No. 20 Oregon secured a 41-27 victory over No. 12 USC in Los Angeles on Saturday despite losing starting quarterback Dante Moore to a hospital trip.
Moore was carted off the field and taken by ambulance after a late hit early in the second quarter.
USC linebacker Desman Stephens II struck Moore as he attempted to slide during a scramble, slamming his head into the turf.
The blow triggered an on-field altercation between both rosters and led to Stephens' ejection for targeting.
Medical personnel transported Moore to Los Angeles General County Hospital for thorough evaluations.
Team officials confirmed he retained movement in all extremities.
Raiola Leads Second-Half Comeback
Replacement quarterback Dylan Raiola guided Oregon to outscore the Trojans 28-17 in the second half, passing for 289 yards and two touchdowns.
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning expressed intense emotion immediately following the collision.
"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."
Following the game, Lanning offered an update regarding his starting quarterback's condition.
"He's in recovery, so I'm not going to speak too soon. But he is moving," Lanning said.
"He has the ability to move. So we continue to assess him."
Addressing team focus during the game, Lanning described how his squad regained control.
"There's some breathing exercises that go on," Lanning said. "I thought our guys had unbelievable composure throughout the night."
Lanning addressed questions about potential future disciplinary actions against Stephens for the hit.
"Our guys respect the game," Lanning said.
Lanning also highlighted his program's recent dominance over their conference rival.
"3-0 against these guys," Lanning said. "I guess if you're a good football player in the area you should come to Oregon.
Or you can stay in LA and go to a Chris Brown concert."
Raiola described how the team responded to seeing their starting quarterback injured.
"Seeing him like that shook the whole team," Raiola said.
"But at the same time, we knew that it was our brother, and we were gonna fight for him."
Raiola explained the mindset required to execute the second-half comeback.
"The ultimate goal is to win," Raiola said.
"No matter how it happens, no matter, sadly, whoever goes down, the game of football doesn't feel sorry for us.
We've got to step up and we've got to keep fighting. And those guys in our locker room did just that.
...
The wolf came out, and we made sure that our prey felt what we'd been preparing for all week."
Oregon defensive player Brandon Finney Jr. emphasized how the defense maintained composure under pressure.
"It brought a team that was already connected even closer. It was all about making sure we had controlled aggression," Finney Jr. said.
Running back Dierre Hill Jr. noted that the team channeled its emotion into increased physical play on the field.
"We knew it was very dirty," Hill Jr. said. "It lit a fire in me.
We had a plan to play fast and physical when that happened it went up even more."
USC head coach Lincoln Riley confirmed Stephens returned to the sideline despite his ejection because he remains on the team roster, while offering well wishes to the injured quarterback.
