Changes are being made this week, and Dan Lanning isn't shying away from them.
The Oregon Ducks are still reeling from yet another ugly offensive performance in a 21-10 road loss to Illinois. That turned out to be the final straw for offensive coordinator Drew Mehringer, who was fired on Sunday after three straight games with less than 20 points.
Returning home, the Ducks will host the surging Northwestern Wildcats on Halloween afternoon. Northwestern enters with a surprising 5-1 record, a stellar running game, and an improving quarterback in Aidan Chiles, all led by offensive coordinator and old friend Chip Kelly. As Oregon's offense battles through change and searches for a spark, the Ducks will get an up-close look at a steady offense that
generates explosive plays on the ground.
Lanning opened up on the test Northwestern presents this week, as well as detailing his decision to move on from Mehringer, who will call plays moving forward, and the status of Dante Moore at his weekly press conference with the local media. He also discussed what needs to change for the Ducks moving forward, with their playoff hopes likely gone, and who the Ducks might be getting back in the lineup this week.
Here is everything Lanning had to say on Monday before the Ducks host Northwestern:
Opening Statement
Dan Lanning: "After you go back and evaluate the game, obviously it's frustrating not to be able to have success. There are moments where we played well and did some things really well, but not consistently enough. That obviously bit us. And again, credit to Illinois and the job that they did. But we have to be more efficient. Obviously, that leads to tough decisions in an organization. I felt like we needed a change on offense. Certainly grateful for Drew and all his contributions. There were plays out there to be made where it wasn't the play call that was the reason it wasn't effective. But ultimately, you're looking for a spark and an opportunity to make sure that you can salvage and have some success this season. So we made a change there. Drew's done an unbelievable job here for a long time. He's a phenomenal coach, and it just didn't work out.
"That being said, we're about to play a really good Northwestern team. They're playing complete football. What they do on offense; it's almost like they have three different offenses and the way they operate. They're running the ball extremely effectively. Their quarterback is playing at a really high level, extremely efficient. He completes the ball on the field; he has legs. This will be the third time that we've actually faced him with different teams. But he is playing really good football. Their players play extremely hard. When you watch them on defense, they're really stingy in the red area. They do a good job of being assignment sound. It's one of the sounder teams when you watch them in college football. There are no places where you can say, "OK, here exists a big play." They do a great job defending explosives, and they play very physical. So that shows up continually for them, and there's a reason that they've had the success that they've had this season. So it'll be a real challenge for our guys, especially with what they do. The variety that they provide on offense and the way that Coach Braun has his guys playing as a whole is really impressive."
Offensive Changes
Question: Given the staff changes, what can you share about the way the operation looks going forward?
DL: "Jay Johnson's been here on our staff. He has a lot of experience as a play-caller. He was with me at Georgia when we were part of a national championship team. He went on to have a lot of success at Colorado and Michigan State. He's going to head the efforts there with the offensive staff, but it'll still be a collaborative effort with a lot of the work that we do. He's also coming in with a different perspective, a different view. Not being with us the last few years, he can provide a couple things that might be different than what we've done, that I think can trigger some success for us on that side of the ball."
Timing of Change
Q: Dan, you said earlier this year that there wasn't benefit going public with internal changes, which is totally understandable. What made now the right time to do something publicly?
DL: "That's not necessarily what I was speaking toward earlier. I think I said it wasn't beneficial to say what the changes are that we've made. This one, it's obviously the world knows the changes that we've made, if that makes sense. We've made changes internally before, right? But it wasn't necessarily reflective to anybody else. The change is now Drew's not with our program anymore."
Q: I'm just curious what made that what made it beneficial for you to announce that publicly this time, with him not being here, instead of the changes that you made before that were internal?
DL: "I'm not sure if I completely understand the question, but I guess what I'm saying is Drew was still calling our offenses last week, but there were changes in the way we were operating. Drew is not calling our offense anymore, and I think that for us to move forward, it was best for us to move forward in this way."
Drew Mehringer
Q: When did you come to that decision? What was the conversation like with Drew?
DL: "Every decision you make as a head coach, you're always trying to have your eyes a little bit forward, and you think about scenarios, how to play out the way things are happening. I mean, it's something that certainly was on my radar before. It's something that I wanted to make sure I gave our staff and our team every opportunity to have success. If there was an opportunity for us to be able to have success, I mean, it's the same offense that you saw run or take to take the ball down 70 yards and create a scoring drive on the very first series. I think if you saw more of that, I think it shows that we're really close. But this is a game of inches, and ultimately, I felt like we needed to be able to develop more consistency there. This gave us a spark and an opportunity to be able to do that. That being said, it's something that's on your mind as a coach every single day you step into this building, or when you leave this building, you're always thinking about how can you improve, how can you do better, and making sure you have a plan for all scenarios."
Identity
Q: What are you hoping the identity of this offense is over the final five weeks?
DL: "A team that can stay on schedule. We have to be better on third down. Obviously, that's something that's shown up. We have to be able to run the ball. We did that much more effectively in the last game. I think we found some things with our rotation inside on the offensive line. I think it starts there. We've been really successful with runs, play-action passes, right? Getting the ball to our playmakers. I think those things have to show up, and then we'd like to be able to be more effective in the way we push the ball down the field, which hasn't shown up yet this year for us. But that's something we have to be able to do."
Player Response
Q: How have the players responded to this news? Did you have to have a team meeting to announce the change?
DL: "I always communicate with our players when situations happen, and I think at the same time there's disappointment because they realize — everyone else sees Drew and our offensive staff. They see the football coach, right? That's also an unbelievable dad, a great husband, a guy that's been part of our staff for the last five years that's done some really good things here. I think all of us feel like, 'Wait, we shoulder some of the blame because we didn't create success for our team this season.' But yeah, absolutely shared with the players. Really talk to our guys about creating value. You're either creating value for yourself in this team, or you're not. The only thing that you have as a decision in my mind is how can I continue to create value and make this team better, to make yourself better. If everybody finds a little bit of value that they can create themselves collectively, that's going to make us much better as a group."
Dante Moore
Q: I know he's been cleared to practice with you guys the last couple of weeks, but is Dante cleared to play? Do you foresee him playing for you guys at any point the rest of the season?
DL: "Yeah, really got clarity for us this past week. For him, and I think if it was up to Dante in any way, he would want to be out there playing for the guys. But unfortunately, it's not really up to Dante; it's not really up to me. We can control the setting at practice where he's able to do things for us, where that's not always the case in the game. We said before that this is a serious deal that he'll 100% be able to make a full recovery from. That hasn't changed. Definitely feel that way. But for him to be out there on the field for us right now, that's not going to happen. He's communicated that to some of his teammates. Obviously, that's made news a little bit today. We'd love to have Dante out there. He's still going to be a big part of this team and helping us move forward, finding opportunities for us to be better. I can tell you we're getting one of the best scout team quarterback looks every single week in practice, and he looks good out there. But there's a reality that I'm not a professional to be able to recognize, and even Dante, in some senses, he can't take advantage of situations because it's out of our territory."
Q: Just clarifying, so he's not going to play the rest of the season?
DL: "I'm not anticipating him being back this season, no."
Tempo Offense
Q: Dylan Raiola talked about the offense being in tempo and it working, and then huddling back up and slowing down the tempo a little bit. Is that an area that can be something that Jay can focus on?
DL: "Yeah, I think all avenues are going to be explored. Again, I think that's the idea of having like a fresh face that's able to look at it and kind of take back a deeper picture, a further view from, 'OK, what's been successful and what hasn't?' It's something we've evaluated throughout as well, but there's also acknowledgement that some of our personnel groups have changed, and when you have to change personnel groups, then that changes. When you're down some players, it looks a little bit different when you're changing that. You lose some rhythm because of that. What jobs are you asking guys to do? So all those things contribute, but that certainly can be something we'll evaluate."
Motivation
Q: How do you keep players focused and motivated when some of the goals they started the season with are out of reach now?
DL: "I think it goes back to outcome-based goals are not necessarily great goals. Growth is a great goal, and that's what I think that we redirect our guys to: you have an opportunity to improve and get better, and it's going to pay dividends for you. If not this season, it's going to pay dividends for you in life. How you respond to adversity, how you attack it, and there's still an opportunity for you to improve if you want to have a future in football, or just a future in life when you deal with those moments. So that's where we try to put our focus."
Outside Help
Q: We've seen coaches in the past, Nick Saban being one of them, bring in veteran eyes to the program mid-season to kind of just give a new look at things. Is that something you'd consider, and you guys are open to this year?
DL: "Yeah, in some ways, it's something we've done too. It's just not something that you guys would necessarily know about. The great thing about today's technology is there's the ability to Zoom, evaluate film from a distance, right? Put different eyes and perspectives on some of the stuff that we've done."
Dante Moore Sitting Out
Q: Just clarifying what you said on Dante: obviously, there are medical reasons why he is choosing to not play—
DL: "He's not choosing. I can't go into great detail about it other than it's bigger than what we can say. Now I do know, like I said, that he's going to be 100% recovered, be able to be an effective player in the future. But this isn't like a selfish decision on Dante's part, saying 'I don't want to come back. The season doesn't look like the way I want it to look.' That's not at all what this is."
Q: Speaking to that, what have those conversations been like with him? How difficult has it been for him knowing the competitor that he is?
DL: "It's tough, man. It's tough. It's not that you never step out on the football field in the middle of a game playing and then anticipate that you're not going to get the opportunity to be able to continue to do that right now. In this season, in the way it is, it's tough. But he's handled it really well."
Dante's Future
Q: It's probably maybe too early, but is it possible he plays next year at Oregon?
DL: "That's not fair for me to say or speculate. Obviously, he'll have a decision again at the end of the season of what that looks like. I think we all can acknowledge that Dante's a great player, and he'll get the opportunity to be drafted. But what that looks like in the future, I think that's a decision for a later date. I don't know where his mind's at on that. We haven't had that conversation. That's not where my focus is at, or his. I don't think that's where his focus is at right now. There's a reason you get time to be able to make that decision."
Quarterbacks
Q: Without Dante, what do you need from that quarterback position right now that you haven't been getting these last three, four weeks?
DL: "Consistency. We've got to be able to make sure that we can help create consistency with play calls. We've been a really good quarterback room off the bench. We haven't been a very good quarterback room consistently at the start of games. Probably finding out why that is. In the last game, again, we did start off really well, and we just didn't finish well. But I think we have to find the rhythm that we can, and we need competition at that position as well as other positions on the field. There are some spots that guys are playing at the level that we need to be able to play to play winning football, and then there are some spots where we've got to take a step up and step up a notch. But there's so much external pressure on that position specifically because everything on offense runs through that position. So, does that mean that we simplify? Does that mean that we make things really clear and concise? Some of those moments I think are happening. We've just got to be able to operate a little bit better, but it has to happen on the field. We have guys that are capable for us to be able to have success on the field. We're not the only team in the country that is playing with a different quarterback, right? So we have to be able to do that at a high level. I think we have guys that can do that. We have to make sure as coaches we put them in position to do that."
Akili Smith Jr.
Q: You mentioned you need more competition at that position. Where does Akili fit, and with the season how it's going, does that open up the door for him?
DL: "There's 100% an opportunity. You want to see it in practice before it translates to the game, and things have to look a little bit different. For what his game fits and how he does it, he's grown, and you guys don't necessarily get to see that every single day when you're out there, because you don't get to see every single day of practice, and because it doesn't show up on the game field all the time, doesn't mean that he's not growing. So he is. I think he has a lot of value. His arm strength, some of the best in that room. He's able to do some things with his legs. He's become a much better player for us. We need a level of consistency from him throughout practice. Again, I think we all recognize that there are moments where we're playing really good defense this year. We have to make sure that we have a chance to be successful in the game because we're protecting the ball well and doing that. That's every quarterback. That's not just Akili. That position has to do a great job of controlling the ball."
OC Search
Q: In terms of the coordinator search, is there a timeline on that? Obviously, you've got many other things on your plate right now. But with recruiting and the transfer portal and the end of the season, is there a certain timeline of when you'd like to have a decision or at least some top candidates by?
DL: "Yeah, I don't. I don't think that an announcement is, and you know, it's going to happen right around the corner. To again think that you're not always preparing for moments like that, I think would be wrong too. So there's an awareness, there's an evaluation process. You want to be really thorough as you go through that. Is that going to be occurring over the next few weeks, months? Yes. Does that mean that we make an announcement tomorrow? It just doesn't really fit with the cycle of football to say that that's going to happen here in a week. There are other things that our team needs to be focused on right now. But to say that there's not an awareness of what's going on in college football, NFL, other teams, places that can make us better, that'd be wrong. There's certainly some of that evaluation that's going on."
Pillars of Offense
Q: It seems like one of the benefits of promoting Drew was keeping some of the pillars of this offense from the last couple years. Given how the season's gone, do you expect those pillars to change at all going forward?
DL: "What pillars specifically?"
Q: I don't know specifics, but it seemed like that was a value in promoting from within over bringing in an outside voice or whatever happens next. Do you expect the way this offense operates to change significantly?
DL: "Well, I think ultimately the DNA traits of what you want the offense to be still has to fit right with who we've been philosophically here. A team that can run the ball, play-action passing game, right? The ability to get the ball to playmakers. That's got to be something that's a piece to say that the terminology is all the same. That's not necessarily the case. A lot of times, I always feel like it is easier for a coach. When Will came in, we didn't change our terminology for when Will came in. That doesn't mean that it wouldn't or couldn't. Did some things change? Yes, but a lot of the formations were still the same. What plays were called were still the same. So I don't know if that's specifically what you're asking, but that would be an evaluation."
Mentors
Q: This is obviously a new level of adversity for you as a head coach. The way that this season has gone, who are some of the people that you leaned on in this moment, whether they be mentors or others in your life that have helped you sort of navigate that?
DL: "The same people that any of us would, right? Coaches that I've worked with in the past, there's been some conversations, but again, your head's down a lot during the season, and you work, and we get an opportunity to check in and ask for some advice or how situations will be handled. A lot of times, you've got to see that firsthand because you've experienced it at another place. So, there have been conversations, there have been opportunities for that, but we'll continue to find opportunities to improve."
Salvaging the Season
Q: I believe in your opening statement you used the phrase "salvage the season." From your perspective, what does a salvaged season look like? Especially with two top-25 games and five games left in the season, what does salvage look like?
DL: "Yeah, it's probably an unfair word for me to say. The reality is it's about winning today. It's like, 'Let's go be the best version of us today,' and it's about again what I said earlier about creating value. How do we create value for each individual on our team and create value for our team and recognize there's a lot to play for? College football has looked a lot different. I think for a lot of programs this season, there is no script. I think that's very clear. So you've got to go out there and play every single week. Northwestern is obviously an unbelievable team. Our schedule is not going to get any easier as it moves forward. We want to go be the best version of us, and if that doesn't lead to success, that's OK. As long as we gave our best effort to be the best version of us, and we didn't beat ourselves. There have been moments this year where we beat ourselves, right? Again, haven't necessarily matched the identity of what we've had in the past. There were moments in this last game where, on fourth-and-one, I wouldn't blink, and we'd be going for those in the past. We're playing good defense. We have to be able to get back to, in a lot of ways, who we are, but also recognize that we have to have success for those opportunities to come."
Na'eem Offord
Q: Correct me if I'm wrong: I don't think Na'eem played much in the second half. Was that performance?
DL: "Yeah, he's a little banged up. He's going to be fine, though."
Wide Receiver Depth
Q: How do you feel like Hudson, Gatlin and Iverson performed when their number was called in a big way, and they had to produce? How do you feel like those three guys handled that moment?
DL: "Some moments good, some moments not. But I think in all, you don't get a lot of reps and it's tough in those moments. I think 45% of our snaps on Saturday were from first- or second-year players, which is a great indication of 'OK, there's a bright future with some of the guys that we have out there.' But you've gotta grow up quick when those moments happen when you're down some people, and they did some good things, but there are also some things at every position that have to be corrected and have to get better."
Chip Kelly
Q: Chip Kelly is obviously a familiar name here. You've faced him several times. I'm curious if there are things that you see on tape with the Northwestern offense that are maybe somewhat similar to what you saw with Ohio State. Obviously, different teams, different personnel. But as far as schematic-wise?
DL: "I think that the great thing about Chip is he always does an unbelievable job of utilizing his personnel and finding things that they do at a really high level. So there are things you're seeing at Northwestern now that they haven't done in the past anywhere that he's been, and then there are wrinkles that are like, 'OK, that's a Chip play. That's an identity play that he's kind of always carried in his future or in his past.' So you see a little bit of elements of both. It's like I kind of described before. It's almost like you're playing three different offenses. The new wrinkles that he has at Northwestern, some of the old flavor that he has that he's carried all the way to his time back here at Oregon. There's always going to be something new when you walk into a game that it's going to be like he's never put this on film. He might not know how you're going to line up against it, and you have to figure it out there within the rules of your defense and how you execute."
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Everything Dan Lanning said following Drew Mehringer, Dante Moore news
