Oregon rallied from 14 points down to stun No. 20 Northwestern 34-26 on Saturday, October 31, 2026, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon, winning a Halloween comeback that kept the Ducks' Big Ten hopes alive and delivered a first statement win for new play-caller Jay Johnson. Dylan Raiola threw for 336 yards and three touchdowns, Dakorien Moore caught seven passes for 128 yards and two scores, and freshman running back Brandon Smith scored the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Northwestern did almost whatever it wanted early on. The Wildcats built a 10-0 first-quarter lead and stretched it to 20-6 in the second quarter, scoring on four of their first five possessions. Aidan Chiles threw a 64-yard touchdown pass to Griffin Wilde and later scrambled for a short touchdown run, and Northwestern looked in complete control, outgaining Oregon 155-34 through the first quarter.
Oregon's reply began just before halftime, when Raiola found Moore in the back corner of the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown with 49 seconds left in the half, cutting the deficit to 20-13. Northwestern still led early in the third quarter after Jackson Kleather's 49-yard field goal made it 23-13, following an Oregon fumble at midfield recovered by Braydon Brus.
The fourth quarter belonged to the Ducks. Raiola threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jamari Johnson to give Oregon its first lead of the game, and Smith rushed for a two-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal to make it 27-23. After Kleather's fourth field goal cut the lead to 27-26, Raiola hit Moore on a deep post for a 75-yard touchdown on the very next drive, restoring an eight-point lead with 10:20 to play. Oregon's defence then closed the game out with three fourth-quarter sacks, a missed 42-yard field-goal attempt by Kleather with 5:14 left, and a final first-down grab by Johnson on a broken play with 1:20 remaining.
Oregon arrived at the game in transition. The Ducks fired offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer on October 25 following a loss to Illinois, elevating assistant quarterbacks coach Jay Johnson into the lead play-calling role. At the same time, starting quarterback Dante Moore was ruled out for the season, leaving Raiola to make his second straight start in a reshaped offence.
The early returns were grim: Oregon managed only 30 rushing yards in the first half and trailed by 14 points. But the second half showed why the coaching staff trusted the new combination. Oregon finished with 441 total yards at an average of 7.5 yards per play, and Raiola's 336 passing yards were a career high for the Ducks' quarterback, achieved without an interception in a clean game.
Injuries forced further reshaping during the game itself. Running backs Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr. both left with injuries — Davison with what coach Dan Lanning described as a leg injury in the first half — leaving Smith, a true freshman who had entered the game with just 22 carries for 114 yards all season, to carry the second-half running game. He finished with 82 rushing yards, all four of his targets caught for 32 receiving yards, and 114 yards from scrimmage.
Raiola's performance was the centrepiece of the comeback. He completed 22 of 31 passes for 336 yards and three touchdowns, and his three scoring throws told the story of the game: the 10-yard fade to Moore just before halftime that stopped the bleeding, the 17-yard strike to Johnson that gave Oregon its first lead, and the 75-yard bomb to Moore that sealed the win.
Moore's afternoon was equally significant. His seven catches for 128 yards and two touchdowns included his first collegiate 100-yard game, and he has now caught more passes over the last two games than any other Big Ten wide receiver. For a Ducks offence searching for a reliable identity after losing its starting quarterback and its offensive coordinator in the same week, the Raiola-to-Moore connection was the answer on the day.
Chiles, meanwhile, did plenty for Northwestern. He completed 22 of 38 passes for 281 yards and a touchdown, ran for 93 yards and another score — his 10th rushing touchdown of the season — and put his team in position to win. But he threw for just 67 yards in the second half as Oregon's defence tightened, holding the Wildcats to six second-half points and 172 yards over the final two quarters.
Oregon coach Dan Lanning called the win the closest the Ducks had come to a complete performance, while cautioning that plenty still needed improvement. “I feel like that's the closest we've been to a complete performance,” Lanning said. “That being said, there's a lot of things we can still do better.”
Lanning also praised Smith's readiness for a moment he had not expected to carry. “That's all you want as a coach, is a guy that is not necessarily begging for their opportunity, but ready when their opportunity comes, and I think Brandon's been that for us throughout this year,” Lanning said. “His role will continue to grow with this team. He's obviously very capable.”
Raiola framed the comeback as a return to Oregon's identity. “We weren't gonna go down without swinging, and I think that kind of got lost a little bit,” Raiola said. “I don't think we completely lost it, but we got back to our DNA.” Lanning credited the defence for the second-half turnaround, saying the unit did “a great job of not folding down in the red area and making sure we were able to keep them out of touchdown situations and force field goals.”
For Oregon, the win keeps the Big Ten championship race mathematically alive for another week and, just as importantly, gives a new offensive leadership group a foundation to build on. Winning a game in which the Ducks trailed by 14, lost both top running backs and started a backup quarterback is the kind of result that can change a season's direction.
For Northwestern, the defeat was a missed opportunity. The Wildcats had a chance to strengthen their own Big Ten standing and instead watched a 20-6 lead disappear, falling to 6-2 overall and 3-2 in conference play. The second-half collapse — six points, 172 yards, three fourth-quarter sacks allowed — will be the focus of the week in Evanston.
The wider picture also matters. Oregon now heads to No. 2 Ohio State next Saturday, a game that will test whether this comeback was a turning point or a one-off. Northwestern, by contrast, gets a home game against Iowa, a chance to steady itself before the final stretch.
Oregon visits No. 2 Ohio State next Saturday, the toughest test remaining on the Ducks' schedule and a direct measuring stick for the Raiola-Johnson offence. The health of Davison and Hill will be closely watched during the week, as will whether Smith's expanded role becomes a permanent feature of the running game.
Northwestern hosts Iowa next Saturday, a game the Wildcats need to stop a one-game slide from becoming a slump. Chiles' dual-threat production remains the offence's engine, but the second-half fade against Oregon will demand answers from the Wildcats' coaching staff.
The first College Football Playoff rankings arrive on Tuesday evening, and while Oregon's 5-3 record is unlikely to place the Ducks near the top, the win over a ranked Northwestern team keeps their season alive in a way that a loss would have ended. The Ohio State trip will decide how seriously that claim can be taken.
Oregon beat No. 20 Northwestern 34-26 on Saturday, October 31, 2026, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon.
The Ducks trailed 20-6 in the second quarter and 20-13 at halftime, then outscored Northwestern 21-6 in the second half, with touchdowns from Jamari Johnson, Brandon Smith and Dakorien Moore in the fourth quarter.
Dylan Raiola threw for 336 yards and three touchdowns, Dakorien Moore caught seven passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns, and freshman Brandon Smith rushed for 82 yards and the go-ahead score.
Jordon Davison left in the first half with a leg injury, according to coach Dan Lanning, and Dierre Hill Jr. also did not finish the game, leaving Smith to carry the second-half running game.
Oregon visits No. 2 Ohio State next Saturday. Northwestern hosts Iowa next Saturday.
Related coverage on US News Pulse: Indiana survives Minnesota 23-16 in overtime, Michigan beats Rutgers 28-21, Georgia beats Florida 27-8.
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