QB Dante Moore was knocked out of the game by USC on Saturday night, but Dylan Raiola stepped in to take down the Trojans in Los Angeles in Week 4.
Oregon didn’t let a frightening injury to its starting quarterback prevent it from beating USC for the fifth consecutive time in a 41-27 win Saturday at LA Memorial Coliseum.
Heisman hopeful Dante Moore was taken off the field on a stretcher after a brutal late hit from USC linebacker Desman Stephens that resulted in Stephens’ ejection and a skirmish between the teams.
Stephens was seen celebrating after the play and dapping up teammates on the sidelines while Moore was being attended to by the Oregon training staff. The linebacker was called for a targeting penalty and remained on the sideline the rest of the game despite being ejected from participating.
The loss of its star quarterback seemed to motivate Oregon (3-1). Two plays after Moore’s exit, backup quarterback Dylan Raiola connected with Evan Stewart for a 3-yard touchdown to give the Ducks a 10-7 lead.
Raiola, a transfer from Nebraska, threw for 289 yards with two touchdowns, largely in the second half. The 289 yards are the most for Raiola since he threw for 308 in a 30-27 loss to Michigan on Sep. 20 last season while at Nebraska.
Latest USC Defensive Showing Proves Costly In Loss To Oregon
USC (4-1) quarterback Jayden Maiava had a strong game as well throwing for 326 yards with a pair of touchdowns and a touchdown run. Freshman Kayden Dixon-Wyatt had a career-high 114 yards on seven catches including a 31-yard touchdown from Maiava in the first quarter.
But USC’s defensive woes prevented the Trojans from keeping pace with Oregon. The Trojans allowed 504 yards of offense with 10.5 yards per attempt through the air. Oregon converted 50 percent of its third downs Saturday and scored on all six of its red zone attempts. The 504 yards allowed are the third most USC’s defense has allowed in the last three seasons.
There was a play in the fourth quarter that was a microcosm of USC’s defensive performance in the Lincoln Riley era. With the score tied at 27, Oregon faced a third-and-long and Raiola’s pass sailed over the top of the secondary. But USC defensive lineman Jide Abasiri was called for a roughing the passer penalty which extended the drive for the Ducks.
A few plays later, Raiola threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Dakorien Moore to give Oregon a lead it would never relinquish.
Ducks Put The Game On Ice
Mater Dei high school alumn Jordon Davison ran for a 2-yard insurance touchdown with just over two minutes remaining to put the game out of reach for USC. Davison ran for 69 yards in his return to Southern California, most of which came on a 45-yard run on Oregon’s first offensive play of the game.
On the opening drive of the second half, Raiola connected with Dierre Hill Jr. for a 62-yard screen which set up an 8-yard touchdown run by Hill on the following play to give Oregon a 20-10 lead.
Maiava ran for a 1-yard touchdown to cut Oregon’s lead to 20-17, but the Ducks answered with a 75-yard scoring drive capped by a 4-yard touchdown run by Hill.
USC would tie the game early in the fourth quarter on an 11-yard touchdown pass from Maiava to Tanook Hines.
The Trojans entered the game ranked No. 12 in the AP poll while Oregon was ranked No. 20. But it’s hard to call Oregon’s win an upset when coach Dan Lanning’s teams have beaten USC under Riley with regularity.
The day Riley arrived at USC he said the Coliseum would be a “mecca of college football” and he spent the offseason declaring to the media how this season would be different for the Trojans. But Saturday’s experience was an all too familiar one for USC fans: seeing the Coliseum seats empty in the final minutes after another disappointing loss to a ranked opponent.
