No. 3 Oregon football head coach Dan Lanning addressed the media following No. 7 Indiana’s win over the Ducks on Saturday at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon.
Lanning took some time postgame to speak with
Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti at midfield and complimented Indiana’s coaching throughout his postgame press conference.
“Certainly disappointed in the result,” Lanning said. “But we didn’t play well enough to go win that game and Indiana certainly did. A really well-coached team. They did a great job in this game. They had a great plan, they were able to create pressure throughout, we struggled on third down, struggled to protect the quarterback. Ultimately they were more prepared for us in this moment.”
The Hoosier defense, led by coordinator Bryant Haines, got consistent pressure on Ducks quarterback Dante Moore throughout the matchup. Moore completed 62% of his passes with one touchdown and two late-game interceptions and got sacked six times. Five different Hoosiers recorded at least one sack on Moore, with Aiden Fisher and Kellan Wyatt leading the way with 1.5 sacks apiece.
Lanning elaborated further when asked about Indiana’s ability to stop the run.
“They had hats and a loaded box,” Lanning said. “You look even at the interception at the end. You’re trying to throw an advantage RPO and you get a batted ball when they have a loaded box. They did a great job of creating that and turning that into an interception.“
Oregon gained a total of 81 yards on the ground on 30 attempts, good for just 2.7 yards per carry. The Ducks’ backs were able to find some success, but sack yardage and an inability to capitalize or get into the endzone held them back from making a dent in the game.
Offensively, Lanning was asked about Elijah Sarratt’s performance and how Oregon’s defensive backs performed against him. Sarratt pulled in eight catched for 121 and the go-ahead touchdown that ultimately won the game for Indiana.
“We were a little loose in coverage,” Lanning said. “He’s a really good wideout. Mendoza threw the ball really, really well to him and he was able to find it.”
