Bear Alexander made sure his return to Los Angeles came with plenty of noise, and not just from the crowd.
The Oregon defensive tackle spent warmups inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum taking boos from USC fans, then helped the No. 15 Ducks roll past the No.
18 Trojans, 41-27, on Sept. 26.
Afterward, he went right back at his former team online.
On Instagram and X, Alexander posted a blunt message aimed at how people talk about him: "Make sure you tag WINNER at the end of that s*** when you mention me," Alexander said online, clearly taking a swipe at USC.
He kept going from there. Alexander shared 20 photos on Instagram from the win, including images tied to his own tackles, and followed that with a "strength in numbers" post featuring three smiling face emojis after Oregon knocked off its longtime West Coast rival.
The trolling wasn’t limited to social media. Oregon on SI reporter Bri Amaranthus captured Alexander throwing up the “O” hand gesture back at heckling USC fans after they reportedly directed some harsh words his way.
Once the game started, Alexander backed it up. He helped disrupt USC’s protection, including a key red zone sack that pushed the Trojans into a field goal. The veteran interior defender worked through left guard Hayden Treter, whose hip angle was compromised by Alexander’s quick first step and relentless motor before quarterback Jayden Maiava felt the pressure from his former teammate.
This wasn’t a one-game statement, either. Alexander also went after USC last season in Eugene, clogging run lanes, delivering violent knockback, and getting into Maiava’s face to force incompletions. The 2026 matchup came close to matching last year’s 42-27 Oregon win in Autzen Stadium during Big Ten play.
Alexander’s performance came with NFL eyes on him, too. The Ducks played in front of 29 different pro scouts representing 19 different franchises, including the Los Angeles Chargers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Atlanta Falcons, Jacksonville Jaguars and Las Vegas Raiders.
That group likely left impressed. Alexander’s burst and hand strength stood out again, the kind of traits that make him fit as a three-technique defender. He reset the line of scrimmage and added another strong showing against a top 15 opponent that has since dropped in the latest poll rankings.
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