Oregon quarterback Dante Moore was carted off the field following a late hit by Southern California linebacker Desman Stephens II in first half of the No. 20 Ducks’ 41-27 victory over the No. 12 Trojans on Saturday night in Los Angeles.
Moore was placed on a stretcher and taken directly into an ambulance. He was able to move his fingers and feet and rotate his arms, and was taken to Los Angeles General Medical Center, per the NBC broadcast. An Oregon spokesperson later said that Moore had movement in all of his extremities and was being evaluated.
“He’s in recovery, so I’m not going to speak too soon. But he is moving,” Ducks head coach Dan Lanning said after the game. “He has the ability to move. So we continue to assess him.”
During the play with 10:06 remaining in the second quarter, the senior quarterback took off on a scramble. When attempting to slide, he was hit in the head by Stephens, who was called for targeting and disqualified from the game.
“It was a disgusting play,” Lanning said. “The energy changed. A lot of guys on the sideline, they were emotional in that moment, including myself.”
Fights broke out between players at midfield while Moore lay on the ground, and both teams were penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Backup quarterback Dylan Raiola, who transferred from Nebraska, took over in his place. Moore was 8-of-10 passing for 77 yards, and Raiola was 19 of 25 for 289 yards and two touchdown passes.
Moore was an All-Big Ten third-team selection last season, throwing for 3,565 yards, 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions as the team went 13-2.
This season, he was off to a strong start with 849 passing yards and nine passing touchdowns in three games.
Moore spent his freshman season at UCLA in 2023 and played in nine games before transferring to Oregon for the 2024 season.
–Field Level Media
