What is going on with USC Athletics?

I ask that question both as a member of the media who has covered nearly every sport at USC over the past year and also as a Trojan sports fan. However, the question still has to be asked, given the not-so-favorable history of a historic yet deeply troubled university. 

USC has arguably been one of the most issue-heavy schools over the past millennium. Whether it’s Reggie Bush, O.J. Mayo, Jovan Vavic or the current era of issues, the University is always under fire. And that’s not even counting the non-sports-related matters and lawsuits.

For now, I’m going to stay in my lane and stick with the athletics department. I’ll even narrow it down to one prominent issue: junior linebacker Desman Stephens II’s hit on Oregon senior quarterback Dante Moore, and the aftermath of the collision.

Now, I’ve never played football before, but I can certainly analyze it: Yes, it was a bang-bang play. Here’s the bottom line: The hit was harsh, but the celebration was blatantly unacceptable.

As a reminder, it was second-and-9 at USC’s 23-yard line. Moore received a bad snap from his center and still looked for receivers before running it up the middle. He successfully picked up the first down and started his slide to avoid a hit.

That’s when Stephens came in, lowering his head and knocking Moore out cold. You could have heard a pin drop at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum after the hit. It went eerily silent.

Sure, Moore did start his slide later than he probably should have. But then again, it was a bang-bang play.

I was in the press box for the game, sitting high up but directly at USC’s 15-yard line, almost exactly in line with where this play happened. I saw the hit, and I saw the celebration after the hit. Whether you think the hit was fair, despite it being called for targeting and clearly illegal, the celebration was plain stupid.

Why are you celebrating stopping a quarterback after he got a first down? It’s not like he was going to pull a Kenny Pickett fake slide — quarterbacks simply cannot do that anymore. And it’s not like Moore was going to make it all the way to the end zone either.

On a personal note, I hate when players celebrate after earning a routine first down or making a simple tackle. Celebrations should be saved for touchdowns, game-saving catches or sacks. They should not be for hitting a helpless quarterback who had already given up on the play by initiating a slide.

Maybe, if you see the entire Oregon sideline charging toward you, that should be an indication to stop celebrating. But no, Stephens continued.

Minutes went by as Moore stayed on the ground, being examined by the medical staff. And what did the TV broadcast pick up on the sideline? Stephens high-fiving teammates and smiling.

Absolutely disgusting, both by Stephens and everyone else involved. Granted, a few players appeared to have tried to stop Stephens while he was cheering on the field, almost as if they knew how serious the situation was.

The referees ejected Stephens from the game, but somehow the story didn’t end there: During the second half, Stephens could be seen on the sidelines. As I just said two sentences ago, he was ejected. In the NFL, if you’ve been ejected, you’re expected to completely get off of the sideline — unless you’re DK Metcalf in 2021.

But no. Stephens was on the sideline. Adding to the list of irresponsible choices was Head Coach Lincoln Riley’s response after the game, when he was asked about Stephens being on the sideline.

“‘Cause he’s on our football team,” Riley said.

Yeah, go figure. Again, this column is not about Riley’s failures against ranked teams — even though those losses are prominent, as he struggles mightily in the biggest games. It’s about the culture in the locker room that Riley is setting: It’s among the worst I have ever seen. He’s lost both the fans and the players.

The next day, Riley added to the no-no list one more time by releasing a statement that effectively suspended Stephens for his “actions” for just one measly game.

What are we doing? What’s going on? What is one game going to teach him? Stephens sent one of the best players in the country to the hospital. And, let me be clear, I’m not saying this just because Moore is a Heisman-caliber player. If this happened to any other athlete, this column would still be written. Point blank, and the period.

The original pitch for this piece was to talk about the lawsuit involving the men’s basketball team as well, since they’re just as messy. But that will have to wait until next time. They’ve been spared.

For now, USC needs to get its act together and quickly. A change in leadership or direction needs to happen, and that starts at the top with Riley. And nothing about the “Win The Era, Together” theme, because we all know that is just a ploy.

You best start believing in ghost stories, USC. You’re in one.

Dillon Zamperin is a sophomore writing about USC sports and the bigger picture of it all in his column, “Inside the Lines.” He is also a sports editor at the Daily Trojan.