Before halftime on Saturday, USC dealt a harsh blow to Oregon by injuring their quarterback, Dante Moore, with a questionable tackle.
In the wake of the injury, the Ducks banded together in support of their teammate, igniting an impressive response in an increasingly tense game environment.
This performance might have unexpectedly thwarted USC’s aspirations for a remarkable season.
With backup quarterback Dylan Raiola taking the helm, who led an offense that proved nearly unstoppable in the latter half, No. 20 Oregon secured a decisive 41-27 victory over No. 12 USC in front of a packed crowd of 75,500 that dwindled as the game wound down.
“It’s a disappointed locker room,” said USC coach Lincoln Riley following yet another disappointing outcome during a crucial moment.
Raiola outperformed USC’s starting quarterback Jayden Maiava, orchestrating drives that resulted in 34 points over just more than a half. The Trojans’ defense faltered due to missed tackles, subpar coverage, and a poorly-timed roughing-the-passer penalty on defensive tackle Jide Abasiri.
“We had all the momentum,” Riley remarked, “but you can’t afford mistakes like that against talented teams.”
After the Trojans tied the game early in the fourth quarter—eliciting cheers from a home crowd that Riley described as the loudest he had experienced in five years—Raiola threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Dakorien Moore in the end zone over cornerback Elbert Hill IV.
Struggling to limit Oregon’s advance, the Trojans attempted a fourth down conversion near midfield on their subsequent drive. However, a pass intended for Zacharyus Williams was defended, resulting in a turnover with just over seven minutes remaining.
Riley mentioned that analytics supported the decision to go for it.
“I really believed it was the right choice,” he stated. “We had to extend the game. We knew we needed a stop anyway.”
Oregon capitalized on their own fourth down conversion near midfield, running down the clock. When Jordan Davison scored on a 2-yard run with 1:55 left, the Ducks (3-1 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) were on their way to a fifth straight victory over the Trojans (4-1, 1-1).
This game was seen as a potential turning point for Riley, offering a chance to prove himself worthy of the significant investment and patience after four disappointing seasons that fell short of the College Football Playoff.
Unfortunately, it further fueled the perception that he falls short when matched against Oregon’s Dan Lanning, who has now triumphed in all three encounters between them.
Moreover, it raised concerns about the state of Riley’s squad, particularly given a defense that surrendered 504 yards of total offense and the behavior of his players during Moore’s injury in the second quarter.
Moore was attempting to evade pressure and was running past the USC 15-yard line when he tried to execute a slide. He was met with a hard forearm to the head from Trojans linebacker Desman Stephens II, resulting in a chaotic scene.
As Moore lay on the field and multiple flags were thrown, both teams engaged in a heated confrontation that necessitated intervention from assistant coaches. Additionally, Stephens was seen celebrating with teammates on the sidelines.
“It’s a terrible play,” Lanning stated. “You never want to witness that.”
Riley, noting that he didn’t observe Stephens celebrating, allowed him to remain on the sidelines for the second half, despite his ejection for targeting.
Following the fracas after Stephens’ hit, both teams were assessed offsetting unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.
After an extended delay, Moore was placed on a stretcher and transported off the field to an ambulance as the crowd looked on in distress. Lanning revealed later that Moore had regained movement.
“I hope Dante is OK,” said Riley. “You never want to see anyone injured, no matter how fierce the competition is.”
Maiava took a moment to check on Moore while medical staff tended to him, expressing, “You really hate to see it.”
Moore’s injury opened the door for Raiola—who had faced a similar injury last season against USC—to take over. Raiola’s debut pass Saturday resulted in a 3-yard touchdown, pushing the Ducks ahead 10-7.
He concluded the game with 19 completions on 25 attempts, totaling 289 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, Maiava recorded 23 completions out of 42 attempts for 326 yards, including two touchdowns and an interception right before the game ended.
With significant challenges ahead against teams like Penn State, Ohio State, Indiana, and a resurgent UCLA, this loss left the Trojans with limited room for error moving forward.
Riley noted that his team needed to improve in critical moments. When asked how they would accomplish that, he replied, “I’m going to move on from this, get up early, and dive back into work. We’ll keep pushing forward.”
As the Coliseum hushed, the chant that echoed in the dying moments seemed to encapsulate the sentiments in the air: “Let’s go Ducks!”
