Oregon's Moore carted off in win over USC after taking hit to head

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore was carted off in the second quarter of Saturday night's 41-27 win over USC after taking a hit to the head while sliding on a scramble.

A scrum ensued after the play, and the referees had to separate the two teams. Trojans defensive back Desman Stephens received a targeting penalty and was disqualified from the game.

Moore stayed down for several moments while medical personnel attended to him. He was carted off on a stretcher after his helmet was removed. NBC's broadcast reported that Moore was moving his legs and fingers before being transported to Los Angeles General Medical Center.

"The energy changed when Dante got hurt. We got a lot of guys who were emotional in that moment, including myself," head coach Dan Lanning told reporters after the win, according to The Oregonian's Aaron J. Fentress.

He added, "He's in recovery so I don't want to speak too soon, but he is moving, he has the ability to move. So we'll continue to assess him, but I don't want to make any speculation or have further thoughts on that until we have more information on him."

The 21-year-old has been Oregon's starter since the start of last season and is projected to be one of the top quarterbacks in the 2027 NFL Draft. He completed 68.5% of his throws for 849 yards with nine touchdowns and zero interceptions entering Saturday's game.

Backup quarterback Dylan Raiola entered the contest once Moore exited, and the junior finished off a touchdown drive a couple plays later. Raiola and wide receiver Evan Stewart put up Moore's No. 5 after scoring the touchdown.

Raiola was outstanding filling in for Moore, completing 19 of 25 passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns. He was a five-star recruit in the 2024 class and spent the first two years of his college career as Nebraska's starter before transferring to Oregon.

He'd thrown for 4,934 yards with 34 touchdowns in 23 career games before relieving Moore against USC.