The entire Oregon Ducks program has faced an avalanche of criticism since their 17-15 loss to the UCLA Bruins on Saturday, and rightfully so. It's simply not the standard that the program has set for itself.
As a result, fans and media have been on their you-know-what. The product on the field in 2026 for the Ducks hasn't been up to the standard that the fans expect as they routinely pack Autzen Stadium. The media, oftentimes given a pass from asking hard-hitting questions thanks to a number of blowout victories in recent seasons, is doing their job in trying to find answers for why the Ducks are 3-2 and find themselves unranked despite world-class facilities and a $50 million roster.
One of the hardest-hitting questions that is on the minds of both
the fans and media is of the offensive play-calling spot. Offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer has made the calls through five games, leading Oregon to the 46th-ranked scoring offense while ranking 114th in rushing yards when taking away a contest against FCS Portland State.
Mehringer has called plays only one time before, orchestrating the lowest scoring offense (12.4 points per game) in 2016 with the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. He was 28 years old then, and has had a decade of growing at Texas, Florida Atlantic and New Mexico, including four seasons at Oregon.
But it's just not been good enough — not even close. There are other things to point to as far as individual play needing to improve, but at the end of the day, the offense belongs to Mehringer.
During Monday's press conference, head coach Dan Lanning spoke on potential changes that could come at the play-caller spot.
"We continue to assess every evaluation or every piece that shows up on the field and how we can improve it," Lanning said. "And that doesn't mean you throw out the baby with the bathwater necessarily in every situation. Solving problems is about what do you have as resources to solve those problems and the ability to do that, and that's my job. I'm gonna work extremely hard to do it. Will we do everything exactly the same? Absolutely not. Do I think there's any merit or value for me sharing transparency to fans on what that looks like? No, because they're not part of the winning process. But they are part of that atmosphere that we have, and I love our fans. I hope they respect that, but I don't want it."
Fans aren't entitled to know the ins and outs of the Oregon program. That's not a question, and it's certainly understandable. But it's fair to wonder if the secrecy that Lanning has conducted around injuries, discipline on members of the coaching staff and this very play-calling question is beginning to grow thin with supporters — which is also an understandable stance to have.
Lanning continued, reasoning that not revealing the offensive changes isn't just to keep the fans out of the loop but to have a competitive advantage over opponents.
"On the same note, I don't want to create any advantage for any other team that we have operating," he said. "And at the end of the day, I have to answer for wins and losses. If I thought telling the fans would help me win, then I'd tell them. But I don't think it helps me win. It's all about how do we win, and that's what I'm focused on."
Winning is everything in college football, and Lanning has done it. His way of coaching works, quickly establishing himself as one of the top young coaches in college football and a consistant target for future NFL organizations. But in a time when coaches around the country are more open than ever on player availability, coaching changes, etc., why does Lanning lag behind? Why is Jamari Johnson's injury and absence against Oklahoma State being officially announced only when the ESPN broadcast spots him without pads on the sideline?
"Everything's being evaluated. I wouldn't reveal anything that we would do different," Lanning continued. "Doesn't give us any advantage from that standpoint. But there's a lot of pieces. It's really easy to point in one spot. I'd say that we — I wear it. Our whole staff wears it. Our whole team wears it. Every one of us has opportunities to improve. But yeah, there's going to be some changes. There's going to be some differences in the way that we operate and what we do, and there already is in the way we've operated this week. But as far as revealing how we'll do that, what things will look like, I'm not going to share that with you guys."
The script remains the same for Lanning and the Oregon program. And why would it change, from their perspective? Lanning won 48 games in his first four seasons and led the Ducks to the College Football Playoff Semifinal in 2025. He's a proven winner with a proven way of doing things.
But if it begins to really go south and the Ducks have a 7-5 or 6-6 season, a la 2025 Penn State, how will that script sound to fans, and more importantly, donors who fund the Oregon program to be what it is?
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon evaluating play-calling, staff changes after UCLA loss
