Dante Moore shares emotional update following scary injury vs. USC

On Saturday Night, aside from the result of the game, all Oregon Ducks fans, and outsiders could think about was the health of Dante Moore. Early in the second quarter, the superstar QB scrambled for a first down before taking a scary hit from USC LB Desman Stephens II on a very dirty play. The play resulted in a targeting penalty and a suspension for the Trojans defender as he celebrated while Dante Moore stayed on the ground.

The injury was terrifying as Moore never rose to his feet, and was eventually loaded onto a stretcher before being carted to an ambulance, and taken to the hospital for further evaluation. On Sunday, Oregon Football and Dan Lanning released a statement that Dante Moore suffered a concusion, but that the additional testing showed no additional injuries.

Dante Moore shares first message following his injury

On Monday, Oregon fans got to hear from their quarterback for the first time since his concussion as he shared a post to his Instagram account, telling fans "I'll be back soon".

It's great to hear from Dante Moore for the first time, and to see all the support from his teammates in the comments is great. While a timetable for his return still isn't set, it's great to hear that Moore plans on being back soon, regardless of when that is.

Given the way that the play happened, and the violent nature of the hit, it instantly set off a ton of concerns for Moore. It's never good for a player to suffer a concussion, but with the violent hit to the head/neck area, it's a massive relief that the Oregon star didn't suffer any additional injuries. The targeting rules are in place for a reason, as that type of his can lead to severe outcomes, but it appears that Moore avoided a serious neck injury or worse.

The hope for Moore's sake is that he can return to the lineup as soon as possible as he has a ton riding on this season. Moore made the bold decision to return to school for one more season, passing up potentially being a top 3 pick in the NFL Draft. The reason Moore chose to return to school was to continue developing as a quarterback while hopefully leading the Ducks to a championship, and you'd hate to see those goals wiped out by a dirty hit.

While Dylan Raiola played a great game against USC, the Ducks are going to need their superstar QB back in the lineup if they're going to reach their potential. At his best, Dante Moore is arguably the best in the country, and he looked to be finding a rhythm in the new offense under Drew Mehringer over the last two weeks.

The bye week comes at the perfect time for the Oregon Ducks, as there will be no rush to get Dante Moore back in the lineup. Oregon and Moore should take their time with this recovery for his long-term health, and Dylan Raiola has proven that he's capable of keeping the team on track while Moore remains away from the team.

Oregon's next game comes on October 10th against the UCLA Bruins in a Top 25 clash inside Autzen Stadium.

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