USC delivered a devastating blow before halftime Saturday, knocking Oregon quarterback Dante Moore out of the game with a dirty hit.
Pulling together in support of their injured teammate amid an increasingly testy atmosphere at the Coliseum, the Ducks found an inspired counter.
And they might have just leveled the Trojans’ hopes for a special season in the process.
With backup quarterback Dylan Raiola directing an offense that became nearly unstoppable in the second half, No. 20 Oregon pulled away for a 41-27 victory over No. 12 USC before a season-high crowd of 75,500 that thinned considerably in the final minutes.
Raiola upstaged USC starting quarterback Jayden Maiava by leading his team on drives that produced 34 points in a little more than one half.
After the Trojans pulled into a tie early in the fourth quarter, Raiola connected with Dakorien Moore in the front corner of the end zone for a 29-yard touchdown catch against late-closing cornerback Elbert Hill IV.
Struggling to stop the Ducks, the Trojans went for it on fourth down near midfield on their next drive. But Maiava’s pass intended for Zacharyus Williams was broken up, resulting in a turnover on downs with 7 minutes 15 seconds left.
Oregon then converted its own fourth down near midfield to burn precious clock and keep its drive going. When Jordan Davison took a pitch and got pushed by teammates into the end zone on a 2-yard run with 1:55 left, the Ducks (3-1 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) were well on their way to a fifth consecutive victory over the Trojans (4-1, 1-1).
It was an epic failure in a prove-it moment for USC coach Lincoln Riley, who needed to show that he was worth the massive investment – not to mention tremendous patience – after four frustrating seasons that ended short of the College Football Playoff.
It also added to the perception that Riley can’t match Oregon counterpart Dan Lanning, who has now won all three head-to-head matchups.
Riley is bound to face plenty of difficult questions about the state of his team, a defense that gave up 504 yards and the way his players comported themselves amid the injury to Moore.
In an awful instant late in the second half, the rivalry between these teams got ratcheted up several notches.
With Moore breaking away from the pass rush and running past the USC 15-yard line, he tried to give himself up with a slide.
But he took a jarring forearm to the head from Trojans linebacker Desman Stephens II, setting off a chaotic scene on the field.
As Moore lay motionless and multiple flags were thrown, there was plenty of jawing and some shoving between players, with assistant coaches getting in the middle of a heated scrum. Making matters worse, Stephens could be seen gloating on the sideline with teammates who joined him in celebrating the big hit.
Stephens was called for targeting, leading to his ejection with the Trojans holding a 7-3 lead. Both teams were also called for offsetting unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.
After a lengthy delay, Moore was placed on a stretcher, carted off the field and placed into an ambulance at the bottom of the tunnel amid applause from the horrified crowd. That brought in Raiola – the same quarterback whose season ended last season while playing for Nebraska when he suffered a right ankle injury against the Trojans.
Raiola’s first pass went for a 3-yard touchdown, pushing the Ducks into a 10-7 lead.
He finished the game completing 19 of 25 passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns. Maiava completed 23 of 42 passes for 326 yards and 2 touchdowns along with an interception in the end zone with 4 seconds to go.
With games against Penn State, Ohio State, Indiana and surging UCLA left on their schedule, this was a setback that left the Trojans with little margin for further stumbles before the end of September.
The cheer that could be heard in the final seconds said it all.
“Let’s go Ducks!”
