Dan Lanning Pulls Back the Curtain on Handling Emotions After Dante Moore Injury

The No. 15 Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning didn’t hold back his anger as quarterback Dante Moore lay prone on the turf at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Moore left Oregon’s (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) Week 4 matchup against USC (4-1, 1-1 Big Ten) on a stretcher after being concussed by a late hit from Trojans linebacker Desman Stephens II, who was flagged for targeting and ejected.

oregon ducks coach dan lanning quarterback dante moore usc trojans desman stephens dylan raiola big ten david pollack — Sep 26, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning is restrained by coaches during the Ducks road win over the USC Trojans at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Stephens II made matters worse in the moments after, when he was caught on camera laughing and dapping up teammates on the sideline.

Lanning’s squad rallied behind backup quarterback Dylan Raiola to beat USC 41-27 to improve to 10-0 in Big Ten road games since joining the conference.

And while cooler heads eventually prevailed in the victory, the Ducks' coach was still fired up three days later on Tuesday as a guest on the David Pollack See Ball Get Ball podcast.

Dan Lanning Opens Up on Dante Moore Injury

oregon ducks quarterback dante moore coach dan lanning usc trojans linebacker desman stephens targeting david pollack — Sept. 26, 2026; Los Angeles, California; Oregon quarterback Dante Moore is hit after sliding by USC linebacker Desman Stephens II as the Oregon Ducks face the USC Trojans at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Pollack, a former ESPN college football analyst, got straight to the heart of the matter, asking Lanning to describe his emotions as Moore lay unconscious.

“A little shocking at first,” Lanning said. “You don’t expect that to happen, yeah, but you turn really angry really quick.”

Moore was immobilized on the field for 15 minutes before medical personnel placed him on a stretcher and took him to a waiting ambulance.

“I love Dante like a son,” the Oregon coach continued. “Football all of a sudden becomes not very important, and the player, you know, that becomes really important. And then immediately you just start going into prayer.”

The emotions were still palpable days after the play that Lanning referred to after the game as “disgusting” and “not what football is about.”

oregon ducks coach dan lanning quarterback dante moore usc trojans linebacker desman stephens david pollack big ten football — Sep 26, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning instructs his team against the USC Trojans at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Pollack then stirred the pot further with how he would have handled the sight of his star quarterback on the ground.

“My reaction is I want to punch you in the throat for doing it, and I wanna fight,” the former Georgia linebacker Pollack said. “I love the fact that some of your guys were pushing and shoving. Dan, we used to fight if that happened, like, we be throwing hands, like whatever it took.”

Oregon Avoids a 'Street Fight'

Lanning remained diplomatic, while acknowledging the raw emotion involved and the difficulty of teaching players to remain disciplined in such tense moments.

“You wanna protect your teammate, and I’m proud of our guys having some composure,” Lanning said, “because I know more than anything they were like, ‘Okay, let’s turn this into a street fight.’ And I’m sure that’s what they wanted. I mean, part of me wanted that.”

Oregon couldn’t afford to lose anyone else with Moore already out.

“But we wanted to play it on the field, and we didn’t want to leave people excuses of why. We didn’t want to be shorthanded,” the coach continued. “So I thought our guys had unbelievable composure in that moment.”

Oregon Ducks' Composure Prevails

oregon ducks quarterback dylan raiola dante moore coach dan lanning usc trojans desman stephens targeting david pollack — Sept. 26, 2026; Los Angeles, California; Oregon quarterback Dylan Raiola celebrates a touchdown by Ducks running back Dierre Hill Jr. versus the USC Trojans at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Composure, with a hint of revenge, won out in the end.

Oregon ran up 504 total yards, scoring on all six of its trips inside the USC red zone. Raiola stepped in to throw for 289 yards and a pair of touchdowns as the Ducks scored 24 points on the first four possessions with the junior transfer from Nebraska under center.

Doctors diagnosed Moore with a concussion, while MRI and CT scans revealed no additional injuries.

The Ducks have a bye before returning to Autzen Stadium to play host to another former Pac-12 rival, the No. 23 UCLA Bruins. And it's another fight they’d probably prefer to wage on the field rather than on the sidelines.

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