No. 20 Oregon takes down No. 12 USC 41-27 after Dante Moore's injury

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A pair of fourth downs sealed No. 20 Oregon's 41-27 win over No. 12 USC.

Not long after the Trojans failed to convert a fourth down at midfield while trailing by seven, the Ducks converted one of their own on the way to Jordon Davison's short TD run with 2:03 to go to give Oregon its winning margin.

USC coach Lincoln Riley elected to go for it on fourth-and-7 with the Trojans down a touchdown with 7:15 to go. A punt could have pinned Oregon deep in its own territory. And it was an Oregon team operating with a backup quarterback in Dylan Raiola after Dante Moore's scary head injury in the second quarter. But Riley went for it, and Jayden Maiava's pass to Zacharyus Williams fell incomplete.

Four plays later, Oregon's Dan Lanning faced a similar decision. And he, too, chose to go for it. Raiola found Evan Stewart for a 15-yard completion on fourth-and-3. Four plays after that, Davison was in the end zone.

It was the exclamation point to a statement win for Oregon. Especially after Moore went out. The star QB was injured when he was hit by USC LB Desman Stephens while sliding. Stephens was ejected for targeting as Moore's head bounced violently off the turf.

The game was paused for several minutes as Moore was transported to a cart and then a waiting ambulance. He was taken to Los Angeles General Medical Center, where he reportedly had movement in all of his extremities following the hit.

Raiola, the Nebraska transfer, stepped in after throwing his first 11 passes as a Duck a week ago against Portland State. Saturday night, he filled in admirably. Raiola finished the game 19-of-25 passing for 289 yards and two touchdowns.

It's the fifth straight win for Oregon over USC and it came as the Ducks were staring at the brink of playoff contention with a loss. After a Week 2 defeat at Oklahoma State, Oregon could have hardly afforded a loss to USC with a trip to No. 7 Ohio State in November.

Once again, it's fair to wonder just how close USC is to being a contender in the Big Ten. And that's largely because of the Trojans' defense.

Oregon gained 504 yards on 68 plays Saturday night. USC gave up a long catch-and-run to Dierre Hill on a screen pass from Raiola and TE Jamari Johnson consistently found space in the USC secondary. The Oregon tight end finished the game with seven catches for 119 yards.

The Ducks also converted half of their third downs and both of their fourth downs. Was Riley's decision to go for it near midfield halfway through the fourth quarter a sign that he didn't trust his defense?

Riley named former TCU head coach Gary Patterson the team's defensive coordinator after the 2025 season. And while Patterson's defense shut out Fresno State, it's also allowed at least 30 points in three of the Trojans' five games so far this season.

And until USC has a defense it can count on, it's hard to see how the Trojans can be a playoff contender.

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