Sept. 26, 2026Updated Sept. 27, 2026, 3:43 p.m. ET
LOS ANGELES − Dante Moore suffered a serious injury against Southern California on Saturday.
The play happened with just over 10 minutes in 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 hard. A flag was thrown and Moore was not immediately moving but his body was twitching as the Oregon support staff rushed to attend to him.
Oregon players immediately got in the faces of USC defenders and a near brawl broke out as the officials and coaches tried to break it up. A targeting penalty was called on Stephens and offsetting unsportsmanlike conduct flags were assessed to both teams for the scuffle after the moment.
Moore stayed on the ground for an extended period of time and didn’t appear to be moving. The Oregon team huddled together while Moore was attended to, and USC quarterback Jayden Maiava came over to check on him.
After minutes of being down, Moore was put onto a stretcher and when he did, the entire Oregon team rushed to him to check on their star player. After he was taken off the field, Moore was put inside a waiting ambulance. Per the TV broadcast, Moore was seen moving his fingers as he was carted off the field.
Dante Moore injury update: Oregon QB taken to hospital
The NBC broadcast reported Moore was moving his hands, feet and rotated his arms while on the cart. He was taken to Los Angeles General Hospital to be evaluated.
Dan Lanning provides Dante Moore update
Oregon coach Dan Lanning said postgame Moore has the “ability to move” after getting an update from his staff.
“He’s in recovery. I don’t want to speak too soon, but he is moving, he has the ability to move. We’ll continue to assess him, but I don’t want to make any speculation or further thoughts on that until we have more information on him.”
He added he does not know if Moore will travel with the team. Players all said they played for Moore.
It’s a devastating injury for Oregon as Moore is one of the best quarterbacks in the country. He could have been a top five pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but decided to stay for the chance to lead the Ducks to their first national championship on a highly talented roster.
The UCLA transfer became the full-time starter in 2025 and led the Ducks to the College Football Playoff semifinal, throwing for 3,565 yards with 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in the 13-2 campaign. Moore had thrown for 849 yards with nine touchdowns in three games this season entering the game against USC.
Moore was 8-for-10 with 77 yards prior to the injury.
Lincoln Riley explains why Desman Stephens stayed on USC sideline
Stephens, who was ejected from the game, was criticized by several neutral parties for seemingly celebrating his hit — even after it was evident the severity of Moore’s injury. The Southern California linebacker also stayed on USC’s sideline as the teams came out for the second half, prompting reporters to ask why he had not remained in the locker room.
Trojans football coach Lincoln Riley, speaking after his team’s loss to the Ducks, offered a pithy response: “Because he’s on our football team.”
Nebraska transfer Dylan Raiola is Oregon backup QB
The new Oregon quarterback is a familiar face: Dylan Raiola.
The former Nebraska quarterback transferred to Oregon in the offseason, knowing he would be the backup to Moore. He played two seasons with the Cornhuskers, starting 22 games for the offseason. His 2025 campaign ended early after he suffered a season-ending injury against USC on Nov. 1, 2025.
Last season, Raiola completed 181-of-250 passes for 2,000 yards and 18 touchdowns. His 72.4% completion percentage was fourth-best in FBS.
He came up clutch for the Ducks in place of Moore, throwing for 289 yards on 19-for-25 passing with two touchdowns, including the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter to lead Oregon past USC 41-27.
Leave a Reply