Sept. 26, 2026Up to date Sept. 27, 2026, 8:26 a.m. ET
LOS ANGELES − Dante Moore suffered a severe damage in opposition to Southern California on Saturday.
The play occurred with simply over 10 minutes within the second quarter inside Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Moore scrambled on a play and when he took a slide, USC defender Desman Stephens II hit him late with a forearm to Moore’s head, which hit the grass exhausting. A flag was thrown and Moore was not instantly shifting however his physique was twitching because the Oregon help employees rushed to take care of him.
Oregon gamers instantly obtained within the faces of USC defenders and a close to brawl broke out because the officers and coaches tried to interrupt it up. A focusing on penalty was referred to as on Stephens and offsetting unsportsmanlike conduct flags had been assessed to each groups for the scuffle after the second.
Moore stayed on the bottom for an prolonged time period and did not seem like shifting. The Oregon crew huddled collectively whereas Moore was attended to, and USC quarterback Jayden Maiava came visiting to verify on him.
After minutes of being down, Moore was put onto a stretcher and when he did, all the Oregon crew rushed to him to verify on their star participant. After he was taken off the sector, Moore was put inside a ready ambulance. Per the TV broadcast, Moore was seen shifting his fingers as he was carted off the sector.
Dante Moore damage replace: Oregon QB taken to hospital
The NBC broadcast reported Moore was shifting his palms, ft and rotated his arms whereas on the cart. He was taken to Los Angeles Basic Hospital to be evaluated.
Dan Lanning gives Dante Moore replace
Oregon coach Dan Lanning stated postgame Moore has the “skill to maneuver” after getting an replace from his employees.
“He is in restoration. I do not wish to converse too quickly, however he’s shifting, he has the power to maneuver. We’ll proceed to evaluate him, however I do not wish to make any hypothesis or additional ideas on that till we’ve got extra info on him.”
He added he doesn’t know if Moore will journey with the crew. Gamers all stated they performed for Moore.
It is a devastating damage for Oregon as Moore is among the greatest quarterbacks within the nation. He may have been a prime 5 choose within the 2026 NFL Draft, however determined to remain for the prospect to steer the Geese to their first nationwide championship on a extremely proficient roster.
The UCLA switch turned the full-time starter in 2025 and led the Geese to the School Soccer Playoff semifinal, throwing for 3,565 yards with 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions within the 13-2 marketing campaign. Moore had thrown for 849 yards with 9 touchdowns in three video games this season getting into the sport in opposition to USC.
Moore was 8-for-10 with 77 yards previous to the damage.
Lincoln Riley explains why Desman Stephens stayed on USC sideline
Stephens, who was ejected from the sport, was criticized by a number of impartial events for seemingly celebrating his hit — even after it was evident the severity of Moore’s damage. The Southern California linebacker additionally stayed on USC’s sideline because the groups got here out for the second half, prompting reporters to ask why he had not remained within the locker room.
Trojans soccer coach Lincoln Riley, talking after his crew’s loss to the Geese, supplied a pithy response: “As a result of he is on our soccer crew.”
Nebraska switch Dylan Raiola is Oregon backup QB
The brand new Oregon quarterback is a well-known face: Dylan Raiola.
The previous Nebraska quarterback transferred to Oregon within the offseason, figuring out he could be the backup to Moore. He performed two seasons with the Cornhuskers, beginning 22 video games for the offseason. His 2025 marketing campaign ended early after he suffered a season-ending damage in opposition to USC on Nov. 1, 2025.
Final season, Raiola accomplished 181-of-250 passes for two,000 yards and 18 touchdowns. His 72.4% completion share was fourth-best in FBS.
He got here up clutch for the Geese rather than Moore, throwing for 289 yards on 19-for-25 passing with two touchdowns, together with the go-ahead rating within the fourth quarter to steer Oregon previous USC 41-27.
