LOS ANGELES — A matchup that seemed to hold endless weight for each program involved was completely changed in the blink of an eye.

With 10:06 remaining in the second quarter, on a second-and-9 from the USC 23-yard line, Oregon quarterback Dante Moore took off, racing beyond the first-down marker, before giving himself up with a slide. As he went to the ground, defenseless, Trojans defensive back Desman Stephens lowered his shoulder to Moore’s head and neck area, delivering a blow.

Moore remained on the ground for over 10 minutes, and ultimately exited the stadium after being transferred from a stretcher into an ambulance.

After the hit, Oregon’s players pushed Stephens around in protection of their quarterback. Even after the gravity of the moment settled and the severity of Moore’s injury was understood, Stephens was seen celebrating the hit, and later shaking teammates’ hands.

Dylan Raiola completed 12 of his 15 pass attempts for 203 yards and one touchdown midway through the quarter, settling in after Moore’s injury.

The situation seemed to inspire No. 20 Oregon (2-1). Two plays after Moore exited, backup quarterback Dylan Raiola connected with Evan Stewart for a three-yard touchdown. Then after USC tied the game up with a 39-yard field goal, Raiola led the Ducks on another methodical touchdown drive to take a 13-10 lead into halftime.

By halftime, a game that seemed set for a shootout, with two Heisman-candidate starting quarterbacks and two underwhelming defenses, was instead a sloppy slugfest. The Trojans’ offensive line conceded two sacks and three tackles for loss, and both teams combined for nine penalties.

A bright spot for No. 12 USC (4-0) was wide receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt. At the beginning of the 2026 season, it was another freshman pass-catcher in Trent Mosley who was receiving all the buzz, but with Mosley’s knee injury holding him out on Saturday, the fellow freshman Dixon-Wyatt continued to step up. One week after hauling in five catches for 77 yards against Rutgers, he surpassed that total in the first half.

Dixon-Wyatt and Jayden Maiava connected for a 31-yard touchdown in the first quarter as USC’s signal-caller laid a perfect ball into the seam.

Along with Dixon-Wyatt, running back King Miller powered the Trojans’ offense with 38 rushing yards as the split with Waymond Jordan remained the same as the first four weeks. While Jordan was the starter last season, Miller has earned the reps as Jordan works back from injury.

In more injury news, defensive tackle Jahkeem Stewart was active and delivered two TFLs despite not playing the majority of snaps. The Trojans’ defensive line held up in the first half, especially in the final moments as they stuffed Oregon on three consecutive goal-line runs, forcing Dan Lanning and the Ducks to settle for a 19-yard field goal.

For Oregon, tight end Jamari Johnson led the team with 56 receiving yards after being a game-time decision. Wide receiver Evan Stewart stepped up with Jeremiah McClellan out, hauling in five catches in the first half.

A decision that could come back to haunt USC was opting to receive the opening kickoff after winning the coin toss. The Trojans went empty on their opening drive after Caden Chittenden shanked a 33-yard field goal attempt.

The Ducks capitalized as they had a meticulous drive for a field goal to end the first half, and scored a quick touchdown with their free possession to start the second half, taking a 20-10 lead.