Dante Moore injury: What we know on Oregon QB's condition after he was carted off the field Saturday night

The star QB and top NFL Draft prospect was subjected to a violent late hit in the Ducks' win over USC

Sep 27, 2026 at 9:52 am ET • 2 min read

Oregon quarterback Dante Moore has movement in his extremities after he took a terrifying late hit during Saturday night's 41-27 win over USC, which led to the ejection of Trojans linebacker Desman Stephens II. Moore was carted off the field early in the second quarter and taken to a local hospital.

Moore was transported to Los Angeles General Medical Center and both teams were assessed personal fouls for the post-hit melee after Stephens celebrated the hit.

"He's in recovery, so I don't want to speak too soon, but he's moving; he has the ability to move," Oregon coach Dan Lanning said after the game. "So, we'll continue to assess him, but I don't want to speak too soon, but he's moving."

Lanning upset 

Oregon's coach said he tried to settle his team down after the Moore ordeal and led a team prayer on the sideline, asking his group to keep their composure in the wake of the injury.

"It's a disgusting play," Lanning said. "We don't want to see it happen. It's disappointing that it happened. I'm praying that our player's healthy, and I'm praying that their player can learn from that situation.

"There's a reason targeting exists in football, and it's as clear as day targeting. It's a shame that that happened to a good player when, in my mind, that certainly could have been avoided."

Several Oregon players called the hit "dirty" and felt Stephens did it on purpose.

Stephens' Instagram page was immediately hit with hate messages from fans after the hit, leading to the account going private following the game. He was not made available to the media after USC's loss.

As of Sunday morning, Stephens' "X" account remains public.

USC coach Lincoln Riley opened his post-game comments by reflecting on the play.

"Never want to see that with any opponent, no matter how competitive the game is," Riley said. "These are all people at the end of the day on both sides. So, wish him a speedy recovery."

Riley faced questions about Stephens' presence on the USC sideline after his ejection. 

"Why (was he out there)?" Riley responded. "Because he's on our football team."

Lanning was asked about USC appearing to celebrate the hit on its sideline.

"I didn't see any of that, and if that's the way somebody else was operating, that's really disappointing," Lanning said. "In that moment, for me, I challenge myself to focus on the moment and things I can control. We try to have a singular focus. Our guys respect the game. I don't think that's necessarily an indictment on coach Riley, because I can't speak to what I didn't see it.