Hardly any storyline in college football was bigger than the nasty hit Oregon quarterback Dante Moore took from USC defender Desman Stephens, who was ejected for targeting, on Saturday evening.
But the injury and the concern around it are just the tip of the iceberg of what happened here.
What made it worse was how Stephens celebrated, how multiple teammates cheered him on, and his coach’s comments after the ordeal, which drew heavy criticism.
Riley seemed to avoid the situation when asked about it in his postgame press conference, claiming he didn’t even see Stephens and the other players celebrating, which seems like quite a stretch. He doubled down after that, seemingly justifying why Stephens was allowed to remain on the sideline.
USC Head Coach Lincoln Riley Draws Criticism For Postgame Remarks On Desman Stephens
“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. No matter how competitive the game gets. These are all people at the end of the day on both sides. So we wish him a speedy recovery.”
Riley was asked after the game whether or not he saw the celebration.
“I did not see it,” Riley responded.
He was then asked about Stephens being allowed to come back out on the sideline in street clothes after he was ejected from the game, which drew no shortage of outrage from social media and bystanders.
Once again, Riley gave a short but powerful response.
“Why? Because he’s on our football team,” he said.
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning had a lot more to say about the hit, with an added insult to USC as a program attached to it, calling the play by Stephens “disgusting.”
“Three wins against these guys. I guess if you’re interested in winning football games and you’re from this area, you should go to Oregon,” Lanning said. “If you want to go to a Chris Brown concert, go here.”
USC Announces Suspension For Desman Stephens
Many were calling for Stephens to be dismissed from the football program, but they didn’t get their wish. But that crowd did get a punishment that fell far short of the mark in their eyes.
Instead, the Trojans issued the linebacker a one-game suspension.
“Desman (Stephens’) actions in last night’s game are unacceptable and are not reflective of USC Football, nor of his personal character,” Riley said in a formally issued statement on Sunday. “He understands his mistake, accepts the consequences of his actions and will learn from this. The entire Trojan Family wishes Dante (Moore) a full recovery, we send our best regards to him and his family.”
Stephens also apologized to Moore and made clear that he regretted his choices Saturday night.
“I take full responsibility for my actions,” Stephens said. “That is not the person or teammate I want to be, and I will learn from this.”
Without Stephens, USC will look to get back to the right side of the win column against the unranked Washington Huskies on Oct. 3. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET in Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
USC’s Lincoln Riley Faces Backlash After Dante Moore Hit, Desman Stephens’ Controversial Celebration