Dylan Raiola comes off the bench to beat his former team as Oregon rallies past Nebraska 17-14

Dylan Raiola got his moment against the team he used to play for.

One week after he was benched, Raiola came off the bench in the fourth quarter Saturday night and threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Jamari Johnson with 28 seconds left as Oregon beat Nebraska 17-14 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon.

Raiola played two seasons at Nebraska before he transferred to Oregon in the offseason.

A long night before the spark

Dante Moore is still out with a concussion, so Oregon started third-string quarterback Brock Thomas, a former walk-on. Thomas went 9 of 20 for 54 yards with an interception and also lost a fumble. The Ducks had just 91 total yards when Raiola replaced him.

Nebraska led 14-6 after three quarters. Anthony Colandrea threw a touchdown pass to Kwazi Gilmer late in the second quarter and dove for the pylon on a 6-yard scramble at the end of the third. The home crowd booed in the first half and many fans left at halftime.

"I went over to Brock and told him we need a spark," Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. "Dylan throughout the game was completely engaged. He was ready for his moment."

The winning drive

Raiola's first drive ended with a 37-yard field goal by Gage Hurych that cut the deficit to 14-9. On the next drive, a 4-yard touchdown pass to Dakorien Moore was overturned on review with 33 seconds left. Raiola found Johnson in the back of the end zone on the next play and the 2-point conversion put Oregon ahead.

Raiola finished 11 of 18 for 59 yards.

"I knew beforehand there was going to be emotions," Raiola said. "This game was never about them. It was always about us getting back on track."

"It was a gritty, ugly win," Lanning said.

Where both teams stand

Oregon started the season ranked No. 2 and is now 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the Big Ten. The Ducks visit Illinois next Saturday.

Nebraska fell to 5-2 and 2-2 after blowing a fourth-quarter lead for the second straight week. The Cornhuskers lost 20-17 to Indiana last weekend and play at Washington on Oct. 31.