Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore has been hospitalized after suffering a late hit in the Saturday, September 26, game against the University of Southern California Trojans.
The game was stopped for several minutes on Saturday after Moore’s head slammed into the ground following a hit from USC linebacker Desman Stephens II. Moore was then taken off the field and transported to the Los Angeles General County Hospital via ambulance.
“It was a disgusting play,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said to a gaggle of reporters after the game, per ESPN. “The energy changed. A lot of guys on the sideline, they were emotional in that moment, including myself.”
A team spokesperson later gave an update on Moore’s health, sharing that he had movement in his extremities and was still being evaluated.
“He’s in recovery, so I’m not going to speak too soon, but he is moving,” Lanning said, per the outlet. “He has the ability to move. So we continue to assess him.”
While Stephens was ejected after the play as a result of the late hit, he did return to the USC sideline for the remainder of the game. USC coach Lincoln Riley explained that Stephens was allowed to come back because “he’s on our football team.”
“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.”
When Lanning was asked about USC appearing to celebrate the hit on the sideline, he denied seeing any of the players cheering in the wake of the injury.
“I didn’t see any of that, and if that’s the way somebody else was operating, that’s really disappointing,” Lanning said, per CBS Sports. “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.”
Moore was replaced on the field by backup quarterback and Nebraska transfer Dylan Raiola, who later reflected on the moment. (Oregon ultimately won the game 41-27.)
“The ultimate goal is to win,” Raiola said, according to ESPN. “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.”
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