After a night that saw Dante Moore suffer a concussion and a rival player appear to celebrate on the sideline, Dan Lanning had no interest in holding back. Following Oregon’s 41-27 win over USC, he called the hit “disgusting” before taking a shot at the Trojans’ recruiting pitch, saying Los Angeles-area players who want to win should choose Oregon, while those looking for a Chris Brown concert should choose USC. And Lanning isn’t taking it back.
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“Full disclosure, that was a little petty, but they’ve taken plenty of shots at us,” Lanning said in a conversation with Dave Portnoy on Wake Up Barstool. “In the off-season, there was some shots taken, and somebody asked me what matters most, and I said winning. And that’s where I like to go point back to is when we get the opportunity to go play them, we’ve won.”
Now, this isn’t the first time that Lanning is taking a shot at USC. Just earlier this season, Lanning pointed to the empty seats at the Coliseum.
“I’ve watched three of their TV games. I haven’t seen a game packed yet, but we were here, it was packed tonight,” Lanning said. “So I guess when the Ducks show up, that’s how you fill up the Coliseum.”
There was also the incident of Lanning taking aim at USC’s much-talked-about juice-box celebration. He called it “fake energy” that “ain’t real.” However, the shot on this particular day felt personal because of how the entire day played out.
The Ducks watched their starting quarterback leave the field after a frightening collision. The hit came early in the second quarter with Oregon trailing 7-3. USC linebacker Desman Stephens II lowered his shoulder into Moore’s head as the quarterback started to slide, after which Stephens was ejected for targeting.
Moore stayed on the gridiron for roughly 12 to 13 minutes before he was carted off and taken by ambulance to Los Angeles General Medical Center.
For Lanning, that hit needed just one word: “disgusting.” Portnoy did point out that a defender has only a split second to react to a quarterback’s slide, and Lanning agreed it was a bang-bang play. He even admitted Moore could have started his slide earlier, but that didn’t change his view of the contact.
“Targeting exists for a reason. Quarterbacks are protected for a reason,” he said, adding that Moore’s head hitting the turf may have done as much to cause the concussion as the shoulder contact.
When asked about the now much-talked-about Stephen’s reaction to seemingly celebrate and smile from the sideline, Lanning mentioned he didn’t see anything. His eye went directly to his players, and so he felt it would be unfair for him to paint the entire USC team with the same brush.
“I don’t think it was the whole group,” Lanning said. “I think you’ll see there’s a group of USC players afterwards that are on a knee and certainly concerned. To lump the whole group, I think that’s unfair.”
USC coach Lincoln Riley also said he did not see any celebration. When asked why Stephens remained on the sideline after being ejected, Riley’s response was: “Cause he’s on our football team.”
USC nevertheless suspended Stephens for one game on Sunday, so he will miss the Trojans’ Oct. 3 game against Washington. Lanning said he would let the conference and Riley decide whether anything more is needed, since rules are already in place for these situations.
Oregon’s players were less measured because after the game, the teams met in the Coliseum tunnel, and tensions flared.
Running back Dierre Hill Jr. called the hit “very dirty,” and receiver Dakorien Moore said Oregon already disliked USC, and that what he saw from the Trojans raised the tension further. Lanning, for his part, praised how his team held itself together through all of it.
Thankfully, the news surrounding Moore has been encouraging. He suffered a concussion, but further testing did not reveal additional injuries. Lanning has made it clear that Oregon will not rush him back, even if Moore is eager to return.
That patience could be important, given that Oregon has a bye before returning to action against UCLA on Oct. 10. This will give Moore additional time to recover. If he is cleared, the Ducks will get their starter back. If he isn’t, Dylan Raiola has already shown that Oregon has a capable option waiting.
The Nebraska transfer completed 19 of 25 passes for 289 yards and two touchdowns in the 41-27 win.