Dante Moore injury: Oregon QB takes scary hit to head, carted off field, put in ambulance
Dante Moore suffered a serious injury against Southern California.
The play happened with just over 10 minutes in the second quarter. Moore scrambled on a play and when he took a slide, USC defender Desman Stephen II hit him late. A flag was thrown and Moore was not immediately moving but his body was twitching as the Oregon support staff rushed to attend to him.
Oregon players immediately got in the faces of USC defenders and a near brawl broke out as the officials and coaches tried to break it up. A targeting penalty was called on Stephen and offsetting unsportsmanlike conduct flags were assessed to both teams for the scuffle after the moment.
Moore stayed on the ground for an extended period of time and didn’t appear to be moving. The Oregon team huddled together while Moore was attended to, and USC quarterback Jayden Maiava came over to check on him.
After minutes of being down, Moore was put onto a stretcher and when he did, the entire Oregon team rushed to him to check on their star player. After he was taken off the field, Moore was put inside a waiting ambulance. Moore didn’t appear to move and he didn’t give a thumbs up to the crowd.
Dante Moore injury update
It’s unknown what exactly happened to Moore, but he appeared to suffer a serious head injury and will be heading to a nearby hospital to be evaluated.
It’s a devastating injury for Oregon as Moore is one of the best quarterbacks in the country. He could have been a top five pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but decided to stay for the chance to lead the Ducks to their first national championship on a highly talented roster.
Moore was 8-for-10 with 77 yards prior to the injury.
Who is Oregon backup quarterback?
The new Oregon quarterback is a familiar face: Dylan Raiola.
The former Nebraska quarterback transferred to Oregon in the offseason, knowing he would be the backup to Moore. He played two seasons with the Cornhuskers, starting 22 games for the offseason. His 2025 campaign ended early after he suffered a season-ending injury against USC on Nov. 1, 2025.