Oregon has 3 quarterbacks who could start Saturday. Illinois has a freshman whos never started before

The Oregon Ducks will face a team on Saturday with an even less desirable quarterback situation.

Illinois (3-3, 1-2 Big Ten) quarterback Katin Houser suffered a broken hand that will sideline him for four to six weeks during a 38-37 overtime win over Michigan State on Oct. 10.

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Oregon has played its last two games without starting quarterback Dante Moore, who suffered a concussion in the second quarter of the Ducks’ 41-27 win at USC on Sept. 26.

However, while Oregon can turn to junior Dylan Raiola — a Nebraska transfer with 23 career starts — and senior Brock Thomas, Illinois is relying on freshman quarterback Michael Clayton II, who will make his first start against the Ducks.

A positive for Illinois is that Houser was injured before the team’s bye week, giving coach Bret Bielema two weeks to prepare Clayton.

“It was just good timing,” Bielema told reporters during his Monday media session.

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Illinois is off to a disappointing start after going 9-4 in 2025 and 10-3 in 2024. The defense is below average, while the passing combination of Houser and wide receiver Collin Dixon is one of the nation’s best. Dixon is tied for third nationally with nine touchdown receptions.

Now Illinois heads into Saturday’s game against a resurgent Oregon defense, trying to get Clayton up to speed.

His performance against MSU elevated expectations.

Houser left the game late in the third quarter with Illinois leading 23-10. Clayton completed 6 of 8 passes for 88 yards and two touchdowns. The final touchdown came in overtime on a 25-yard pass that put Illinois up 38-31.

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Sophomore quarterback Carson Boyd also played. He rushed once for seven yards but did not attempt a pass.

Bielema and offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. both said Boyd could play against Oregon (4-2, 2-1), but Clayton is the starter.

Usually, Bielema said, his starting quarterback gets a lot of rest during the bye week while the staff works on player development. Given Clayton and Boyd’s inexperience, both got valuable reps in practice last week.

“I think those two guys in particular took advantage of every rep,” Bielema said.

Bielema has leaned heavily on transfer quarterbacks during his six years at Illinois, including Houser. But that could change if Clayton, a former three-star recruit, earns the job.

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“I’ve said several times that hopefully the next starter comes from within our program,” Bielema said.

Lunney said Clayton will be more prepared than he has in the past given the circumstances.

“He knows he’s going to play now,” Lunney told reporters.

But so too could Boyd.

“We feel like we have another guy on campus in that room that can help us win and we’re very confident in that,” Bielema said.

Oregon coach Dan Lanning said it’s difficult to scout Clayton given his limited body of work. Oregon has watched some of his high school game film. But mostly, Oregon will focus on Illinois’ system.

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“There might be wrinkles, but very rarely do people change the identity of their offense based on a change of the position,” Lanning said. “So you prepare and then you make sure you have answers for what you think that skill set is.”

If Moore doesn’t return this week, Raiola and Thomas will compete for the starting job against Illinois.

Raiola replaced Moore at USC and thrived in the win, but following a bye, struggled for three quarters during a 17-15 loss to UCLA on Oct. 10. Thomas performed better in the fourth quarter and almost pulled out the victory.

Thomas started Saturday’s 17-14 home win over Nebraska, but struggled for three quarters before Lanning turned to Raiola. He led the Ducks from a 14-6 deficit to a win with a four-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jamari Johnson with 28 seconds remaining.

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Lanning said he’s confident in all four quarterbacks, including sophomore Akili Smith Jr., who had a play package ready for Nebraska if needed.

Illinois is most familiar with Raiola, who, as a Nebraska freshman in 2024, passed for 297 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in a 31-24 overtime loss to Illinois.

“Raiola is obviously a very accomplished player,” Bielema said. “Kind of almost unusual. You got to almost prepare for possibly three quarterbacks on Saturday. But we’ll kind of handle that during the course of the week and see where that goes.”

. . .

Oregon (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten) at Illinois (3-3, 1-2)

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• Where: Gies Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Ill.

• Latest line: Oregon by 12.5 points

• Radio: Oregon Sports Network

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