Dante Moore went down with one of the scarier injuries of the 2026 college football season during Oregon's 41-27 win over USC in Week 4. He was forced out in the second quarter after USC linebacker Desman Stephens II hit him in the head as Moore was sliding to the ground. Stephens was ejected for targeting, while Moore was taken off the field on a stretcher and transported to a Los Angeles hospital.
Oregon later confirmed that Moore had movement in all of his extremities and had suffered a concussion. His MRI and CT scans also came back clean, but given how frightening the incident was, there was understandably plenty of concern about when Moore could return. He took a significant step forward Monday, with Oregon head coach Dan Lanning reporting that the Ducks' starting quarterback had returned to practice.
More news: Eli Drinkwitz Earns National Spotlight After Missouri Humbles Florida When Moore went down in the USC game, Oregon turned to Dylan Raiola, and the former Nebraska QB gave the Ducks exactly what they needed. He completed 19 of 25 passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns, helping Oregon pull away from the Trojans after they had tied the game at 27 early in the fourth quarter. Raiola has already shown he can run the offense against a ranked opponent on the road, and the Ducks have plenty of weapons around him.
So there's no reason to rush Moore back before he's ready. Lanning has repeatedly stressed that the team will be cautious with Moore's concussion, and with how well Raiola played, Oregon can clearly afford to be patient. More news: Deion Sanders Drops Cryptic Comment on Julian Lewis After Loss to Texas Tech More news: Pat Narduzzi Takes Shot at Penn State as Nittany Lions Fall From the AP Top 25 Oregon heads into the second half of the season at 3-1 overall and 1-0 in Big Ten play, with its only loss coming on the road at Oklahoma State.
The Ducks followed that up by crushing Portland State 84-0 before rallying behind Raiola to beat USC in LA. They now return from their bye to face the undefeated UCLA Bruins at Autzen Stadium this upcoming Saturday, followed by games against Nebraska and Illinois. Moore could potentially be cleared by the end of the week and play against UCLA, but the more likely scenario is that the Ducks ease him back and get him ready for their Oct. 17 matchup against the Cornhuskers.
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