Macon MFA Agri Services

09/26 23:46 CDT Dylan Raiola leads No. 20 Oregon past No. 12 USC 41-27 after Dante Moore's frightening injury Dylan Raiola leads No. 20 Oregon past No. 12 USC 41-27 after Dante Moore's frightening injury By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) --- Dylan Raiola passed for 289 yards and two touchdowns after star Oregon quarterback Dante Moore's frightening injury, leading the 20th-ranked Ducks to a stirring 41-27 victory over No. 12 Southern California on Saturday night. Moore left the Coliseum field in an ambulance in the second quarter after USC linebacker Desman Stephens hit him late on a slide. Stephens was ejected for targeting, and the game was delayed for 15 minutes while Moore --- a Heisman Trophy candidate and likely high NFL draft pick --- received medical attention. "Seeing him like that shook the whole team," said Raiola, who went 19 for 25. "But at the same time, we knew we were going to fight for him." Raiola, the two-year Nebraska starter who transferred to Oregon last January, threw a 3-yard TD pass to Evan Stewart on his second snap. He then led the Ducks to 270 yards and four touchdown drives in the second half, including Dakorien Moore's go-ahead, 29-yard TD catch with 8:35 to play and Jordon Davison's clinching 2-yard run with 2:03 left. "Certainly (there was) an energy change when Dante got hurt," said Oregon coach Dan Lanning, who called Stephens' hit "a disgusting play." "We've got a lot of guys on the sideline who were emotional in that moment, including myself," he added. "All these guys went out and played for 5 (Moore's number). But every guy on the sideline had faith in (Raiola). He was ready for his moment." Lanning stopped himself from giving a full update on Moore's condition because he only had secondhand reports from the medical staff. "He's in recovery, so I don't want to speak too soon, but he is moving, and he does have the ability to move," Lanning said. Dierre Hill Jr. rushed for two touchdowns after halftime for Oregon (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten), which generated 504 total yards in a strong Big Ten opener. The Ducks had a rocky start to the season in which they barely beat Boise State and then lost to lowly Oklahoma State to plummet from a preseason No. 2 ranking. Jayden Maiava passed for 326 yards and two scores for the Trojans (4-1, 1-1), who came up short yet again in a big game under coach Lincoln Riley because the Trojans' defense did precious little to slow down either Oregon quarterback. The Ducks averaged 7.4 yards per snap, and they scored on seven of their nine drives. USC rallied from a 10-point deficit in the second half and tied it on Tanook Hines' TD catch with 12:41 to play, but Raiola led the Ducks right back for Dakorien Moore's TD. Oregon's defense then stopped the Trojans on downs at midfield with three straight incompletions. "Came down to a couple of plays, like games with two really good teams typically come down to," Riley said. "We made a few too many errors there in the end, especially when we got momentum there in the fourth quarter, and they did a good job (to) capitalize on them."

Many streaks continue The Trojans have lost five straight to their former Pac-12 rivals, last beating Oregon in 2016. The Ducks still haven't lost two games in September since 2016, and they've never lost a Big Ten road game. Oregon is 3-0 against USC during the parallel tenures of Lanning and Riley.

The takeaway Oregon: This will be a memorable victory after a rough three-week start, yet Moore's health will be paramount for the Ducks. Raiola is more than capable of leading a winner, but Moore is a unique talent. USC: This was yet another brutal defeat on a big stage for Riley's Trojans, who hadn't lost at the Coliseum since 2024. The coach still can't find a breakthrough victory nearly halfway through his fifth season in charge despite a wealth of talent. USC's defensive problems under Riley and his third coordinator, Gary Patterson, are just as unsightly as they were back in 2022.

Up next Oregon: Bye, followed by a visit from UCLA on Oct. 10. USC: Host Washington on Saturday, Oct. 3. ___ Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here, visit the Top 25 here and see AP's full college football coverage here

	Copyright DTN. All rights reserved. Disclaimer.