Stock Report: Dan Lanning, Ducks’ defensive coaching staff takes a big hit
There was a lot of good and a lot of bad to parse through in that game between the Oregon Ducks and Washington Huskies.
For the Ducks, an explosive offense put up numbers and produced highlights that tantalized fans to no end. On the other side of things, the defense looked much more like swiss cheese than a collection of highly-touted football players.
In the end, it was a heavyweight battle between two future NFL quarterbacks. A couple of bounces and officiating calls went in the way of the Huskies, and a handful of aggressive coaching decisions came back to bite Dan Lanning in the end.
The end result? Oregon losing some swagger in conversations with Husky brethren for the next 360 days or so, and a lowered ceiling that now tops off at a Rose Bowl appearance, rather than a trip to the College Football Playoff.
As we do every week, let’s identify players who saw their stocks go up, and a few who might have seen a slight dip against Washington:
Stock Down: Dan Lanning
Look, I still think that Dan Lanning is an outstanding head coach and a home run hiring for the Ducks. This game did not change how I perceived any of that. However, it did show us that he is still a first-year head coach and susceptible to some of the coaching errors that come with the territory.
I think there are a couple of decisions in this game that Lanning could have back if given the opportunity, regardless of whether he admits it or not. Let’s run through them:
The onside kick in the first half that gave Washington positive field position and allowed an easy field goal. We knew that Oregon was working on an onside kick this week in practice, but Lanning said after the game that they saw the player they were keying on move a bit, straying from what they saw in prep. Lanning called for the kick anyway, and the Huskies recovered with ease.
Not calling a timeout and allowing a review on the apparent interception from Christian Gonzalez. The replay showed that Gonzalez came down with the interception, but had the ball wrestled away once on the ground. If anything, it was an incomplete pass, but was ruled a Washington completion. I asked Lanning after the game if he considered a timeout to allow for a review. “There’s a thought you know, but at the end of the day, tie is gonna go to offense, right, when both teams show possession of the ball. So we felt pretty confident it probably end up being the same result.”
The 4th-and-1 attempt in a tie game with Bo Nix on the sideline. Oregon had the ball on their own 33-yard-line, with Ty Thompson in at QB and Nix in the medical tent. Do you punt the ball with 1:26 on the clock and try to stop Washington from going 60-plus yards for a game-winning score? Do you call a timeout once Nix runs out of the medical attempt and pleads to go into the game before the play? Personally, I would have gone with either decision over letting Thompson try to orchestrate the first down.
In the end, Lanning is an aggressive coach. His style usually ends with gutsy calls that have worked out for the Ducks so far this year. On Saturday, they didn’t.
“We’ve sat in this room and talked about it when they worked out and now we’re sitting in this room and talking about when they didn’t,” Lanning said after the game.” The onside that was my decision. And you know, the guy moved a little bit where it wasn’t there when we thought it was there earlier in prep. You know, fourth down you fall and slip and it’s gonna be hard to convert in that situation. But we knew that we were going to that situation, you look back and you could say in retrospect, we should punt there, have a chance. But you also feel like hey, you get that first and got a chance to go win the game.”
I don’t think any less of Lanning today than I did yesterday. I simply was reminded that he is human.
Stock Up: Dont'e Thornton
It’s been a long time coming for Dont’e Thornton, but he is making the most of his opportunity without Chase Cota on the field and is establishing himself as a solid member of the receiving group.
On Saturday, it only resulted in one catch, but Thornton took that for 46-yards and a touchdown to open up the third-quarter scoring for the Ducks. It’s clear so far that Thornton poses a nice deep threat for the Ducks, and as his career continues to grow in Eugene, I think he will find more of a role in the passing game.
Stock Down: Bennett Williams
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This one certainly isn’t fun to write. I really like Bennett Williams, both as a professional and as a person. He’s been the emotional leader of this defense for a couple of years now, and he always presents himself with class. That being said, Williams has had a tough couple of games for the Ducks.
Last week, he was one of the players responsible for the lapse in coverage that resulted in an 81-yard touchdown given up to Colorado last week. This week, Williams was in man coverage for the 76-yard touchdown pass to Ja’Lynn Polk in the third quarter. He was also responsible for the poor pursuit of Taj Davis, who got free for a 62-yard game-tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
Despite those two back-breaking plays, Williams still met with media members after the game and took responsibility for the miscues. That’s part of the reason why I respect him so much. He wore it on the chin, as a leader should.
“I really thought I was going to make that play. I got a good break on it,” Williams said. “He put it in a good spot, right on the sideline. That’s on me. That’s one I got to have.”
I have no doubt that Williams will help this team emotionally bounce back and be ready to play against Utah next week. After what I’ve seen the past few weeks, though, I have some questions about how reliable No. 4 will be in the secondary.
Stock Up: Running Back Duo
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We’ve obviously said it a million times this this season, but it bears repeating one more time: Bucky Irving and Noah Whittington are incredibly good.
The duo combined for 251 yards and 1 TD on Saturday, putting up one of the biggest yardage totals that Washington has given up all season. When the rushing attack is working in Eugene, the Ducks are hard to stop. Unfortunately it got overshadowed a bit vs. the Huskies because of the defense’s inability to hold Washington’s offense down, but had a couple of things broke a different way, we would all be loudly singing the praises of the run game once again this week.
Stock Down: Defensive Coaches
There was a reason coming into this season that myself and many other media pundits were talking a lot about Oregon’s defense. With an unheralded offensive coordinator and a transfer QB who looking for new life running the show on the other side of the ball, it was the defense that felt like a sure thing to be dominant.
You had Dan Lanning and Tosh Lupoi leading things, a pair of championship winning defensive coordinators who were considered among the best defensive minds in the nation. You also had Noah Sewell and Justin Flowe returning, with Brandon Dorlus and DJ Johnson on the line, plus Christian Gonzalez on the outside. That’s an incredibly strong unit on paper.
So what happened?
I don’t have an answer for you. I just know that Oregon’s defense has been abysmal this season, ranking among the worst teams in the nation when it comes to stopping the pass and getting off the field in third-down situations. That’s coaching. Yes, the players are the ones who have to execute, but it’s on the coaches to have them in the right position to succeed.
More than that, it’s on the coaches to adjust and make improvements when it becomes clear that what you’re doing isn’t working. So far in Eugene, it’s been clear that this defense is a problem for several weeks now, but not many improvements have been made.
If I knew the answer, I wouldn’t be getting paid what I am to do what I do. Dan Lanning and Tosh Lupoi get paid a lot to do what they do. It’s about time they figured out a fix.
Stock Up: Jeffrey Bassa
Have a day, Jeffrey Bassa. Have a day.
Not only did the sophomore linebacker come away with a potential game-winning interception on the 1-yard line after a 98-yard drive from Washington, but he was also all over the field on Saturday, racking up stats and making his presence felt, finishing with 7 total tackles on the day.
We‘ve seen all year as Bassa grows into his own, finding a new role on the defense after moving around in his freshman season. It’s just nice to see him come up with big plays in big moments. His career in Eugene has been fun to watch, and his ceiling is very high.
Stock Down: Bo Nix
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I want to be clear on this one: I don’t necessarily think that Bo Nix saw his stock drop because of his play on Saturday, but I am aware of how people are now talking about the Ducks, and it’s clear that the Auburn transfer is no longer the talk of the town.
After the loss, Nix is now out of the Heisman Trophy race, despite throwing for 280 yards and 2 TD with no interceptions while adding 59 yards and 1 TD on the ground. His late-game injury arguably led to Oregon losing the game in the end, with the Ducks unable to recover. Not that it’s his fault, but with Oregon no longer in the CFP race, there’s no doubt that people aren’t as high on Nix as they were entering the game, fair or not.
