Oregon star QB Dante Moore carted off vs. USC after taking violent late hit in second quarter of Big Ten tilt

Moore took a massive hit to his head after sliding on a scramble against USC

Sep 26, 2026 at 8:40 pm ET • 1 min read

Oregon's star quarterback Dante Moore was carted off the field in the second quarter after taking a brutal late hit to the head on a slide against USC. 

Moore was scrambling for a first down and went into his slide when USC linebacker Desman Stephens II launched into his head, seemingly knocking Moore out as he went into a fencing reaction immediately after getting hit. 

Stephens was ejected for targeting upon review, and a fight broke out between the two teams as Oregon players rushed to defend their quarterback. 

Moore remained down on the field for an extended period of time as he was tended to by the athletic training staff. He was put on a backboard and eventually carted off the field. 

Moore returned to Oregon for his senior season, forgoing the opportunity to be a high first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft to try and lead the Ducks to a national title. Moore came into the season as a potential QB1 in the 2027 NFL Draft, and despite an early loss to Oklahoma State, Oregon still maintained hopes of a run to the College Football Playoff and a possible national title. 

With Moore carted off, transfer Dylan Raiola took over the Oregon offense in his place. Raiola started the last two seasons at Nebraska before transferring to Oregon this offseason.