Oregon's Dante Moore Is Moving, in Recovery, Dan Lanning Says After USC Win

Dante Moore left Oregon's 41-27 win over USC on a stretcher after a late hit, but coach Dan Lanning said the quarterback is moving and indications point to recovery.

No. 20 Oregon defeated No. 12 USC 41-27 on Saturday night, running its record to 3-1 in a matchup of ranked teams. The win was quickly overshadowed by an injury to starting quarterback Dante Moore, who left the game with a head and neck issue and became the central story of the night.

Moore was hurt on a late strike from a USC defensive back, who hit the quarterback after he had already begun his slide to the turf. Moore left the field on a stretcher, and an ambulance then transported him to a nearby hospital for further evaluation.

Encouraging news arrived before the final whistle. An update that surfaced during the game indicated Moore was able to move his limbs, an early positive sign after the impact.

Head coach Dan Lanning addressed the situation in his postgame remarks to reporters. "Right now indications are that he's in recovery," Lanning said. "I don't want to speak too soon, but he is moving, he has the ability to move, so we'll continue to assess him." He added that he would not speculate further until Oregon had more information about Moore's condition.

The moment also took an emotional toll on the sideline. "Certainly the energy changed whenever Dante got hurt," Lanning said. "We had a lot of guys on the sideline that were emotional in that moment, including myself."

Once Moore exited, the offense was turned over to backup Dylan Raiola, who delivered in relief. Raiola completed 19 of 25 passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns without committing a turnover, and he compiled those numbers in what amounted to a bit more than half the game.

Raiola's readiness grew out of a deliberate choice. After spending each of the past two seasons at Nebraska, he transferred to Oregon even though there was a good chance Moore would return for another season and he would begin as the No. 2 quarterback. He accepted that role anyway, with the plan of learning the system and taking the starting job in 2027.

The victory lifted Oregon to 3-1 on the season. It came against the No. 12 team in the country and was secured after the Ducks lost their starting quarterback during the contest.

Moore's condition now stands as the biggest question facing the program. Lanning said evaluations would continue, no timeline has been established, and he declined to look beyond the early indications until the team receives additional information.