LOS ANGELES - The No. 15 Oregon Ducks beat the No. 18 USC Trojans, 41-27, in a rivalry game packed with big plays and emotion. The heat at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum matched the steaming intensity on the field.
The TV broadcast showed the frightening aftermath of a targeting hit on Oregon quarterback Dante Moore , which Ducks coach Dan Lanning called "a disgusting play." As his teammates gathered around him to pray, Moore raised his hand to join them. USC linebacker Desman Stephens II, who delivered the hit, was seen laughing and taunting from the sideline.
Sep 26, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning reacts as quarterback Dante Moore (5) lies on the field with an apparent injury after being tackled by USC Trojans linebacker Desman Stephens II (not pictured) during the second quarter at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Stephens II was charged with targeting on the play. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Moore was taken from the field on a stretcher and transported to a hospital. He suffered a concussion but did not suffer any additional injuries. He will go through concussion protocol and Lanning said the Ducks will "move forward with an abundance of caution." Stephens II has been suspended one game by USC.
Oregon rallied after the unsettling scene. The game started about 30 seconds after the ambulance left the field, in an abrupt transition. Backup quarterback Dylan Raiola took over and finished 19-of-25 for 289 yards and two touchdowns, helping the Ducks secure the road win.
Lanning was passionate after the game, calling out USC's attendance and making a loud-and-clear recruiting pitch.
Beyond what fans saw on the TV broadcast, here are three moments from the field that help tell the story of the game.
This weekly column will publish the day after every Ducks game. Be sure to come back each week for more.
Oregon receiver Evan Stewart has been vocal about how close he and Moore have become, on and off the field. They spend a lot of time together away from football, often going bowling. When Moore was hurt against USC, that friendship came into focus on the field... as did Stewart's leadership.
As emotions flared between the Ducks and Trojans in a scuffle, Stewart stayed beside Moore while medical staff attended to him. He remained there until Moore was taken to the ambulance and was the last Oregon teammate to leave his side.
Roughly 30 seconds after the ambulance drove off, play resumed in an abrupt transition. Stewart caught a three-yard touchdown pass from Raiola. In the end zone, both players held up five fingers for Moore's jersey number.
Stewart discussed that passionate moment after the game.
"That's our brother. We love him. (Dante Moore) makes everybody feel loved. He's a good man. And that's one of my best friends."
"My emotions were really high... I know a lot of the members on the team were looking at me... I felt some type of way. But that just made us want to do it even more. So getting that touchdown right after - that's all I was saying in the camera, 'That's for five right there. That's for five.'"
Stewart's love for his quarterback was clear. With his teammates looking to him in an emotional moment, he also stepped up as a leader.
Oregon defensive lineman Bear Alexander walked out of the Coliseum tunnel as an Oregon captain and into a flurry of boos. It was his first game there since transferring from coach Lincoln Riley's USC team to Oregon in 2024, and Trojans fans made sure he heard them.
From the field, I heard some of the harshest heckling toward Alexander that I've encountered at a college football game. During warmups, Alexander's only response that I saw was to flash the "O" hand sign to a group of especially loud fans. Once the game began, he let his play do the talking.
"We saw a leader on the sideline, a guy that was demanding the best of his teammates, a guy that was focused in the game at all moments," Lanning said of Alexander. "I thought he had good composure in moments where a lot of people under the same scrutiny, hearing those voices, wouldn't react the same."
Alexander finished with two tackles, including a sack. Oregon held USC to 2-for-11 on third down, and Lanning noted that the Trojans struggled to run inside. He said Alexander "did some great things" against his old team.
Oregon receiver Dakorien Moore and USC receiver Ethan "Boobie" Feaster were on opposite ends of what many consider to be the biggest rivalry in Texas high school football: Duncanville vs. DeSoto. Not only did the top prospects battle on the football field, they also ran on rival track teams. They've known each other for years and played on the same 7-on-7 team.
Now, Moore and Feaster are again battling each other on the west coast. But after the game ended, it was all love.
"That meant a lot," Moore said about seeing Feaster. "Of course, knowing the tension that we have between both of the teams, we kind of like put that aside... Actually like seeing your brother, that you grew up with ... We are really tight outside of football. So just putting all that to the side and between the lines, it's all ball. But outside of that, it's all love."
Moore caught three passes for 42 yards, including a 29-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter that put the Ducks ahead. He has caught a touchdown in all four games this season and now has seven in his Ducks career.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/oregon as Three Things You Didn't See On TV During Oregon's Emotional Win Over USC .
