Watch: Oregon QB Dante Moore’s head smashes hard onto turf after a late hit, carted off the field in a viral video; check injury update

Dante Moore, Oregon quarterback, was carted off the field on Saturday (September 26, 2026) after he suffered a serious injury during the game against Southern California inside Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Moore was hit roughly by Southern California linebacker Desman Stephens during a slide in the second quarter.

The incident occurred just 10 minutes into the second quarter when Moore was sliding to complete an 11-yard run to the USC 12 when Stephens came in low and hit him in the head and chest with his shoulder. The hit resulted in his ejection, triggering chaos on the field while Moore was receiving immediate medical attention.

Here’s what happened

As Moore scrambled on a play, he took a slide and was hit late with a rough forearm to the head by the Southern California linebacker. Moore’s head snapped back and smashed hard onto the turf, triggering chaos as his teammates immediately went after Stephens in a prolonged scuffle. Both teams received unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.

Moore was taken off the Coliseum field on a stretcher in an ambulance while wearing a neck brace. According to news agency AP, the No. 20 Ducks’ Big Ten opener against the 12th-ranked Trojans was delayed for about 15 minutes while Moore was cautiously treated and removed from the field on a cart. His teammates gathered around the cart to offer condolences and support before it was driven a few feet to a waiting ambulance at the base of the Coliseum tunnel.

Dante Moore injury update

Moore was apparently moving both of his hands and feet and also rotated his arms while strapped to the stretcher that was loaded into the ambulance, according to AP and the NBC broadcast. He was rushed to Los Angeles General Hospital to be evaluated.

Stephens was ejected for targeting, and he went to the Trojans' locker room. The junior from Clarkston, Michigan, is a starter for USC after making 89 tackles last season. Dylan Raiola replaced Moore, and the veteran threw a touchdown pass to Evan Stewart on his second snap to put the Ducks ahead 10-7.