Oregon survives scary Moore injury, rolls past USC yet again

LOS ANGELES — On a chaotic evening at the Coliseum, the USC Trojans suffered a familiar heartbreak. For the fifth time in a row, the squad failed to overcome the Oregon Ducks, falling 41-27 at the Coliseum on Saturday evening.

Lincoln Riley's big-game woes continue, and if his seat wasn't already warm, it certainly heated up a bit after another frustrating result. The fifth-year USC head coach put the blame on mistakes down the stretch after the loss.

"[It] came down to a couple plays…and we made a few too many errors there in the end," he said. "Especially when we got momentum there in the fourth quarter, and then gave them some more opportunities, they did a good job to capitalize on them."

After a slower-paced opening half, the final two quarters took the form of a back-and-forth shootout that left both defenses struggling to keep up. However, it was ultimately Dylan Raiola and the Ducks that managed to chisel down the Trojan defense when it mattered most.

Raiola took over for Oregon with 10:05 remaining in the second quarter after a scary collision that left starting quarterback Dante Moore down on the turf. Moore took a hard, late hit to the head from USC linebacker Desman Stephens II, who was flagged for targeting and ejected from the game.

After being tended to for multiple minutes on the turf by the medical staff, Moore was eventually lifted onto a stretcher and taken to a local hospital. There are currently no further updates on his status. He was 8/10 through the air for 77 yards before going down.

"You never want to see that with any opponent no matter how competitive the game is," Riley said. "These are all people at the end of the day on both sides, so I wish him a speedy recovery."

USC quarterback Jayden Maiava and the USC offense were forced to try to keep pace with Oregon all night long. Their only lead of the contest came at the 12:53 mark of the second quarter, when Maiava found Kayden Dixon-Wyatt on a 31-yard touchdown pass to help put the Trojans up 7-3.

Raiola was incredibly efficient on the night, completing 19 of 25 passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns. He worked especially well with running back Dierre Hill Jr., who torched the Trojan defense both through the air and on the ground.

The sophomore was especially lethal in the third quarter, giving the Ducks a major boost with a pair of scores. He made catches of 62 and 28 yards on back-to-back drives, capping each with a rushing touchdown. 

Tight end Jamari Johnson also came up big for Oregon, reeling in seven catches for 119 yards. Receivers Evan Stewart and Dakorien Moore each collected touchdown receptions of their own.

Maiava was less efficient, but still found himself able to help the Trojans move the ball down the field throughout the game. The redshirt senior completed 23 of 42 passes for 326 yards and a pair of touchdowns, also throwing an interception late. His second-quarter touchdown pass to Dixon-Wyatt helped USC head into the locker room at halftime trailing just 13-10.

With both Trent Mosley and Corey Simms unavailable to suit up, it was Dixon-Wyatt who served as Maiava's most reliable target. He accumulated 114 receiving yards over seven catches, bringing his team-leading total to 25 for the season.

Robert Talamantes – The Sporting Tribune

USC Trojan WR Kayden Dixon-Wyatt (17) makes a rediculouse catch over his defender during an NCAA football game against the Oregon Ducks on September 26, 2026 in Los Angeles, CA.

USC's offense managed two more touchdowns in the second half as they continued to battle from behind. After Hill Jr.'s first touchdown of the third quarter for the Ducks, Maiava and co. quickly marched down the field with an answer. A big 27-yard grab from Boobie Feaster helped bring the Trojans down to the two-yard line before Maiava used a keeper to cash in the score two plays later.

Following Hill Jr.'s second score of the frame and a USC field goal, the defense forced a big three-and-out to keep Oregon from adding on. Maiava and the offense got right back to work, with Tanook Hines eventually making an 11-yard snag for six points, as the PAT evened the score at 27-27 with 12:41 remaining in the contest.

When it looked as if the Trojan defense had come up with a second straight forced punt, a lethal penalty killed their momentum. Defensive tackle Jide Abasiri was flagged for roughing the passer as Raiola hit the turf throwing an incomplete pass on third down and 15 from the Oregon 40.

Coach Riley acknowledged that penalties will always prove costly against high-profile teams.

"It was a hell of an atmosphere in there, and we had all the momentum in the world, but you can't do that against good teams and good offenses with talented skill players like they had," he said. 

The drive continued on, and Dakorien Moore made USC pay. His 29-yard touchdown grab put the Ducks back in front 34-27, once again leaving all the pressure on Maiava to orchestrate a response.

He could not do so this time, as a fourth-down-and-seven gamble from USC's 49-yard line was unsuccessful after Zacharyus Williams could not reel in a tough catch. Oregon calmly marched back down the field, with running back Jordon Davison punching in the dagger, a two-yard rushing score that helped make it 41-27 with just over two minutes left.

Now, Riley and his group will need to have a short memory as they try to turn the page to another important game against Washington next week, right back at the Coliseum. He remains confident that the Trojans will put this one behind them in proper fashion.

"We've got to take this the right way, and that's going to be important for our locker room," Riley said. "We have a damn good football team in there. I know we do. Our locker room believes that, and we've got to take advantage of some of these opportunities."

Despite the conviction, results don't lie. USC remains without a victory against Oregon since Nov. 5, 2016, the only one against their West Coast rivals since 2011. 

Moral victories don't show up in the College Football Playoff rankings. If the Trojans want a seat at that table, nights like Saturday have to start turning into wins. That begins with Washington, in another Big Ten battle that holds high stakes.