Dan Lanning’s update on Dante Moore didn’t come with a firm timetable, but it did bring Oregon a dose of calm after a jarring scene in Los Angeles.
Moore was carted off on a stretcher and taken to a hospital after a targeting hit against USC, and the immediate concern was bigger than the Ducks’ next depth chart move. The question was whether Oregon’s starting quarterback was all right. Lanning said the program is still working through the evaluation process, but his words were reassuring.
“Still going through the process there with him, so it's great to know that he's healthy and doing well. But still, continue to evaluate that,” Lanning said.
He also said on the Pat McAfee show just a few days after the injury, “it’s one of those situations where we got to protect a player from himself."
The timing matters here. Oregon is in its bye week, which gives Moore extra recovery time before the Ducks return to the field and begin a stretch of eight straight Big Ten regular season games. It also gives the coaching staff a chance to prepare for either version of the offense: one with Moore, and one with Dylan Raiola.
That flexibility already proved valuable against USC. Raiola entered with Oregon trailing 7-3 in the second quarter and helped steer the Ducks to a 41-27 win, finishing 19 of 25 for 289 yards and two touchdowns.
That performance only sharpened the sense that Oregon made a major portal move when it landed the former five-star quarterback. There’s a difference between simply having a backup and having someone who can walk into a road game and help you win it. Raiola did exactly that.
The Ducks’ next game is Oct. 10 against UCLA at Autzen Stadium, followed by Nebraska’s trip to Eugene on Oct. 17.
That Nebraska matchup could carry a personal twist for Raiola if Moore is still unavailable, since it would put him against the program he left to join Oregon. That scenario depends entirely on how Moore’s recovery goes.
After that, Oregon’s schedule tightens up quickly:
Oct. 24: Oregon at Illinois
Oct. 31: Oregon hosts Northwestern
Nov. 7: Oregon at Ohio State
Nov. 14: Oregon hosts Michigan
Nov. 20 (Friday): Oregon at Michigan State
Nov. 28: Oregon hosts Washington
Lanning has talked before about the value of building quarterback depth, and this situation shows why. Earlier this year, he said, “There's a formula.
And we've had a lot of guys come here and be able to execute that formula. I think it's a great learning experience for both those guys and in our league, you never know when you need another quarterback,” Lanning said.
Evan Stewart echoed the buzz around Raiola’s talent earlier this year, pointing to how familiar he already was with the quarterback’s game.
"Dylan is amazing, honestly. I trained with Dylan before he even got here, his first year in Nebraska.
Whenever I was transferring to Oregon, I was training with Dylan in Dallas, and I knew he had an arm on him, because I was throwing with Dante, too, in spring ball. So when I came back and threw with (Raiola), I was like, you know what, he kind of felt like Dante.
So pretty amazing," Stewart said.
That connection showed up on the field against USC, when Stewart caught Raiola’s first touchdown pass just one play after Moore’s injury.
For Oregon, the bigger picture is clear: the Ducks have a quarterback room built to survive the unexpected. Lanning’s “next man up” approach fits this moment perfectly, and Raiola has already shown he can do more than keep things afloat.
Moore transferred from UCLA after spending a season behind Dillon Gabriel, learned the offense, and was ready to take over in 2025, when he led Oregon to the College Football Playoff Semifinal. In 2026, he could have gone to the NFL as a projected first-round pick, but instead chose to stay in Eugene for what the source describes as “unfinished business.”
Now, as Moore moves through concussion protocol, Oregon has an experienced answer waiting if it needs one.
In Other News...
USCs Receiver Shuffle Just Put More Pressure On Trent Mosley
USCs receiver room has already been forced to keep adjusting, and the latest wrinkle puts even more attention on a young player who was starting to carve out a role. Freshman Trent Mosley had a minor knee procedure after getting hurt in the Week 2 game against Louisiana, and the expectation is that he should be back after the Trojans first bye week. For a position group that has been juggling injuries and lineup changes, losing another emerging target is hardly ideal.
Mosleys absence comes at a time when USC is trying to settle its passing-game options for the stretch ahead, and the shuffle around him only raises the importance of finding reliable production elsewhere. The Trojans have already had to work through receiver attrition and changing roles, so his return timeline matters not just for depth, but for how quickly they can get some stability back in the room. [Read more 🡒]
USC Defense Faces A Bigger Concern Entering Must-Win Washington Game
USCs defense spent part of the week doing more talking than celebrating, and that was probably fitting after another uneven stretch that has left plenty to clean up before Saturdays trip to Washington. After practice, defensive players Jahkeem Stewart, Prophet Brown and Jontez Williams took questions about recent performance and the work ahead, with the conversation centering on the basics that can disappear when a unit is under pressure: line cohesion, communication and tackling fundamentals.
The timing only adds to the urgency, because the Trojans also released an injury report that listed tight end Mark Bowman and several other players as questionable entering a game that already feels close to must-win territory. For a defense trying to steady itself, availability matters as much as execution, and USC now has to sort through both before it can worry about slowing Washington. [Read more 🡒]
Oregon Just Added To The Pressure Crushing Lincoln Riley And USC
Former USC quarterback Matt Leinart did not sugarcoat what he saw after the Trojans loss to Oregon, calling the program stuck in mud despite the kind of talent that should keep it moving forward. His criticism landed because it reflected a broader unease around USC, where the standard has always been bigger than mere competitiveness and the expectation remains that the Trojans should be beating ranked opponents, not just hanging around them.
Leinart also pointed to the frustration building among fans and alumni as Lincoln Riley tries to steady the program, saying some have already started to lose faith in the direction of the team. He went a step further by contrasting USCs current slide with the recent rise of programs such as Indiana and UCLA, a reminder that the pressure in Los Angeles is not just about one loss, but about how long the Trojans can keep explaining why those results keep piling up. [Read more 🡒]