Oregon Tops USC 41-27 as Dylan Raiola Steps In After Dante Moore Injury

Oregon overcame a head injury to quarterback Dante Moore to beat rival USC 41-27 at the Coliseum, with Nebraska transfer Dylan Raiola throwing two touchdown passes in relief.

The Oregon Ducks defeated the USC Trojans 41-27 on Saturday night at the Los Angeles Coliseum, beating their rival on the road in a Big Ten Saturday Night game broadcast on NBC and Peacock. Coach Dan Lanning's team extended its recent run of success in the series, a point fans raised on social media before kickoff.

The victory carried a cost. Quarterback Dante Moore left the game after a USC defender struck him in the head as he slid to give himself up, and the play became a major talking point around college football. Much of the fan reaction to the night centered on the hit and on Moore's condition.

Analyst Tom Fornelli wrote that defenders are sometimes left with no realistic way to stop before a quarterback slides, but argued this hit did not fit that description. In his view, USC's Desman Stephens was standing square to Moore with the slide already underway, then lowered himself and initiated contact anyway.

With Moore out, the game turned on backup quarterback Dylan Raiola. The Nebraska transfer threw two touchdown passes and made a series of big plays in the second half to steer Oregon to the finish. Fans rallied around him, one predicted he would lead the Ducks to a national title, and national reporter Joe Schad joked that Oregon's backup situation might beat what some NFL teams have.

Raiola had plenty of help. Jamari Johnson returned to the lineup and went over 100 yards receiving, at one point hurdling a defender on a catch, while Dierre Hill Jr. also cleared 100 yards and scored two touchdowns. In all, Oregon got touchdowns from four different players.

The decisive moment came in the fourth quarter, when Raiola launched a deep ball that Dakorien Moore pulled in for the touchdown that put Oregon in front to stay. The catch drew some of the night's most excited responses online, and the defense came up with two stops in the closing minutes to protect the lead, including a pass breakup by Brandon Finney.

Jordon Davison supplied one of the evening's biggest highlights with a long run that fan accounts celebrated, then added the clinching touchdown with 1:55 remaining to push the Oregon lead to two scores. On the other side of the ball, Bear Alexander's third-down sack stalled a USC drive that ended with a missed field goal.

The game began as a defensive struggle, with Oregon ahead just 3-0 after the first quarter, a scoreline analyst David Pollack joked about given the expectations for the two offenses. Fans also spotted Oregon's band at the Coliseum, with one observer noting the program rarely brings it on the road.

Oregon heads into a bye week. The open date comes at a helpful moment for the program with Moore coming off the head injury he suffered against the Trojans.