Oregon quarterback Dante Moore was taken off the field on a stretcher in a neck brace after a heavy hit from USC linebacker Desman Stephens. The injury occurred during a slide in the second quarter of the Saturday night game.
The Heisman Trophy contender remained down before being attended to by medical personnel. The game was delayed for about 15 minutes as medical staff treated Moore before he was taken from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
USC linebacker Desman Stephens came in low and struck Moore in the head and chest with his shoulder. Moore’s head snapped backward and then hit the turf. Moore was visibly moving both hands while strapped to the stretcher as he was being loaded into the waiting ambulance. The hit led to Stephens being ejected for targeting. Players from both teams became involved in a confrontation. Officials eventually assessed unsportsmanlike conduct penalties before play resumed.
The frightening sequence unfolded in the second quarter after Moore slid to end an 11-yard run to the USC 12-yard line. Oregon later replaced him with Dylan Raiola, who threw a touchdown pass to Evan Stewart on his second snap to give the Ducks a 10-7 lead.
