LOS ANGELES - Oregon walked out of the Coliseum with a statement win, but the night carried a far heavier moment when Dante Moore was carted off after a frightening second-quarter injury in the Ducks’ 41-27 victory over No. 12 USC on Saturday.
With Moore gone, Dylan Raiola took over and kept Oregon moving. The 20th-ranked Ducks leaned on the two-year Nebraska starter who transferred in last January, and he responded with 289 passing yards and two touchdowns. Raiola needed just his second snap to connect with Evan Stewart on a 3-yard score, then steadied Oregon through a second half in which the Ducks piled up 270 yards and four touchdown drives.
That late surge decided it. Raiola hit Dakorien Moore for a 29-yard touchdown with 8:35 remaining to put Oregon back in front, and Jordon Davison finished it off with a 2-yard run at 2:03.
The injury that changed the game came after USC linebacker Desman Stephens hit Moore late on a slide. Stephens was ejected for targeting, and play stopped for 15 minutes while Moore, a Heisman Trophy candidate and likely high NFL draft pick, received medical attention. He left the field in an ambulance.
Oregon’s offense kept rolling even after that unsettling scene. Dierre Hill Jr. scored twice after halftime, and the Ducks finished with 504 total yards in their Big Ten opener.
USC had its chances. Jayden Maiava threw for 326 yards and two touchdowns, and the Trojans erased a 10-point second-half deficit to tie it on Tanook Hines’ touchdown catch with 12:41 left. But Oregon answered immediately, and the Ducks’ defense closed the door by stopping USC on downs at midfield with three straight incompletions.
The loss was another tough one for Lincoln Riley’s team in a marquee setting. USC fell to 4-1 and 1-1 in the Big Ten, and the Trojans have now dropped five straight to their former Pac-12 rival, with their last win over Oregon coming in 2016.
For Oregon, the result marked a much-needed rebound after a rocky opening stretch that included a narrow escape against Boise State and a loss to Oklahoma State that sent the Ducks tumbling from their preseason No. 2 spot. At 3-1 and 1-0 in the Big Ten, they’ve still never lost a Big Ten road game and haven’t dropped two games in September since 2016.
The concern now is Moore’s status. Raiola showed he can handle the moment, but Oregon’s quarterback situation will be the first thing everyone watches coming out of this one.
USC will host Washington on Saturday, Oct. 3.
In Other News...
Oregon Fans Are Livid Over Chris Simms After Dante Moore Hit
The fallout from USCs hit on Oregon quarterback Dante Moore kept spilling beyond the field, even as the game itself moved on. Desman Stephens IIs collision with Moore became one of the biggest talking points of the matchup, especially after Moore was hospitalized, and the sequence quickly turned into a broader debate about the hit and how it should be judged.
Chris Simms added fuel to that argument during a halftime segment, saying Moore appeared to slide late and left Stephens in a tough spot. That defense drew a loud reaction from Oregon fans on social media, who were already raw from seeing their quarterback go down and were quick to push back on any suggestion that the USC linebacker should be viewed more sympathetically. [Read more 🡒]
USCs Desman Stephens Decision Just Raised The Stakes For Everyone
Desman Stephens IIs night against Oregon ended with an ejection after a targeting call on quarterback Dante Moore, and the fallout kept growing after the game. Moore suffered a concussion and was hospitalized, while USC later announced Stephens will also miss the following game against Washington as part of a suspension.
The Trojans are now dealing with the broader edge of a physical game that crossed into discipline, and Oregon is left monitoring Moores recovery while Dylan Raiola has kept the offense moving in his absence. The timing adds another layer here, because Moores possible return lines up with Oregons bye week, leaving this situation hanging over both programs for the next stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Just Got A Harsh Reminder About The Polls
Week 4 delivered the kind of chaos that reshapes a poll in a hurry, with six ranked matchups producing a wave of losses by ranked teams and knocking the Coaches Poll into a new order. Ole Miss was among the teams that took a hit, while USC was part of the broader shakeup as the seasons first real cluster of elite games started separating the contenders from the teams trying to hold their place.
The top end stayed steady with Texas still No. 1, but the movement behind it was impossible to miss, with Florida climbing to No. 8 and several teams tumbling out entirely, including Louisville, Texas A&M, Washington and Oklahoma. For USC, it is a reminder that a couple of weekends like this can change the conversation fast, and that even a ranked team can find itself looking up at a tighter, less forgiving field. [Read more 🡒]