It started with some disgusting sideline crowing, USC linebacker Desman Stephens II getting a hand slap and a shoulder bump from a teammate almost immediately after knocking Oregon quarterback Dante Moore out cold.

It must end with silent retribution.

It continued with Stephens extending his arms and flapping his hands as if to mock the Ducks while Moore lay motionless nearby.

It must end with quiet reflection.

It somehow didn’t stop there, Stephens shown laughing, dapping up teammates and marinating in his own viciousness while concerned medical personnel surrounded Moore.

It must end with forced regret.

Stephens clearly didn’t think he did anything wrong Saturday at the Coliseum, so now his coach must show him that he did.

It turns out Lincoln Riley’s biggest moment of truth isn’t his response to a crushing 41-27 loss to the Ducks but the way he handles his player’s classless behavior.

Don’t say that Stephens has served his time because he sat out the rest of the first half and all of the second Saturday after sending Moore to the hospital with a highly questionable hit to the head that was rightfully ruled as targeting.

Riley must levy additional punishment for what came after the hit. That ridiculous display warrants at least a one-game suspension imposed by the team, though a longer sentence should be strongly considered to send the appropriate message.

We will not stand for this. This is not who we are. We are a classy program.

Or are they?

Some pointed out that this was not the first time a USC player has celebrated a ferocious hit under Riley. During the 2024 season, Mason Cobb could be seen smiling and making a sleeping gesture with his hands after lowering his head and making helmet-to-helmet contact with a Rutgers quarterback.

In the immediate aftermath of Stephens’ hit, Riley gave his player a pass. The coach said he didn’t see Stephens gloating on the sideline, so he didn’t have a response when asked about it after the game.

If true, this is a failure that goes deeper than Riley.

Why didn’t somebody else tell the coach what happened?

USC athletic administrators must have either seen the clips circulating on social media or received incredulous text messages – What was that? Can you guys please do something about Desman celebrating? – from others watching the game at home.

It was their duty, then, to inform Riley what happened so that he could take appropriate action.

The coach also allowed Stephens to remain on the sideline for the rest of the game after his ejection, providing some flimsy reasoning to reporters.

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

More like a distraction that didn’t need to exist in the Trojans’ biggest game of the season.

Stephens’ teammates certainly did him no favors. Celebrating his big hit in their own various, vile ways, those teammates only reinforced Stephens’ vulgar behavior. They deserve, at the very latest, a serious scolding themselves.

Riley could have avoided all of this by sending Stephens to the locker room with a staffer, at least for the rest of the first half in a gesture of respect to a seriously injured player.

“It’s a disgusting play,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said of the hit. “You don’t want to see it happen. It’s disappointing that it happened out there.”

The only way Stephens should have been allowed to watch the rest of the game was on TV – or in street clothes from the sideline after being forced to take off his No. 8 jersey.

Oregon players were so miffed over the whole thing that they nearly sparked an all-out brawl on the field after the hit and later in the Coliseum tunnel as the teams made their way back to their respective locker rooms. Thankfully, Lanning said late Saturday night that Moore had regained some movement in his body.

Now, Riley can’t afford to double down on his mistake. The coach must show leadership and a culture of accountability.

Yes, he wants to protect and support his players. No, he cannot allow this kind of behavior to go unchecked or rely on the Big Ten to take action.

“l’ll let our conference handle what that looks like,” Lanning said when asked if Stephens’ hit warranted further punishment. “I’ll let coach Riley handle what that looks like for their team. I mean, there’s rules in place to handle that.”

There’s also the unwritten rule that one must uphold the integrity of his program above all else.

That means dropping a must-win game in Year 5 suddenly isn’t the worst of Riley’s concerns.

A coach on the hot seat must inflict some heat to preserve his own credibility as the leader of a program that touts itself as the class of college football.

A sad saga at the Coliseum must end with decisive punishment, touting a new mantra of USC accountability.

Right on.