17 notable quotes from Dan Lanning as he previews Oregon’s game vs. Georgia
It’s game week in Eugene, and Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning held his first pre-game press conference on Monday night in preparation of the team’s trip to Atlanta where they will take on the defending champion Georgia Bulldogs.
The Ducks released a first official depth chart on Monday afternoon as well, and while it left a lot of things up in the air as to who will start on Saturday afternoon, we got some clarity as to where things stand after fall camp.
In his press conference, Lanning touched on how the team has prepared for the big game, and what is left to do before they head off to Georgia. Here are some of the most notable quotes from the press conference:
Opening Statement
Lanning: “I’m pretty excited, obviously to finally hit somebody else wearing a different color. You know, thrilled to be associated with Chick Fil A Kick-Off Classic. This will be a fun event for our guys. Obviously, a lot of mutual respect for this team. It’s one that we have intimate knowledge of but really excited to get out there and play. I know our guys are anxious. They’ve been working really hard. You know, fall camp has been long and it’s time to go play somebody else. So our guys have been practicing really well. We’re working on kind of getting our legs back after fall camp. You know, it’s been a lot of work and so really conscientious of what we’ve been doing there on the field with a group of guys but also making sure that we’re game ready.”
Bradyn Swinson vs. Georgia
Question: Bradyn Swinson talked about this being a big game because he was passed on by Georgia. How have you discussed that situation with him going into the game?
Lanning: “Yeah, I think every one of our guys is really excited to go play you know, elite competition. Obviously, Georgia is a great football team. Ultimately, there are so many stories like that, that are stories but the reality is that’s all they are — stories. We got to go play the football game and Bradyn’s gotta go do it on the field. You know what we talked to our team, you know, earlier today about is ‘go play the game, not the occasion.’ Right? And that’s really what we’re focused on.”
Georgia Tight Ends
Question: Georgia has such a talented tight end room, what do they bring to the table and what have you done to try and formulate a gameplan to stop them?
Lanning: “I think it’s arguably one of the best groups in the nation. It’s hard to find a group that has as much talent in their room in their tight-end room. Obviously, we really love our tight ends here, but they’ve got a great group, a lot of talent and you can call them tight ends but the reality is they’re a matchup issue as a wideout as much as they are at tight end. So something we have to be conscious of in our game plan and where we put our guys in a position to be successful. They do a great job of using them and a lot of different ways. You know, one of the big decisions is how are you going to match their personnel? Right? If you decide to go big, right and play physical which Georgia obviously can do, right? You might be outmatched, and how you can cover right and if you decide to go smaller and put yourself in position to cover, well, now they might not match you when it comes to bully ball and they’re able to run it so they do a great job of mixing it up. Coach Monken obviously is an elite play caller and does a great job of recognizing what you’re in and creating open sets when you’re big and creating condensed small sets when you’re small, so it’d be fun to see him .”
A Known Foe
Question: Do you ever let yourself think for a second about how strange this will be to play against so many former coaches and teammates?
Lanning: “Yeah, I think a lot of people would sit here and say it’s not about that, you know. Very similar to what I said about you know, Bradyn, but there is, there’s definitely some feelings of you know, excitement for me to go play a team that I care about and was a big part of for a long time, but that’s not the focus. You know, it’s my job just like it’s the player’s job to focus on the task at hand. But I’m excited to go play a familiar team. There are certainly some advantages to that. But they have those same advantages as well.”
Advantages to Playing Former Team
Question: What are some of the advantages that come with playing your former team?
Lanning: “The biggest carryover is going to be I probably have a good feel for what they’re going to do defensively and how they’re going to do things defensively. And on the same note, they probably have a good feel on how we’re going to do things defensively. Right? So I think the challenge of the coach is ultimately, you know, Kirby Smart is not gonna play a single snap on Saturday and neither is Dan Lanning. So it doesn’t really matter what I know, it matters with my players knowing what they can execute. Right. And sometimes coaches are trying to get too cute, right? It’s gonna come down to takeaways, it’s gonna come down to explosive plays, right? Who can out hit, who can out hustle, right, who could tackle on the perimeter? You know, that’s what this game is really about. And certainly, there’s some going to be a schematic advantage on both sides at times. But that’s not ultimately what it’s about. It’s about who can put their players in position to make plays.”
Underdog Mentality
Question: The game line has Oregon as a pretty big underdog, do you guys talk about that at all going into the game?
Lanning: “We don’t really bother ourselves with the opinions of others, right? Nobody in Vegas is gonna play in this game. Right? Our players are gonna play in the game so we know what everyone thinks of our team and that’s okay by us. Our goal is to go out there and play the best game we can possibly play. But that’s gonna have zero effect on this game. The opinions of others is not going to matter.”
Advantages/Disadvantages of Georgia in Week 1
Question: What are some of the advantages or disadvantages of playing a team like Georgia in your first game?
Lanning: “We’re pumped to go play. Obviously, Georgia is a great opponent. You know, they built Kirby’s done a great job of building a program all those assistant coaches and players have done a great job of building the program over time, and I think they’re kicking on all cylinders, but what a great opportunity for us to see exactly where we are, you know, early in the season, you know. There is no power-up game here. You go play real competition really quick and we’re pumped about it.”
Kirby Smart
Question: What is your relationship with Kirby Smart like after you left and how has it changed leading up to this game?
Lanning: “I would not be sitting in this seat if it wasn’t for Kirby Smart and I’m forever grateful for him and that entire coaching staff and I’ll definitely always lean on him. You know this is certainly unique. We probably haven’t talked as much this summer or especially in the last couple of weeks as we will down the road. That being said, when you start playing games, you don’t spend a lot of time talking to anybody. But I’ll forever lean on Coach Smart. You know, I have a tremendous amount of respect for him and the job that he’s done, and I think he’s one of the best in the business.”
Game Day Rituals
Question: What does game day usually look like for you personally?
Lanning: “You know, I got my game day playlist. There are a lot of different things on there. I’m gonna you know, I’m gonna listen to that. I usually get pretty anxious, especially once you’re in the locker room there right before takeoff. And then there’s a little bit of a calm before the storm, you know. I was the guy that has to pee like five or six times right before the game starts. Like I love football. Right? And I’m still like that so I’m sure right before I take the field, I’ll be in the urinal, and then they’ll get a break and then get out there but like, that’s what makes football so great, right? That’s what’s so awesome about this game is the nerves. The excitement around it. Heck, yeah, I get nervous before a game. Like if you don’t, you’re lying, right like I’m human. But that’s why I love this. You know, so a lot of fun for me. I love Saturday, obviously for good reason. You know, my job is to make our job for the players easy.”
Depth Chart
Question: You won’t discuss the depth chart publicly, but have you had that talk with players yet?
Lanning: “The players have been outstanding. They have a great understanding of our plan. You know, what we plan to do and how we plan to use our players. And you know, I said it when I was at Georgia, I’ll say the same thing here. If you’re good enough, you’re old enough, right? So we can use it and you can help us we want to use you on the football field and play.”
Coaches in the Booth
Question: You designated Kenny Dillingham and Matt Powledge to call plays from the booth. What’s the advantage and thinking there?
Lanning: “We leaned a lot into our scrimmage operation. You know we use headsets during practice quite a bit as well. But we just feel like both of those guys, you know, give us the best opportunity from being up top to really be able to evaluate and see the whole field. You know, I think that starts with having coaches on the field that you really trust as well. You know, both those guys are really good communicators and they can communicate through the headset and you know, and let that play over on the field.”
Former Players
Question: A lot of your former players are in the NFL now. Have any of them texted you leading up to this game?
Lanning: “I’ve gotten a few text messages. You know, nothing too crazy. I don’t think that a lot of them are cheering for me right now. Right? And that’s okay. They know I’m cheering for them and every one of their games and I think there’ll be cheering for me in every game after this one.”
Marcus Mariota
Question: You’ve met with Marcus Mariota this offseason, what is that relationship like?
Lanning: “Marcus is obviously a tremendous human being and he stands for everything that I think Oregon football stands for, right he’s a giver. He’s a kind person. But he’s a tremendous competitor and he let his play speak for itself on the field. So I just hope that we can continue to have more players like Marcus be associated with us here in Oregon and thrilled that he used to be around and we get to you know play in his home stadium.”
Family Rooting Interests
Question: Is it going to be weird for your family to return to Georgia and not be rooting for the Bulldogs?
Lanning: “No they know to cheer for dad. They’ll be excited to cheer for pops but yeah our crew’s excited. You know they’re pumped to get back and play, and it’s a fun first game to play in.”
Stetson Bennett
Question: How have you seen Stetson Bennett grow over the last couple of years?
Lanning: “You don’t know it, but Stetson exudes confidence, right he’s a really confident player. He knows what he knows, he’s very intelligent. There’s not a throw he doesn’t feel like he can make and obviously he’s elusive, you know when he’s in the pocket and the way he’s able to move and extend plays. So yeah, I’ve got a lot of respect for Stetson, because he got it the long hard way, right? Nothing was handed to him. You know, this guy went and earned it. He earned the respect of his teammates and his coaching staff. And I’m sure for him, he’s thrilled to have this opportunity. But I promise you, he’s not good. He’s not comfortable in that seat like that. It takes time and it’s still very demanding where he’s sitting.”
Bryan McClendon
Question: With former Oregon coach Bryan McClendon now at Georgia, how will that benefit the Bulldogs’ preparation?
Lanning: “He may have as much of an advantage as anybody but again, Bryan’s not playing the game, I’m not playing the game. Players still gotta go out there and play the game. Right. And I think he certainly knows our players well. He’ll be able to help their defensive staff as far as assessing our offensive personnel. I think you’ll be able to be a big advantage there for them.”
Winning for Dan
Question: A lot of the players want to win, obviously, but many want to win specifically for you. How does that feel?
Lanning: “Play the game, not the occasion, right? That’s certainly the focus. You can’t win on emotion, you have to win on execution. So that’s what we’re going to continue to keep in the forefront and I always feel like you can’t let your eyes get too high or get too low. Right. Wherever the pendulum swings. We’re not gonna let that affect this until you know, the last zero ticks off the clock, you know, so that’s the way we have to operate.”
