Up 10-0 in Champaign. Then nothing.
Illinois 21, Oregon 10: Oregon led 10-0 with 2:29 left in the first half, gave up a 75-yard touchdown run 14 seconds later, and never scored again. Oregon outgained Illinois 426 to 314 and lost by 11.
Horrible loss, and there is no other way to say it. Oregon went 75 yards on the opening drive, led 10-0 late in the first half, and then watched Aidan Laughery run 75 yards untouched one snap after the field goal. From that point Illinois scored 21 straight and Oregon put up zero, with Gage Hurych missing from 52, 53 and 47 and the offense going 4 of 15 on third down. Dylan Raiola made his first start since UCLA and threw it 41 times for 246 yards with no touchdowns and no turnovers through the air; the running backs averaged more than six yards a carry. None of it turned into points. Our opinion: 426 yards and 10 points is a coaching result, not a talent result. Oregon agreed: on Sunday morning it relieved offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer of his duties (Oregon Athletics, Oct 25, 2026). Oregon is 4-3 and 2-2 in the Big Ten, its first three-loss October since the seven-game 2020 season. Northwestern comes to Autzen on Halloween.
The play: Second quarter, 2:15 left, Oregon up 10-0 and 14 seconds removed from Gage Hurych's 20-yard field goal. On Illinois's first snap after the kickoff, out of the no-huddle shotgun, Aidan Laughery took a handoff right and went 75 yards for the touchdown (ESPN play-by-play). Oregon never led by more than three again, and after halftime it never led at all.
How it got away
The first drive was the game Oregon wanted. Eleven plays, 75 yards, 3:43, Dierre Hill Jr. and Jordon Davison running it and Raiola finding Dakorien Moore and Jamari Johnson, and Davison walked in from the 2 for 7-0 (Oregon Athletics official box score and drive chart).
Then five straight drives produced one first down. Two three-and-outs, a sack by Ean Rhea on which Raiola fumbled at his own 30 with 13 seconds left in the first quarter, and after Teitum Tuioti answered on the very next snap, sacking Michael Clayton II for 16 yards and forcing a fumble Matayo Uiagalelei recovered, a seven-play drive that ended with Hurych wide from 52.
Oregon did put together one more real drive before halftime: 89 yards in nine plays from its own 9, Davison for 32 along the way, to first and goal at the Illinois 2. Three plays later it was fourth and goal, and Hurych kicked the 20-yarder for 10-0 with 2:29 left (ESPN play-by-play). Fourteen seconds later Laughery was in the end zone from 75 yards out. Oregon went into the half up three, having outgained Illinois 227 to 128 on the drive chart, and it felt like it had already given the game away.
The second half
Illinois took the second-half kickoff 70 yards in nine plays and 5:38, Clayton II to Christian Abney from the 9 for 14-10 (Oregon Athletics scoring summary). Oregon answered with a three-and-out and an eight-play, 37-yard drive from its own 9 that ended in a punt.
The drive that decided it came with Oregon down four and 9:41 left. Starting at its own 19, Oregon converted a fourth and 1 (Davison for 3) and a fourth and 2 (Raiola to Hudson Lewis for 6), reached the Illinois 33, and then went incomplete on third and 7. Lanning sent Hurych out from 53. No good, with 6:04 left (ESPN play-by-play).
Illinois went 66 yards in six plays from the spot of the miss, Clayton II to Collin Dixon for 23 and the touchdown with 2:29 left, upheld on review: 21-10. Oregon's last two possessions covered 98 yards and produced a delay-of-game penalty, a 47-yard miss with 52 seconds left, and a 36-yard completion to Lewis to the Illinois 13 as the clock ran out.
The offense
Here is the line that will be argued about all week: 426 total yards, 21 first downs, 5.8 yards a play, 10 points (Oregon Athletics official box score).
Raiola started, played every snap and went 27 of 41 for 246 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions, two sacks. Jamari Johnson caught 7 for 69, Dakorien Moore 9 for 70, freshman Hudson Lewis 5 for 68 with the longest play of the day. With Evan Stewart, Jeremiah McClellan, Jalen Lott and Messiah Hampton all OUT on the game-day report, Gatlin Bair started at receiver and did not catch a pass.
The run game worked: Davison 14 carries for 92 and the touchdown, Hill 13 for 83, a team average of 5.6. And Oregon still went 4 of 15 on third down, had a drive end at the Illinois 2 with a field goal, and twice reached the Illinois 33 in the fourth quarter without scoring.
Our opinion, and we are not alone in it: this is week eight, and the offense that was supposed to be the identity of this program is averaging 10 points a game over its last two games against two unranked Big Ten defenses. Drew Mehringer called the plays. The line has started six different groups in seven games. Those are coaching problems, and Lanning said as much after the game: "We've got to evaluate exactly who we are" (as posted by GoDucks.com's Rob Moseley and reported by ClutchPoints, Oct 24, 2026).
Sunday, Oct 25: Oregon relieved Mehringer of his duties the next morning. Lanning's statement said “a new direction is necessary to move our offense forward” (Oregon Athletics release, Oct 25, 2026). On Oct 26 Lanning named Jay Johnson to lead the play-calling against Northwestern (Ducks Wire, Oct 26, 2026).
The kicks
Gage Hurych made the 20-yarder and missed from 52, 53 and 47. A week earlier he was 3 for 3 against Nebraska, from 36, 36 and 37 (Oregon Athletics box scores, Oct 17 and Oct 24). The 52 and 53 were long attempts on drives that had stalled; the 47 with 52 seconds left was the one that would have made it a one-score game. None of them went in. We are not going to pile on a kicker who won a game seven days ago, but the decision to kick from 53 on fourth and 7 with six minutes left, down four, is one we would make differently.
The defense
Illinois ran for 225 yards on 39 carries, and 75 of them came on one play (Oregon Athletics official box score). Take that snap away and it is 150 yards at 3.9 a carry, which is the kind of day a defense can win with. Teitum Tuioti had 2.5 sacks for 25 yards and the forced fumble that Matayo Uiagalelei recovered. Devon Jackson led Oregon with 8 tackles; Tuioti had 8 as well. Bear Alexander and Koi Perich had 6 each.
But the defense also gave up a 70-yard touchdown drive to open the second half and a 66-yard touchdown drive in six plays when the game was there to be won, both to a quarterback making his first college start. Michael Clayton II finished 11 of 18 for 84 yards and two touchdowns; Illinois threw for 89 yards all day and won by 11.
Studs
Jordon Davison: 14 carries, 92 yards, the touchdown, two fourth-down conversions in the fourth quarter.
Dierre Hill Jr.: 13 carries, 83 yards, a 41-yarder, and 3 catches.
Teitum Tuioti: 2.5 sacks, 8 tackles, the forced fumble.
Jamari Johnson: 7 catches for 69 yards, including 16 and 22 to start the last field-goal drive.
Hudson Lewis: a freshman, 5 catches for 68 yards, the fourth-down conversion and the 36-yard catch on the final play.
Dakorien Moore: 9 catches for 70 yards, a 25-yarder, and a 13-yard punt return.
Devon Jackson: 8 tackles, the team high alongside Tuioti.
Bailey Ettridge: 5 punts, 45.6 average, 3 inside the 20.
What it means
Oregon is 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the Big Ten, which is also exactly where Illinois sits. It is the program's first three-loss start through seven games since 2020, and the Ohio State game on Nov 7 is still ahead (this site's season archive; game log).
Next is Northwestern at Autzen on Halloween, with Chip Kelly calling the plays against the stadium he built. Lanning has never lost two in a row at Oregon. That streak is the only one worth caring about this week.
Our call, graded
We said Oregon 34, Illinois 13, a preseason number we kept visible with low confidence after Friday's availability report. Wrong winner, and 32 points off on the margin. Our worst miss of the season, by a lot.
By the numbers
| Stat | Oregon | Illinois |
|---|---|---|
| Final | 10 | 21 |
| Total yards | 426 | 314 |
| Rushing yards | 180 | 225 |
| Passing yards | 246 | 89 |
| Third down | 4 of 15 | 8 of 16 |
| Fourth down | 2 of 2 | 0 of 0 |
| Field goals | 1 of 4 | 0 of 0 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Penalties | 5-30 | 5-32 |
| Possession | 29:15 | 30:45 |
The takeaway: Oregon outgained Illinois 426 to 314 and scored 10 points. Three missed field goals, a sack-fumble at its own 30, two drives that died inside the Illinois 35 in the fourth quarter, and 4 of 15 on third down (Oregon Athletics official box score). Illinois needed 58 plays for its 21.
How it was scored
- Oregon 7-0, Jordon Davison 2-yard run, the end of an 11-play, 75-yard opening drive (1Q 11:17)
- Oregon 10-0, Gage Hurych 20-yard field goal, after a 9-play, 89-yard drive stalled at the Illinois 2 (2Q 2:29)
- Oregon 10-7, Aidan Laughery 75-yard run on Illinois's first snap after the field goal (2Q 2:15)
- Illinois 14-10, Michael Clayton II 9-yard pass to Christian Abney, the end of a 9-play, 70-yard drive to open the second half (3Q 9:22)
- Illinois 21-10, Clayton II 23-yard pass to Collin Dixon, upheld on replay review, six plays after Hurych's 53-yard miss (4Q 2:29)
- Dan Lanning has never lost two games in a row at Oregon: all eleven of his losses since 2022 so far were followed by a win (this site's game-by-game archive). Northwestern on Oct 31 is the next test of that.
- At 4-3, this is Oregon's first three-loss start through seven games since the seven-game 2020 season, which finished 4-3 (this site's season archive).
- Gage Hurych went 1 for 4 on field goals, a week after going 3 for 3 against Nebraska (Oregon Athletics box scores, Oct 17 and Oct 24).
- Oregon was 2 of 2 on fourth down and 4 of 15 on third down. Illinois was 8 of 16 on third down (Oregon Athletics official box score).
- Oregon started its sixth different offensive line combination in seven games; freshman Tommy Tofi made his first career start, at left guard (Logan Brown, Ducks Wire, Oct 24, 2026).
Sources (12)
Pregame analysis, written before kickoff
We do enough good things that you think we can win games, but we do enough things that negatively take us out of victory.Bret Bielema
What we said before kickoff Matchups, the Illinois scouting report and the players we were watching, left up as written.
Key Matchups
Illinois in 2026
Oregon lost 21-10 at Illinois on Oct 24. This scouting was written before kickoff, when Illinois was 3-3 overall and 1-2 in the Big Ten: 42-23 over UAB (Sept 3), a 31-27 home loss to Duke (Sept 12), 48-10 over Southern Illinois (Sept 19), 42-19 at No. 7 Ohio State (Sept 26) and a 24-17 home loss to Purdue (Oct 3), which took back the Cannon and ended a 19-game Big Ten losing streak, per the AP, and a 38-37 overtime win at Michigan State (Oct 10), sealed when it stopped a two-point try (AP). The biggest change happened off the field: Illinois and defensive coordinator Bobby Hauck parted ways on Sept 27 after four games. Against Purdue, with Bret Bielema saying the staff had "really shrunk our menu down," the defense held Purdue to 2.7 yards a carry, but it had three sacks all season through Oct 3. This time it was the offense that stalled: 17 points, a missed 32-yard field goal and a failed fourth down at the Purdue 17. It also lost Ca'Lil Valentine, the back with the most carries on the team, to a leg injury Bielema said will end his season. Through Oct 3 Illinois scored 30.6 points and gained 404.8 yards a game, allowed 26.0 points and 381.8 yards, and had not lost a fumble. The honest caveat: Purdue is one game of film on the new defensive setup, and one game is not a trend. Our read going in: Illinois was better than its record, and it let two winnable home games get away. The bigger question going in was the quarterback: Katin Houser broke a bone in his left hand at Michigan State, Bret Bielema said he will be "out for obviously a considerable amount of time," and Illinois had its open week on Oct 17 before Oregon arrived on Oct 24 (AP, Oct 10, 2026). On Oct 14 Bielema said Houser will miss four to six weeks after a procedure on his throwing hand (ESPN, Adam Rittenberg, Oct 14, 2026). Sources: ESPN box scores and team statistics (through Oct 3, 2026; Michigan State box score Oct 10, 2026); AP game recap via ESPN (Oct 10, 2026); AP game recap via ESPN (Oct 3, 2026); ESPN, Adam Rittenberg (Sept 27, 2026); University of Illinois Athletics recap and postgame quotes (Oct 3, 2026).
Illinois Snapshot
Head Coach: Bret Bielema
All-time series: 3-2 (Oregon leads) Winsipedia
By the Numbers, so far in 2026
Oregon: 7 games in 2026. Illinois: 7 games in 2026, per ESPN (through 2026-10-28).
What We Were Watching For
Written before kickoff. Left up as-is.
Ducks vs Them: Illinois
Watch the highlights, the pressers and the rest of Game 7 (12) →
The Call, graded: our Oregon vs Illinois score prediction
4 for 7 on winners, 23.3 points off a game.We got this one wrong. Illinois won it, and we had Oregon by 21.
How did you call it?
Pre-game analysis written before the game was played. Coach: Bret Bielema.
Frequently Asked Questions
Oregon lost to Illinois 21-10 on Saturday, Oct 24, 2026 at Gies Memorial Stadium, Champaign. Oregon is 4-3.
Illinois won, 21-10. Oregon led 10-0 with 2:29 left in the first half, gave up a 75-yard touchdown run 14 seconds later, missed three field goals, from 52, 53 and 47 yards, and lost 21-10 (Oregon Athletics official box score).
Second quarter, 2:15 left, Oregon up 10-0 and 14 seconds removed from Gage Hurych's 20-yard field goal.
Illinois won 21-10 at Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign on Oct 24, 2026. Oregon led 10-0 with 2:29 left in the first half; Illinois scored the last 21 points, starting with Aidan Laughery's 75-yard touchdown run 14 seconds after Oregon's field goal (Oregon Athletics official box score).
Dylan Raiola started and played the whole game: 27 of 41 for 246 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions. Brock Thomas did not play. Dante Moore was OUT on all four of Oregon's Big Ten availability reports for the game, including the game-day report (Oregon Athletics official box score and participation list; Big Ten availability reports, Oct 21-24, 2026).
Oregon outgained Illinois 426 to 314 and scored 10 points. Gage Hurych missed field goals from 52, 53 and 47, Oregon went 4 of 15 on third down, lost a fumble on a sack at its own 30, and had a 9-play, 89-yard drive end with a field goal at the Illinois 2. Illinois scored on a 75-yard run and two touchdown passes from Michael Clayton II (Oregon Athletics official box score; ESPN play-by-play).
Yes. Oregon announced on Sunday, Oct 25, 2026 that offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer had been relieved of his duties, the day after the 21-10 loss at Illinois. Dan Lanning’s statement said “a new direction is necessary to move our offense forward.” (Oregon Athletics release, Oct 25, 2026). On Oct 26 Lanning named Jay Johnson, the first-year quarterbacks assistant, to lead the play-calling against Northwestern, “still a collaborative effort” (ESPN and Ducks Wire, Oct 26, 2026).
Three. Gage Hurych made a 20-yarder in the second quarter and missed from 52 (second quarter), 53 (fourth quarter, 6:04 left) and 47 (fourth quarter, 52 seconds left) (Oregon Athletics official box score).
Oregon fell to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in the Big Ten with the 21-10 loss on Oct 24, 2026. Illinois moved to 4-3 and 2-2 (Oregon Athletics official box score).
Northwestern, at Autzen Stadium on Saturday, Oct 31, 2026. The Northwestern preview has kickoff and TV as they are announced.
Oregon plays Northwestern on Oct 31, 2026 at 12:30 PM PT on Peacock.
Illinois beat Oregon 21-10 on Oct 24. Before that game it beat UAB and Southern Illinois, lost at home to Duke 31-27 and Purdue 24-17, lost at No. 7 Ohio State 42-19 while gaining 462 yards, then won 38-37 in overtime at Michigan State on Oct 10. Through Oct 3 it scored 30.6 points a game and allowed 26.0 (ESPN team stats, through Oct 3, 2026).
Katin Houser, a fifth-year transfer from East Carolina. Through five games he completed 102 of 155 passes for 1,246 yards, 11 touchdowns and three interceptions (ESPN box scores, through Oct 3, 2026). He broke a bone in his left hand at Michigan State on Oct 10, and Bret Bielema said he will be "out for obviously a considerable amount of time" (AP, Oct 10, 2026). On Oct 14 Bielema said Houser will miss four to six weeks after a procedure on that hand (ESPN, Oct 14, 2026). Michael Clayton II, a freshman from Orlando, finished the Michigan State game 6 of 8 for 88 yards and two touchdowns (ESPN box score, Oct 10, 2026). Clayton is set to make his first start against Oregon (Champaign News-Gazette, Oct 20, 2026).
September 25, 1993, when Oregon won 13-7 in Champaign. The only other Oregon game in Champaign was a 20-16 Illinois win in 1970. Oregon leads the all-time series 3-2 in 5 meetings (Winsipedia).
Oregon beat Illinois 38-9 on October 26, 2024, at Autzen Stadium.
Bret Bielema, who took over in 2021. Illinois beat Tennessee 30-28 in its bowl game on Dec 30, 2025.
Oregon leads the all-time series 3-2 in 5 meetings. Oregon has won the last three meetings (1993, 1995 and 2024). The only Illinois win was 20-16 in 1970. Series record per GoDucks.com (April 2026).
Three missed field goals, 4 of 15 on third down, 426 yards. What do you fix first?
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