Make California Post a Preferred Source Some hits in football are worth celebrating. Plays that can change a game and send the sidelines and fans into a frenzy.
USC junior linebacker Desman Stephens II was ejected Saturday after delivering a vicious forearm to the head of Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, who had begun sliding near the Trojans’ 15-yard line early in the second quarter.
Moore stayed down motionless on the field as he was placed on a stretcher in a scary scene.
However, what followed was the kind of scene that drains the electric atmosphere from a sold-out Coliseum. Players began jawing and pushing each other. Coaches rushed onto the field to separate them.
Medical personnel surrounded Moore, eventually getting him onto a gurney and into the back of an ambulance where he was quickly transported to a nearby hospital.
Stephens was flagged for targeting and promptly ejected. Both teams also received offsetting unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.
As Moore was being tended to following a hit serious enough to require an ambulance, Stephens was seen celebrating and exchanging high-fives with USC teammates on the field and sideline.
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Football is violent by design. Defenders are taught to play fast, hit hard and impose themselves physically. But there is a difference between aggression and recklessness, and there should certainly be enough awareness to understand when celebration is appropriate and when it’s not.
The Coliseum crowd understood it. As Moore was taken from the field, USC fans rose and applauded the injured Oregon quarterback — a classy gesture during an otherwise disturbing sequence.
Moore left after completing 8 of 10 passes for 77 yards. Backup Dylan Raiola entered and immediately threw a 3-yard touchdown pass, giving Oregon a 10-7 lead.
