LOS ANGELES — By the time Dante Moore was placed in an ambulance and driven up the Coliseum tunnel, the star Oregon quarterback's teammates and coaches were all profoundly shaken by his injury, angry about how it happened — and incensed by Southern California linebacker Desman Stephens' celebrations of his dangerous hit.
The No. 20 Ducks harnessed that confluence of strong emotion into a 41-27 victory over the 12th-ranked Trojans on Saturday night. Yet their satisfaction in a season-correcting win was tempered by concern for Moore, along with an anger that hadn't subsided.
“It's a disgusting play,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. “You don't want to see it happen.”
Lanning didn’t give an extensive update on Moore’s condition afterward, but he said Moore “does have the ability to move.”
Moore was sliding to complete an 11-yard run to the USC 12 when Stephens came in low and hit the Ducks' Heisman Trophy candidate in the head and chest with his shoulder. Moore’s helmet snapped back and hit the turf hard, and his hands soon went up in what appeared to be an involuntary body posture.
Moore's teammates immediately went after Stephens, who either didn't know or didn't care how seriously Moore was hurt. Both teams received unsportsmanlike conduct penalties after the prolonged exchange in which coaches pulled players apart.
“There's a reason targeting exists in football,” Lanning said. “That's as clear as day targeting. It's a shame that that happened to a good player when, in my mind, that certainly could have been avoided. So it's disappointing that that would happen, but I thought our players did a great job of resetting, and on that note, they still played with great violence and energy to make sure they could take advantage of what happened to their teammate.”
Stephens went to the Trojans’ locker room, but only after he celebrated the hit on the field and then had several less-than-somber sideline exchanges with his teammates, sparking outrage on social media. Stephens, a junior starter from Clarkston, Michigan, also returned to USC's sideline in the second half.
The Ducks all said the hit and the reaction became motivation to play even harder in a game that was vital to their championship aspirations in the Big Ten and the nation.
“It probably changed (the tone) a little bit, just because we already didn’t really like them, don’t really like being here,” Oregon receiver Dakorien Moore said. “But I would say it changed a little bit, seeing the type of people they are from that. Definitely rose attention a little bit, but we was already thinking foot on their necks, so nothing really changed besides us getting more and more hyped.”
Dante Moore was placed in a neck brace and on a stretcher, which went on a cart that drove him a few dozen feet to the ambulance. Mere moments after the doors shut following a 15-minute game delay, play resumed with Dylan Raiola at quarterback for the Ducks.
Raiola, the former Nebraska starter, seized the moment with a touchdown pass on his second snap, followed by a series of sustained drives against USC's poor defense. Raiola went 19 of 25 for 289 yards and two touchdowns while leading the Ducks to 504 yards of offense — 7.4 per play.
“You don't ever want to see someone get hurt, especially with how much (Moore) means to me, how much he means to this team,” Raiola said. “But it was a moment of connection, and that's one of our pillars. We just latched on, and we knew it was going to be for him.”
Raiola's 2025 season coincidentally ended with a broken leg during the Huskers' loss to USC.
Moore returned to Oregon for the current season despite the likely possibility of being a high pick in the NFL draft last April. He announced his decision two days after Raiola transferred to Eugene from Nebraska, but Raiola stuck with his decision anyway.
The game was even early in the fourth quarter, but Raiola then led touchdown drives before and after Oregon's defense stopped USC on downs at midfield. The Ducks vigorously celebrated a win that straightens out a roller-coaster season after an embarrassing loss to Oklahoma State two weeks ago.
While Lanning complimented USC coach Lincoln Riley for asking after Moore, the Oregon coach was still fired up after the game, unleashing several verbal shots at USC.
Lanning first criticized the Trojans' fan base for what he considered subpar attendance at their first three home games.
“I've watched three of their TV games. I haven't seen a game packed yet, but we were here (and) it was packed tonight,” Lanning said. “I guess when the Ducks show up, that's how you fill up the Coliseum.”
Later, Lanning turned his third straight win over Riley in their parallel coaching careers into a recruiting pitch.
“Three wins against these guys,” Lanning said. “I guess if you’re from this area and you’re interested in winning football games, you should go to Oregon. If you want to go to a Chris Brown concert, you should go here.”
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