Emmanuel Acho calls out USC’s Desman Stephens II after Dante Moore injury

NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay called the second-quarter hit on Dante Moore textbook targeting during Saturday night’s broadcast, and officials reached the same verdict, ejecting USC linebacker Desman Stephens II from Oregon’s 41-27 win at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Emmanuel Acho, the former NFL linebacker, went further than the rulebook when he posted about the play on X after the game.

“Dirty football move. Classless football move. Prayers for Dante Moore, but tough to step on the field with dudes like that’ll cheap shot you and then laugh.”

Stephens wears No. 8, and the end of Acho’s post points at what happened after the contact. Game photos show Stephens celebrating after the tackle before the targeting call was announced. The Associated Press reported that Oregon’s players and coaches were incensed by those celebrations.

Moore was sliding at the end of a scramble when Stephens lowered his shoulder into the crown of his helmet with 10:05 left in the second quarter. He stayed on the turf for several minutes, left on a stretcher wearing a neck brace and was taken by ambulance to Los Angeles General Medical Center.

A team spokesperson reportedly said he had movement in all of his extremities.

“As soon as (Moore) starts his slide, he’s defenseless,” McAulay said. “The defender leads with his shoulder and makes forcible contact to the head area with the shoulder. This is no question about it, this is targeting.”

Dirty football move. Classless football move.

Prayers for Dante Moore, but tough to step on the field with dudes like that’ll cheap shot you and then laugh. pic.twitter.com/SRB0MfAWkW

— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) September 27, 2026

What happens to Desman Stephens after the ejection?

Stephens returned to the USC sideline after his ejection and stayed there for the rest of the game. Asked why, Lincoln Riley said it was “because he’s on our football team.” Riley opened his news conference with concern for Moore.

“First of all, I want to say that I hope Dante is ok,” Riley said. “You never want to see that out of any opponent.”

Riley also said he did not see Stephens celebrating. Because the foul came in the first half, the automatic targeting penalty ended with the ejection. That leaves any suspension for USC’s next game in the hands of the Big Ten or Riley, and Lanning said he would defer to them.

In last November’s meeting in Eugene, Stephens drew a leaping penalty that Riley later said left the conference and national rules officials without a clear answer when USC asked for clarification.

“We knew it was very dirty,” Oregon running back Dierre Hill Jr. said. “It lit a fire in me. We had a plan to play fast and physical when that happened it went up even more.”

Oregon turned that anger into a 28-17 second half, and Lanning’s own description of the play afterward was blunter than anything on the officials’ report.

“It’s a disgusting play,” Lanning said. “You don’t want to see it happen. It’s disappointing that it happened. I’m praying our player’s healthy, and I’m praying their player can learn from that situation.”

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