Dan Lanning talks revenge wins, complete games and preparing for a Washington rematch
The Oregon Ducks entered their final regular-season game of the year on Friday night with a lot to lose.
They had a spot in Las Vegas for the Pac-12 Championship game as well as a potential spot in the College Football Playoff on the line. In addition, this could be the last rivalry game against the pesky Oregon State Beavers for quite some time.
While there was much they could potentially look to in the future, it was clear there was no distraction when it came to preparation this week. The Ducks handled business and earned a dominant 31-7 win that clinched their rematch with the Washington Huskies next Friday in the final Pac-12 game in football history. It was an impressive showing with a strong and physical defense shutting down the Beavers, while Bo Nix and the offense were once again electric.
After the game, head coach Dan Lanning talked about the game, making note of how sweet it felt after the way that things ended in 2022. He also looked ahead to the rematch against the Huskies, the only team to beat the Ducks in 2023. Here are some of the most notable quotes from his press conference after the game.
Opening Statement:
Lanning: “A fun one right there. I’ve said it since the beginning of season that we want to be playing our best football at the end of the season and we are right now. We’ve got a really good team, went out there and competed. We wanted to be the more physical team and I think that showed up. I think obviously anybody watching us can say that we’ve got some really special players on our team including our quarterback. He was dialed tonight, he was on point. I thought our coaches did a great job of preparing these guys and having them ready to go and that crowd and our student section were absolutely unbelievable. So we’re gonna need to show up next week in Vegas.
“But I told these guys earlier in the season that every one of your goals is still in front of you. And I saw a team that just said for the last several weeks that we’re just going to work, and they just did that. They just worked and they put all their goals in front of them. And they focused on one day at a time, and that’s what showed up tonight.”
Tone Setter
Question: How important was that first drive of the game when it came to setting a tone with your physicality?
Lanning: “Well, I thought they were just really efficient and taking what’s in front of them. Really proud of those guys. I wasn’t anticipating us having a lot of eight-minute drives in this game. I didn’t think it would look like that but our guys had a great plan and our guys executed that plan really well.”
Stopping the Run
Question: What made you guys so effective when it came to stopping the run this week?
Lanning: “Making sure that we didn’t have any one for ones. They draw it up on offense where they block and your middlefield safety is the last guy left or your high safety’s last guy left they’re gonna gain five yards. So we knew that we had to strike blocks, separate from blocks and win those one-on-one battles. Then when you make contact, they have to be knock back tackles which I thought our guys did a good job of.”
Troy Franklin TD
Question: How important was Troy Franklin’s touchdown in the second quarter when it comes to flipping momentum?
Lanning: “I think you can pick a lot of throws tonight that were really special. That was certainly one of them. I know he had pressure in his face on a big third down conversion as well. But, yeah, he was dialed in tonight and did a really good job executing. Those wideouts did a great job of attacking the ball. So being able to score, I think that series started with 54 seconds left at half and I know people are probably like, why are you calling timeouts here at the end? And that’s exactly why, so we can have a ball back and an opportunity to go score so we’re really proud of those guys putting that that drive together.”
Looking to Washington
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Question: Have you used the potential rematch against Washington as a major motivator for your team?
Lanning: “I think ultimately, every single player in that locker room knew what was in front of us. And we knew we wouldn’t get there if we didn’t do a good job of focusing on the task at hand. And that’s really what it’s been about. It’s been a bit about each day. It’s been about each moment. It’s gonna be tomorrow, it’s not gonna be about Washington, either. It’s gonna be about the Ducks, and what are we going to do tomorrow to be better? So we kept, you know, kept the focus on us and what’s in front of us, and we know we got to play good teams to get where we want to be. But again, playing our best ball, how can we get better? We talk about a growth mindset in this program, I think we have a bunch of guys that are like, OK, how can I improve? How can I get better and that showed up tonight.”
Dontae Manning
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Question: How do you feel about Dontae Manning’s performance tonight?
Lanning: “I’m really proud of the way he played. And I obviously have to go back and watch the film. But you know, every time I looked out there he was, you know, stuck on somebody and that’s what you want. We asked our guys to play some aggressive coverage at times and we put those guys on islands and he performed really well tonight. He competed for the ball when it’s in the air. Obviously, that turnover was a huge play. You know, I know he had some aggressive couple of aggressive penalties in there that we want to go coach but that’s kind of, you know, that’s gonna happen to times when you ask those guys to play those coverages.”
Complete Game
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Question: Do you feel like this was a complete game?
Lanning: “I thought that was a complete game. We didn’t want their return to get an opportunity in special teams. I thought we were able to flip the field when we had to punt the ball. You know, there’s certainly some moments in every phase that we can take back but offensively, you go three for three on the first a few drives and we ended up kicking field goal. But just to start off hot and to keep that momentum rolling, was really impressive.”
Gary Bryant Jr.
Question: Is there an update on WR Gary Bryant Jr.?
Lanning: “I haven’t gotten to visit with the medical staff yet, but I caught him right when he came off the field, and he felt like he was going to be OK. Obviously, I’m going to have to get an update.”
Matayo vs. DJ
Photo Courtesy of Dave Uiagalelei
Question: What was your reaction when Matayo got the sack on DJ?
Lanning: “Hit him harder. No, I mean, Matayo did a great job, and I knew this was a fun one for him. And I got a lot of respect for that team we just played. That’s a really good football team that plays a brand of football that’s hard to match and to see him get an opportunity to go out there and play on that stage was great.”
When Does the Celebration Come?
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Question: Is making it to the Pac-12 title game something that you celebrate?
Lanning: “It’s hard to celebrate in this profession when you’re always focused on what’s next. I expected us to be here. I don’t really know what everybody else thought but I expected us to be in this position because I know what our team is capable of. And we still have some unfinished business. We want to go out there and compete and put our best foot forward so excited about what’s next. But you know, we’re going there to for the opportunity to play in a big time game and perform our best.”
Bo Nix
Question: What did you think of Bo Nix’s performance tonight?
Lanning: “Elite. I thought our quarterback was elite tonight and even the moments that he wasn’t protected, he made big-time plays for us which was huge.”
The Final Pac-12 Game
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Question: What does it mean for you to be in the final Pac-12 game ever?
Lanning: “Well, it’s fun for your team to reach your expectations and play to the level that you think they can play. And I thought our team did that tonight. We’re certainly excited to be representing the Pac-12 And this conference championship game that’s gonna be a lot of fun for us, but we want to go there and perform a certain way as well.”
Future of the Civil War
Question: Would you be willing to sacrifice a home game in the future in order to keep this rivalry going?
Lanning: “I’m not involved in those decisions. But I’d love to play this team. And I think this is a great rivalry for the state of Oregon. I think it’s a great rivalry for football and certainly love to keep it going. If we got to put the ball out in the parking lot, that’s fine with me.”
Handling Emotion
Question: How do you feel like your team did handling emotions in this game?
Lanning: “Passion is really important, but execution is more important. And I think it’s all about channeling that energy. Every one of our guys wants to go out there and have a great performance, right? Every one of these guys were playing for something more than themselves. They’re playing for the seniors. They’re playing for Spencer. But they realized the best way to have a, you know, a performance that’s worthy of that praise and honoring those people is to go out there and execute, and that’s what I’m really proud of.”
