Que’sean Brown of the Virginia Tech Hokies carries the ball past Tae Harris of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and scores a touchdown during the first quarter at Lane Stadium on October 17, 2026 in Blacksburg, Virginia.
(Michael Shroyer, Getty Images)
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College football Week 7 photos capture big plays and big moments
Keelon Russell of the Alabama Crimson Tide runs the ball against the Tennessee Volunteers during the first half at Neyland Stadium on October 17, 2026 in Knoxville, Tennessee.
(Camden Hall, Getty Images)
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College football Week 7 photos capture big plays and big moments
Brian Bonner of the Washington Huskies celebrates a touchdown with teammates during the second quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium on October 16, 2026 in West Lafayette, Indiana.
(Justin Casterline, Getty Images)
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College football Week 7 photos capture big plays and big moments
Keshaun Singleton of the Auburn Tigers makes a reception for a touchdown during the first quarter against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium on October 17, 2026 in Athens, Georgia.
(Todd Kirkland, Getty Images)
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College football Week 7 photos capture big plays and big moments
Aaron Gregory of the Texas A&M Aggies catches a touchdown pass against the The Citadel Bulldogs during the second quarter at Kyle Field on October 17, 2026 in College Station, Texas.
(Jack Gorman, Getty Images)
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College football Week 7 photos capture big plays and big moments
Running back Dilin Jones of the LSU Tigers runs the ball past linebacker Tyler Lockhart of the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the first half of a game at Tiger Stadium on October 17, 2026 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)
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College football Week 7 photos capture big plays and big moments
Tramell Jones Jr. of the Florida Gators is tackled by Lance Jackson and Hero Kanu of the Texas Longhorns in the first half at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on October 17, 2026 in Austin, Texas.
(Tim Warner, Getty Images)
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College football Week 7 photos capture big plays and big moments
A.J. Holmes Jr. of the Texas Tech Red Raiders celebrates during the first half of the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Galaxy Stadium on October 17, 2026 in Lubbock, Texas.
(John E. Moore III, Getty Images)
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College football Week 7 photos capture big plays and big moments
Yamir Knight of the SMU Mustangs is brought down by Donavon Platt of the Virginia Cavaliers during the second half at Gerald J. Ford Stadium on October 17, 2026 in Dallas, Texas.
(Stacy Revere, Getty Images)
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College football Week 7 photos capture big plays and big moments
Malcom Simmons of the Texas Tech Red Raiders runs with the ball during the first half of the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Galaxy Stadium on October 17, 2026 in Lubbock, Texas.
(John E. Moore III, Getty Images)
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College football Week 7 photos capture big plays and big moments
Wide receiver Eugene Wilson III and wide receiver Jackson Harris of the LSU Tigers celebrate after a touchdown during the first half of a game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Tiger Stadium on October 17, 2026 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
(Tyler Kaufman, Getty Images)
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College football Week 7 photos capture big plays and big moments
Lacota Dippre of the Florida Gators reacts after a touchdown reception in the third quarter against the Texas Longhorns at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on October 17, 2026 in Austin, Texas.
(Tim Warner, Getty Images)
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College football Week 7 photos capture big plays and big moments
Chas Nimrod of the Auburn Tigers catches a touchdown pass during the second quarter against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium on October 17, 2026 in Athens, Georgia.
(Todd Kirkland, Getty Images)
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College football Week 7 photos capture big plays and big moments
Mason Williams of the Ohio State Buckeyes is tackled by Jacob Savage of the Indiana Hoosiers during the first quarter at Memorial Stadium on October 17, 2026 in Bloomington, Indiana.
(Justin Casterline, Getty Images)
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College football Week 7 photos capture big plays and big moments
London Montgomery of the Florida Gators runs the ball against Justin Cryer in the second half at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on October 17, 2026 in Austin, Texas.
(Tim Warner, Getty Images)
The game against the Fighting Illini will happen nearly one month after Moore’s injury against USC on Sept. 29. Against the Trojans, Moore scrambled on a play when Trojans linebacker Desman Stephens III hit him in the head with his forearm, resulting in a scary injury where the quarterback looked to be seriously hurt.
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While Moore only suffered a concussion from the play, he has yet to return to action. He has been practicing but been ruled out of games since then, just on the sidelines in street clothes for the past two games.
Without Moore, Oregon’s quarterback play has been subpar. Raiola came to the rescue against USC, but had a disastrous showing against UCLA when he went 6-for-19 for just 43 yards with two interceptions and a fumble before he was benched at the end of the third quarter. Brock Thomas came in and nearly lead a comeback with 156 yards and a touchdown in the final frame.
Thomas started against Nebraska in Week 7, but he had his own struggles, going 9-for-20 with 54 yards and an interception as he was taken out at the end of the third quarter. Raiola came in and led the game-winning drive, passing for 59 yards and a touchdown in the final 15 minutes against the Cornhuskers.
Lanning has reiterated Raiola and Thomas are still battling for the position, although it was notable Raiola spoke with the media on Wednesday. When asked on Monday, Oct. 19 about Moore’s medical status, Lanning said “I’m not able to tell you that.”
Oregon quarterback Dante Moore walks off after the Ducks loss as Moore was benched following an injury as the Oregon Ducks host the UCLA Bruins on Oct. 10, 2026, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon.
Oregon’s offense has clearly missed Moore, who has thrown for 926 yards with nine touchdowns and zero interceptions in the three-plus games he’s played in. It could also use its quarterback return as Oregon’s College Football Playoff chances are on the brink of extinction just halfway into the season.
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At 4-2, the Ducks have two losses before the end of October for the first time under Lanning, last happening in 2018. Suffering a third loss would pretty much knock Oregon out of making its third straight playoff appearance unless it got a ridiculous amount of fortunate results to bounce its way.
Oregon also is dealing the recent arrest of top receiver Evan Stewart, who faces a charge of driving under the influence of intoxicants from an incident on Sunday, Oct. 18, hours after the win against Nebraska. Lanning said the following day there was an incident “that didn’t match our standard here in our program” and the decision would be handled internally, although he didn’t offer anymore details of what would happen.
No concussion recovery is the same. It can’t be rushed until the player, coaches and medical guidance all feel 100% comfortable with the return to the field. Sometimes it last a few days, others it takes multiple weeks. Lanning has consistently said there wouldn’t be a rush.
But the past month has shown how critical Moore is to Oregon’s success. With him, Oregon is 15-3 and an offense that resembles what’s become customary in Eugene, averaging 39.1 points per game. Since then, the Ducks have been an slog that’s reaching new lows under Lanning, and that’s not going to cut it when Northwestern, Ohio State and Michigan are all waiting to officially eliminate them from the playoff conversation.
