Oregon quarterback Dante Moore has movement in all his extremities and is recovering at Los Angeles General Medical Center after suffering a head injury on a hit by USC linebacker Desman Stephens II during the second quarter of the Ducks’ 41-27 victory at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 26, 2026.
Targeting Penalty and Disqualification of Desman Stephens II
The rivalry matchup between No. 20 Oregon and No. 12 USC took a severe turn early in the second quarter when Moore scrambled past the marker and slid to the ground. USC defensive back Desman Stephens II lowered his shoulder and delivered a forearm hit directly to Moore’s head and neck area, drawing an immediate flag for targeting and a disqualification from the game.
The injured quarterback was ultimately stabilized, strapped to a backboard and stretcher, and loaded into an ambulance that drove out of the tunnel at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Moore was placed into it. He was transported to Los Angeles General Medical Center.
Criticism is currently directed at USC linebacker Desman Stephens II over what looked like jubilation following a dangerous and unsportsmanlike collision that caused serious harm to Dante Moore. During the opening stages of Saturday’s Big Ten matchup, Moore took off scrambling inside the Trojans’ half of the field and began to slide, at which point Stephens struck him directly in the helmet with his forearm. Moore’s head bounced off the turf, leaving him motionless for a few moments as medical staff and fellow players hurried to his aid. In the interim, members of the Oregon squad went to confront Stephens, and once the brief scuffle subsided, the linebacker was still spotted celebrating the late tackle on his walk back to the bench. While medical personnel attended to Moore during the alarming incident at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the NBC broadcast captured Stephens grinning and exchanging high-fives with teammates. He was assessed a target penalty and disqualified from the game.
Lincoln Riley stated that he failed to notice Desman Stephens II celebrating after his collision with Dante Moore appeared to inflict serious harm on the Oregon signal-caller during the second quarter of USC’s 41-27 defeat against the Ducks on Saturday at the Coliseum. I did not see it. No,
Riley said. Riley missed the linebacker cheering while Moore rested flat on his back, with Stephens displaying joy as virtually everyone else inside the stadium held their breath upon observing Moore display a fencing response — an involuntary physical reaction to a brain trauma, as is widely understood. Riley did not witness his team member taunting the Oregon sideline as the Ducks watched their colleague lie flat out at the USC 12-yard line. He did not think to correct or instruct Stephens because he remained unaware of how the junior player’s deportment inflamed the altercation between the two squads. A photo shows USC linebacker Desman Stephens II reacting with a shrug subsequent to delivering a late tackle to Oregon quarterback Dante Moore that required transporting Moore to the hospital from the Coliseum on Saturday.
A contest that appeared to carry immense significance for both institutions shifted dramatically in the fraction of a second. With 10:06 left on the clock in the second period, facing a second-and-9 situation from the USC 23-yard line, Oregon quarterback Dante Moore bolted forward past the line to gain before dropping into a slide to yield. While he was going down and unable to defend himself, Trojans defensive back Desman Stephens dropped his shoulder and delivered an impact to Moore’s head and neck region. Moore stayed down on the turf for more than 10 minutes and departed the venue ultimately after being moved from a backboard stretcher into an ambulance. After the hit, Oregon’s players pushed Stephens around in protection of their quarterback. Even after the gravity of the moment settled and the severity of Moore’s injury was understood, Stephens was seen celebrating the hit, and later shaking teammates’ hands.
The intense animosity between Oregon and USC intensified even further. As Ducks quarterback Dante Moore advanced past the USC 15-yard line during Saturday’s second quarter, he attempted to surrender the play by sliding to the turf. Nonetheless, he absorbed a forearm blow to the head delivered by Trojans linebacker Desman Stephens II, which ignited a tumultuous scene upon the Coliseum turf. While Moore remained completely still on the ground, intense verbal sparring and shoving broke out among the opposing players on the field, requiring assistant coaches to step directly into the middle of the heated confrontation. Making matters worse, Stephens was seen gloating after the play on the sideline with his teammates.
Dan Lanning Confirms Movement and Hospital Recovery
Oregon coach Dan Lanning confirmed after the game that Moore was able to move. He's in recovery, so I don't want to speak too soon, but he's moving; he has the ability to move,
Lanning stated.
Backup quarterback Dylan Raiola, a two-year starter at Nebraska, is in at quarterback for the Ducks. Oregon intercepts USC. That’ll do it. Koi Perich picks off Jayden Maiava with four seconds left to seal a Ducks victory.
Oregon Capitalizes on Stopping USC’s Offense
Oregon scores, closing in on win. That may be the dagger. The Ducks built upon their stop of the USC offense by putting more points on the board, bringing the score to 41-27 with a remaining time of 2:03 in the contest. Dierre Hill Jr. punches it in with some help from the offensive line from two yards away. Keeping their offense on the pitch for a fourth-down try positioned at the USC 38-yard line, the Ducks successfully moved the chains to maintain possession and burn valuable time off the clock prior to the score.
USC Stopped on Fourth Down by Brandon Finney
USC stopped on fourth down. Oregon gets a massive stop, as USC is unable to convert a fourth down attempt just near midfield. Facing a fourth-and-7 situation, Jayden Maiava attempted to scramble and pass the pigskin to Zacharyus Williams, but Brandon Finney of Oregon batted the pass away to cause a turnover on downs.