Dante Moore was knocked out in a sickening hit during Oregon‘s game against USC before being loaded straight into an ambulance and rushed to a nearby hospital.
Moore is considered one of the top prospects in a stacked 2027 NFL Draft class after he opted to return to school for his junior year.
But his latest college game ended in a terrifying scene with 10 minutes remaining in the first half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Moore stepped up in the pocket on a second-and-nine and picked up a first down and more with his legs.
As he reached the 12-yard line, he slid down but was hit viciously by Desman Stephens II, who lowered his shoulder and hit Moore’s head.
Moore went stiff after the hit and appeared to show a fencing response as his arms flexed into an unnatural position.
Dante Moore was knocked out in a terrifying scene during Oregon’s game at USC in LA
Moore was hit hard by a shoulder to the head as he slid for a first down in the second quarter
Moore was loaded straight into an ambulance and rushed to hospital after lengthy treatment
A brawl broke out as Oregon players and coaches took exception to the hit and Stephens II appeared to celebrate as he was confronted by Moore’s teammates, being slammed online for his response.
Stephens II was later ejected for targeting after the play, while Moore received extensive treatment.
An ambulance then reversed down to the side of the field, with Moore loaded into the vehicle after being stabilized as his teammates all gathered to pray for their teammate.
NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay explained why officials were right to uphold the targeting call and eject the culprit.
‘As soon as he starts his slide, he’s defenseless,’ he said.
‘The defender leads with his shoulder and makes forcible contact to head and neck area with his shoulder. This is, no question about it, this is targeting.’
Stephens II appeared to celebrate after the hit as he was slammed for his reaction
Moore is one of the top quarterback prospects expected to enter the 2027 NFL Draft
Both teams also received unsportsmanlike conduct penalties for their reactions, meaning all players on both sides were one unsportsmanlike penalty in the rest of the game away from being ejected.
Play resumed with Oregon trailing 10-3 and former Nebraska transfer Dylan Raiola replacing Moore at quarterback.
More to follow.
