Saturday’s Oregon-USC matchup took a frightening turn when Ducks quarterback Dante Moore sustained a heavy hit from Trojans linebacker Desman Stephens. Moore had already begun his slide when Stephens delivered a shoulder to his head, sending the back of the quarterback’s head into the turf.
Injury Update: Moore Taken Off Field After Head Trauma
Moore exhibited a fencing response, a reflexive movement that can indicate significant head trauma, following a collision during the game. He remained on the field for several minutes before being placed on a stretcher and transported by ambulance for further evaluation.
In the same incident, Stephens received a penalty for targeting and was ejected from the game. The targeting rule is designed to protect players from dangerous hits to the head and neck area.
One fan wrote, “He should be kicked off the team. That’s not football. A third user also criticized Stephens, writing, “USC’s Desman Stephens is out for this game, but probably shouldn’t play football for a while. As close to a criminal act as you’ll see on a football field. ” Stephens also appeared to face online fallout beyond the criticism surrounding the game. His Instagram account was reportedly switched to private before becoming unavailable. The account currently cannot be found, which hints he deactivated his account.
