Things Take Ugly Turn Between Oregon & USC as Dan Lanning Confirms Stance on Dante Moore Hit

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Oregon’s 41-27 win over USC at the Coliseum on Saturday left a lot of bad feelings behind, and Ducks coach Dan Lanning has not softened his view of the hit that sent quarterback Dante Moore to the hospital.

In a conversation with Dave Portnoy on Wake Up Barstool, Lanning stood by his earlier description of the play as “disgusting.” He also owned up to a shot he took at the Trojans on his way out of Los Angeles.

“Full disclosure, that was a little petty, but they’ve taken plenty of shots at us,” said Oregon head coach Dan Lanning on the podcast. “In the off-season, there was some shots taken, and somebody asked me what matters most, and I said winning. And that’s where I like to go point back to is when we get the opportunity to go play them, we’ve won.”

Portnoy brought up Lanning’s words that anyone who wants to go to a Chris Brown concert should pick USC, and anyone who wants to win football games should pick Oregon.

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The hit came early in the second quarter with Oregon trailing 7-3. USC linebacker Desman Stephens II lowered his shoulder into Moore’s head as the quarterback started to slide, and Stephens was ejected for targeting.

Moore stayed on the gridiron for roughly 12 to 13 minutes before he was carted off and taken by ambulance to Los Angeles General Medical Center. Dylan Raiola replaced him, and Lanning later said Moore was recovering and “has the ability to move.”

Portnoy told Lanning that a defender has very little time to process a quarterback’s slide. Lanning agreed it was a bang-bang play and admitted the slide could have started earlier. He still separated leading with the head from launching at a quarterback.

“Targeting exists for a reason. Quarterbacks are protected for a reason,” he said, adding that Moore’s head hitting the turf may have done as much to cause the concussion as the shoulder contact.

Portnoy also asked about USC’s reaction, since Stephens seemed to celebrate and was later seen smiling on the sideline. Lanning said that did not change his view, because his eyes went straight to his own team and he saw very little of it.

Coach called it unfair to lump every USC player together, pointing to several who knelt nearby looking concerned. USC coach Lincoln Riley said he did not see any celebration. Asked why Stephens stayed on the sideline after his ejection, Riley answered, “Cause he’s on our football team.”

USC suspended Stephens for one game on Sunday, so he will miss the Trojans’ Oct. 3 game against Washington. Lanning said he would let the conference and Riley decide whether anything more is needed, since rules are already in place for these situations.

Oregon’s players were less measured because after the game, the teams met in the Coliseum tunnel, and tensions flared.

Running back Dierre Hill Jr. called the hit “very dirty,” and receiver Dakorien Moore said Oregon already disliked USC, and that what he saw from the Trojans raised the tension further. Lanning, for his part, praised how his team held itself together through all of it.

Oregon has now beaten USC, as Lanning referenced, and Saturday’s victory gave the Ducks another reason to feel good about the rivalry. The priority was clear from the moment Moore went down: the Ducks wanted their quarterback healthy, their players composed, and the game finished.

They got the win, but the game will be remembered for more than the 41-27 final score, and the hit ensured that the rivalry left Los Angeles with considerably more tension than it had when the night began.

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