USC's Desman Stephens faces dismissal calls after hit on Oregon's Dante Moore

A Yahoo Sports column argues USC should dismiss Desman Stephens after his hit sent Oregon quarterback Dante Moore to the hospital during the Ducks' 41-27 win.

Oregon defeated USC 41-27 on Saturday, but the score has been overshadowed by a single play. USC's Desman Stephens delivered a hit on Ducks quarterback Dante Moore as Moore slid, and Moore was taken off the field on a cart. According to a Yahoo Sports column published after the game, Moore was eventually taken to a local hospital.

The column describes Stephens' response to the hit as the most troubling part of the incident. The piece states that he taunted Oregon, accepted handshakes from other players and was seen smiling, showing no visible remorse while another athlete was being taken from the field. The writer calls that behavior unacceptable by any measure.

On the hit itself, the columnist concedes reasonable people can disagree, acknowledging that some will argue Moore's slide came too late. In the writer's view, Stephens could have pulled up and, at minimum, avoided driving his shoulder into Moore's helmet. The reaction that followed, by contrast, is presented as beyond debate.

The column's central demand is that Stephens never play another down for USC and be removed from the program entirely. If he stays, the piece argues, he should at least be kept out of the starting lineup for the next few games and suspended for no fewer than five. It also raises the possibility that the Big Ten could impose discipline of its own.

Much of the criticism is aimed at head coach Lincoln Riley. The piece argues the incident reflects a broader absence of accountability at USC, where penalties and self-inflicted mistakes have repeatedly held the team back despite Riley's stated desire to clean things up. The writer adds that the roster is not a dirty group as a whole, but that one player losing all sense of boundaries reflects on the program's leadership.

Stephens is identified as one of the Trojans' key rotational defenders. The column notes he struggled during the 2025 season and argues that this year's coaching staff has been no more able to reach him than the previous staff was. The writer presents that pattern as evidence of a deeper problem within the program.

The columnist also assessed the opponent. In past meetings, the piece says, Dan Lanning's Oregon teams beat Riley's USC squads because the Ducks simply had better players and more to work with. This season's Oregon team is described as weaker on defense and along the offensive line than in previous matchups and, despite the result, not close to elite.

Oregon contributed its own mistakes on Saturday, including holding penalties, pass interference and false starts, the column notes. Even so, the piece argues, USC repeatedly let the Ducks off the hook with breakdowns at critical moments. The writer connects both the defeat and the Stephens incident to USC's failure to establish itself among the Big Ten's leading programs.

The column closes by questioning whether Riley will impose meaningful discipline himself. It notes that athletic director Jennifer Cohen could step in if the head coach does not act, though the writer argues it would reflect poorly on Riley if someone else handled what should be his decision. No disciplinary ruling from USC, the Big Ten or Cohen is described in the piece.