We understandably didn’t learn a whole lot about the Oregon Ducks in Week 1 of the season. With an opponent like Portland State, Dan Lanning and his team were able to blow the competition out of the water, winning 81-7 largely without breaking much of a sweat.

That is unlikely to be the case this week against the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

While Tyler Shough and Texas Tech were unable to notch a victory in Week 1, falling to the Wyoming Cowboys in double-overtime, they will come out with a lot of energy for their home opener on Saturday night.

The Ducks have been preparing for that scenario all week leading up to the game, and Lanning gave us his final thoughts on Wednesday after practice. Here are some of the most notable quotes from that press conference.

Opening Statement

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Lanning: “We’re excited for this game, practice was really clean. You know, we’re about to go play a team that’s going to be a hostile environment, which we’re excited about.”

Linebacker Coverage

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Question: How do you feel about your linebackers in coverage and how they looked last week now going into this week?

Lanning: “I don’t think we really got tested this past week. I mean, they didn’t throw the ball very much. But we’ve done well, at times. There was a couple plays that we wish we had back.”

Contested Catch Coverage

Oregon Ducks vs. Portland State Vikings (Photo Courtesy of Ethan Landa)

Question: You mentioned on Monday the need to be better at contested catch coverage. have you seen an improvement there?

Lanning: “Yeah, we’ve worked a lot of contested balls. You know, I think it’s going to come down to a lot of contested catches in this game. We got to do a good job when it comes to them.”

Jerand Bradley

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Question: How has Jurrion Dickey done for you in the Jerand Bradley role on the scout team?

Lanning: “He’s done a good job. He’s done a good job. He’s doing, you know, he’s double training. He’s working his position for us and he’s worked in that position for them as well.”

Mason Tharp

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Question: Have you found someone on the scout team to replicate 6-foot-9 tight end Mason Tharp?

Lanning: “We haven’t found a six-foot-nine guy yet. But you know, again, we’ll prepare with the guys we’ve got, and we’ve got plenty of good players that can help us get ready.”

Conditions

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Question: With the expected weather conditions, is this kind of a “look yourself in the mirror” game for the players?

Lanning: “Well, this is the kind of game where you can’t just show up one game right? This has to be who you are all year, right? So we want to be the same team that we’ve been all year and when we focus on what we’re going to be moving forward, you are who you put on film, right? So no matter if it’s this game, the next game or game after that, like who you are has to show up every game. Your DNA traits have to show up every game.

Tortillas

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Question: What is your thought on tortillas?

Lanning: “I’m a tortilla fan more of a flower guy than corn.”

Editor’s Note: There is a tradition at Texas Tech where fans throw tortillas onto the field during the game. 

Travel Schedule

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Question: Does your travel schedule change at all this week to deal with the heat and keep players out of the sun?

Lanning: “Same prep as every week, we’re focused on hydrating for our guys. Not a lot of changes there.”

Elevation

Question: How do you think the elevation changes the game?

Lanning: “I think the biggest place that shows up is in the kicking game you know so there’ll be some of that. You know, as far as our conditioning, our guys are well-conditioned. We’ll see that when we get there to the game, but more than anything is going to show up for distances in the kicking game.

Story originally appeared on Ducks Wire