USC took its fifth straight loss to Oregon on Saturday night. Oregon won 41-27 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and the Trojans have not beaten the Ducks since 2016. The score wasn’t the only thing that grabbed headlines. A hit on Dante Moore and what happened after that was the bigger story.
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The play came with around 10:06 left in the second quarter. Moore tried to end the run and scrambled for a first down near the USC red zone, then started the slide. Desman Stephens came in low and made contact with the helmet.
Moore was placed in a neck brace, put on a stretcher, and taken by ambulance to Los Angeles General Medical Center. He was later diagnosed with a concussion. Scans showed no other injuries.
“But when I’m going in for a slide, all you got to do is just touch me down. I can’t get up and run this. I mean, because basically I’m saying I give up. Anytime I go into a slide, I give up. Quarterback is not the only one that can go into a slide. A wide receiver or a running back can give himself up,” Shannon Sharpe reacted to the September 26 game on Nightcap.
A runner who starts a feet-first slide is giving himself up. Once that motion starts, the defender has to see the runner is no longer trying to gain yards. Moore had already started it, and Sharpe was not blaming Moore for getting hurt. He was saying Moore had already tried to end the play.
“I just thought the thing was like the trajectory. Look how low he was when he hit him. He hit him in his head, and you know the first thing going to hit is his head going to hit the turf. The back. Yeah. And then you see the rigidness of his arm. So he’s out,” he added on the same show.
Stephens was flagged for targeting, and the call was confirmed. He was also ejected. Then, Oregon players confronted Stephens, and a melee broke out. Both teams drew unsportsmanlike conduct flags. The ejection was the penalty in the game, and the suspension that followed was a separate decision by USC.
Stephens was seen celebrating while Moore was still down. He was also seen smiling on the sideline as Moore got medical attention. That reaction took everyone’s attention. The talk moved from the contact to what came after it. USC later addressed Stephens’ conduct, not just the ejection.
“Desman’s actions in last night’s game are unacceptable and are not reflective of USC Football nor of his personal character,” Lincoln Riley said on Sunday .”He understands his mistake, accepts the consequences of his actions, and will learn from this. The entire Trojan Family wishes Dante a full recovery, and we send our best regards to him and his family.”
USC banned Stephens for one game, and he is set to miss the October 3 game against Washington. Stephens was already ejected for targeting. Under the 2026 NCAA targeting rule, a first targeting disqualification does not automatically sit a player the next week. The one-game ban was added as team discipline from USC.
“I want to sincerely apologize for my actions during yesterday’s game. Seeing a player injured like that is incredibly serious, and my reaction in the moments afterward was completely inappropriate and inexcusable”, Stephens also released an apology on Sunday. “Regardless of what was going through my mind at the time, there is no justification for smiling or celebrating while another player receives medical attention.”
Oregon said Moore suffered a concussion. MRI and CT scans were clean, and no other injuries were reported. He left by ambulance after being stretchered off. Before he went down, Moore was 8 of 10 for 77 yards. Dylan Raiola replaced him and went 19 of 25 for 289 yards and two touchdowns in the 41-27 win.
Sharpe said that slide meant he was giving himself up, then locked in on the low path and the hit to the head. Moore did the protected thing, and Stephens still blew through his head. That’s not how you finish a slide.