The Oregon Ducks are riding high off back-to-back wins over ranked opponents and are suddenly back in the hunt for spots in both the Big Ten title game and the College Football Playoff. However, the Ducks will need to avoid a letdown at home this week against the Michigan Wolverines.
Dan Lanning has the Oregon offense rolling with Jay Johnson as the play-caller, and Dylan Raiola's steady play and downfield aggressiveness have given the Ducks a chance to finish the season strong and sneak into the playoff field. A 41-28 victory on the road over Ohio State was the last major hurdle for the Ducks to clear, but the Wolverines have made changes this week in anticipation of a trip to Eugene.
Coming off a 15-6 loss at home to Michigan State, Michigan fired
offensive coordinator Jason Beck and reopened the quarterback competition in Ann Arbor between Bryce Underwood and Tommy Carr. The Wolverines' offense has been inept all season long, but some changes this week could make it a challenge to prepare for.
Oregon and Michigan have both played well defensively in recent weeks, meaning possessions and points could be at a premium on Saturday at Autzen Stadium. At his weekly press conference on Monday night, Lanning looked back on the win at Ohio State, addressed key injuries the Ducks are dealing with, and previewed this weekend's matchup with the Wolverines. Here is everything Lanning had to say before the Ducks host Michigan:
Opening Statement
Dan Lanning: "Fun game there in Columbus. Obviously had some ebbs and flows, but really got on a heater with our players and, I think, saw some of the things we're capable of doing as a team. Just challenged our team that I want to see that team continue to grow, but there were some versions of us that were the best versions of us on Saturday. Fun thing to be a part of. Our guys came back and attacked at work today. (We are) about to play a Michigan team that's had some struggles, but you also see some unbelievable personnel. We've had the opportunity to go against coach Whittingham before and see where they really show up. They've always been tough-nosed. You see physicality. Obviously, their defense is probably as good as any defense that we played this season. They're playing really, really well. They've done some good things on special teams, and yes, they've had some struggles on offense, obviously, and recently had the coordinator change, but you do see a lot of talent over there. You see some talent on the offensive line. You see skill positions that can do things, and you see some quarterbacks that present different challenges. So this will be a fun prep week for us, a great opportunity to get our fans back in Autzen Stadium and get to experience that atmosphere and let them know what playing at Autzen is all about. We haven't had Michigan here at Autzen since we joined the Big Ten, so this will be a fun experience for us, especially with the rivalries and the opportunities that get created by being in this conference. So excited for it, and our guys are prepping hard to go to work."
Opportunities to Improve
Question: "You kind of alluded to it, some stretches in that game where you really looked like a great version of yourselves. Also a couple of potential turnovers they might have come up with that could have swung things. How do you feel like guys have balanced the last couple days, appreciating that you continue to show some growth the last couple weeks, while also knowing there's still more to be had?"
DL: "Yeah, I think it's just that you're really open and honest and point out exactly the reality of, 'OK, this went really well. Why did it go really well? This didn't go well.' There were plays that were called multiple times in the game; one time it's a touchdown, one time it's a tackle for loss on offense. Same thing with defenses that are called in the game, but I really do feel like a lot of our mindset going into that game was just do your job. When our guys went out there and did their job, they did it at a really high level and looked as good as any team in the country."
First Down Trouble
Q: "You guys were really good on third-and-long in this game. Conversely, you struggled on first down, especially running the ball. Is that scheme? Is it execution? What can you do better to not get behind the chains so much on first down?"
DL: "Yeah, I think that's something for us to certainly look at and attack. Again, some of those moments were the same play call, and it worked on one down and didn't work on the other. That usually goes back to some execution or a little bit different looks here and there. We've got to be better in some of those moments, and some of the play style and what we were trying to do. Ohio State has a really good defense as well. So I think our answers on third down — we spent a lot of time on third-and-long this past week with our offense, and we were able to take advantage of it because of that time that we put in."
Polecat TD
Q: "Want to ask you about the touchdown right before half and why that was the right moment for that particular look, and then also Jamari as a ball carrier. Why was that a good fit?"
DL: "Obviously we've done some of the gate stuff in the past. That's a play that we've worked with our field goal unit since fall camp, and we knew we were going to utilize it as a gate play, so we put that in with our offense several weeks ago, and felt like that was a play that was going to be successful. It had a couple different options. You also have the ability to burn the timeout if you don't like the look right there, and you can take points. But we liked the look that we saw. He had taken snaps and done that QB sneak 50 times, at least, since August. Not necessarily with that exact same formation or the exact same personnel on the field, but several times the last few weeks, and our history against Ohio State, we've run gate against them multiple times, so we anticipated them trying to defend some of those different looks that we give them. We'd run outside runs. We'd done some different looks, but we hadn't done that, so we felt like there was a great chance it was going to be there and be available. When we saw the look, we knew it was going to be positive, and that's kind of our game on the line play from the 2-yard line and the 1-yard line, and it fit. It felt like that was a great time to take that chance and that opportunity."
Teitum Tuioti
Q: "The worry Saturday was if it was something serious for Teitum. Do you have an update there, and what can you say about what he means to the program?"
DL: "Teitum has been unbelievable for us this year, and every year that he's been here. Just watching him grow as a player and a person has been a lot of fun for us. But unfortunately, Teitum's done for the year. He had a knee injury. He'll end up having surgery. He's gonna have to wait for a little bit to let things settle down. I hate it for him, because it's kind of a routine, weird play that it happened on. He obviously was a huge impact in that game. You look at the fake punt and the impact that he's had on our team throughout the year. Normally I'd wait till Wednesday to talk about that, but probably not fair to him. So we'll see him walking around on crutches, and he left it on the line there on the field, man. I don't know if he'll get another chance to play as an Oregon football player, but whoever gets to have that guy on their team in the future is going to be really, really lucky."
Parity
Q: "You mentioned the struggles that Michigan is going through offensively. I feel like a lot of teams have dealt with some challenges, especially on the offensive side. You mentioned post-game where you guys were just two weeks ago, and the changes that you guys have made, the growth that you've made. I feel like those challenges for teams have created more parity across the board. What do you attribute the parity in college football to this season?"
DL: "I'm not sure what you're saying. Are you saying the coordinator changes have created the parity or what?"
Q: "I'm asking what you can attribute to the parity, because I feel like we always talk about how the college football season has a lot of parity in it, but I feel like this season we've seen more parity than usual. I'm curious if you have that same perspective and what you attribute the parity to."
DL: "I mean, 10 years ago, some of the best teams in college football had great players stacked, and there wasn't the opportunity for those players necessarily to go somewhere else. Now I think with NIL and some of the things that happen with the portal, there are a lot of transactions that happen each season, and guys that are good players aren't necessarily stacked in depth behind other good players on rosters. That's hard. We're fortunate to have a really good roster here, but there's transition every year, and I think what you see is more guys that would have been a really good two here, now they go somewhere else and they become a one, and then they develop and grow as a player, and they become really good players. I think that part of it is the distribution of talent is higher now than it's ever been. I think that's definitely one piece of the parity. The reality of playing in the conference that we're in is it looks a lot different than it did five years ago, 10 years ago. This is a really challenging conference. There are other challenging conferences in college football; they're big, and every week it's a talented team that you're playing against that has good coaches, and they have good players, and that makes it a real challenge."
Michigan's QBs
Q: "You guys have had to prep for multiple quarterbacks before, but what makes (Michigan's) two quarterbacks different?"
DL: "Yeah, there are some things that are similar, and then some things that are different. Obviously, more recently, I think if you look at it, it's about who's protecting the ball better. Bryce, the strength of his arm and as a running threat is unique, but they both operate similarly. The offense (doesn't) completely change based on which guy's in the game, right? There's still some similarities in what they do now. Will it change now moving forward? That's where we have to go back and evaluate some of our Utah games. Coach Harding's been with coach Whittingham for a long, long time, so I think there's going to be some high-identity plays that probably show up based on what he's done in his history. You've got to evaluate our games. They also have a coach on staff there that's going to have some involvement, that's been at Syracuse, so you go back and look at that. But when you look at the quarterbacks, there's some similar pieces to what they both do. Just some small variances and differences."
Jeremiah McClellan
Q: "J-Mac played a little bit in this game. What have you seen from him more as a person than as a player over these past two weeks as he's battled back from the injury and tried to get back to the player he was before going down?"
DL: "Yeah, I mean, just unbelievable resilience to return as fast as he could. It's always hard to level expectations because he wanted more than anything to be in as much as he could. He worked really, really hard to put himself in a position to get back, but I knew early in the week, like, 'Hey man, we need you not just for one, we need you for several.' So this could be — this is a build-up process, and you don't go from not playing any football at all to going to play at a really high level for a lot of snaps. When he was in there, he did a really good job. Sometimes he's open. I wish we could have been able to find him, but I think his leadership continues to show up. His work ethic continues to show up, and obviously he's a big piece of our offense and a dynamic piece. So, excited to have him back out there."
Replacing Tuioti
Q: "Obviously, you don't replace someone like Teitum with one player. Nasir (Wyatt) is a name that will come up. But is there anybody else? What's the plan for working without Teitum?"
DL: "I wouldn't necessarily share everybody that's going to be involved in that, but obviously Nas will step up. He's a guy that's been out there for us already, but there will be some moving parts. It'll look a little bit different. There's already been a rotation along our defensive line, so I think you'll see a lot of the familiar faces. But you don't just replace a guy like Teitum Tuioti and his experience and what he's been able to do."
Expanded Playoff
Q: "Obviously, a 24-team playoff became official today. Just your thoughts on it in this moment, and then speaking to the parity that you were talking about earlier, do you feel like that parity might make a good argument for an expanded playoff?"
DL: "Yeah, not a lot of new thoughts. I mean, I think this is something the coaches have known is coming down the wire here for a little bit, so no new thoughts really on it. I do think that it's getting closer and closer to a normal playoff model in other sports, where the challenge is — we're certainly not the same team we were when we started the season, right? We've experienced some adversity, we've seen some different players on the field, we've gone through some coaching transition, but if the goal is to be able to get teams that are capable of winning at the end, I think that it allows a team like ourselves, where you can say, 'OK, the best team could be in there potentially and have a chance to go compete.' So I think you'll see some more of that. We saw it last year with Miami; they experienced a couple of losses, and they started playing their best football toward the end of the season and got all the way to the national championship. So it's gonna provide some unique opportunities. The questions about who's in, who's not in, that's just gonna exist now at a higher level of who's 20, who's 25, who's 26, who's 27. Every time the mark moves, that's always the conversation, and that'll happen again. But certainly there'll be some really quality teams playing, and obviously the loss of the conference championship games is going to be unique and sad in some respects because that's always a really awesome game to be a part of. But in reality, it's almost a punishment for those teams that are playing in it because they're playing football when nobody else is. So it certainly makes sense with the landscape of college football and what it's like right now."
Kyle Whittingham
Q: "Before Kyle got to Michigan, there was a lot going on in that program. You said that you've known him for a few years, gone against him before. How have you seen him handle everything that's going on this year and the ups and downs of this year and help that program get back to level ground?"
DL: "I haven't really been able to pay much attention to him until this week. So, I don't know. I know he's a Hall of Fame coach for a reason, and he's won a lot of football games. I've been worried about my own problems, not really paying attention to his. I know he does a great job. I'm sure they'll be prepared to play us."
Conference Championships
Q: "You touched on it, just the removal of the conference championship. Do you feel that this is the right move to remove conference championships?"
DL: "I think it's a necessary evil. Like I said, I like that game. I would love for it to be a part, but I don't think it's fair necessarily to the teams. We experienced it a couple years ago. We're playing a conference championship, and everybody else is able to relax on their couch, and then we go almost a month without. I think the thing that I've always said is the game should be played in sequence, very similar to the NFL playoffs or any other playoff model. So there's still a lot to college football. I think it has to get better, but I do think if you're going to expand the games to 24 teams, then that's going to be part of what is missing."
Michigan's Offense
Q: "Does Michigan's change at offensive coordinator change much for how you prepare for their offense?"
DL: "Yeah, it just makes you do a little bit of a deeper dive. Like I said, when you're trying to look to say, 'OK, what else could they pull out?' I think you know one thing you recognize about changes in college football is teams that have done that, experienced that recently, they've kind of had a resurgence on offense. I mean, whether it's a coaching change, there are several programs. I showed that to our players today. Here are programs that made changes at head coach or coordinator this season, and here's what the next week looked like or the next two weeks looked like. We've seen a lot of those teams have a lot of success. Sometimes that's not just because of a change. But there's a spark that's sometimes lit when those things happen. So we anticipate seeing their absolute best, and then we're going to have to chase ghosts a little bit and look for every answer that we might be able to find based on what might be different."
Offensive Line
Q: "Just wondering if you could speak to the offensive line development and the sort of consistency that you've seen. Obviously, the continuity is there, but this last week in particular felt like a kind of even bigger breakthrough for that group."
DL: "Yeah, we've always felt games like that one, the rushing battle is really important. The way they're able to protect the quarterback, I think that's one of the glaring differences in that game. I know there was some chunk yardage at the end of the game that was a little different because of how we were playing defense, but ultimately, I think they rushed for like 54 yards, and we were over 100, and I think that speaks to our offense. That's a really hard front to be able to run on. We were able to protect the quarterback, and again, some of that's scheme variance, and then some of it's the way we call the game. To be able to build screens off of some of their pressures, and so all those things allow the O-line to be able to shine and have a lot of success. So I think all those things come together, and then those guys having continuity playing together, building more confidence in the calls that you're making with the guy next to you, like that, that's going to create a rhythm and allow them to perform."
Trenches
Q: "I'm curious because the matchup with Michigan and what they have on that front, how is that a measuring stick? We talk about the continuity, a couple good performances, but this is a really tough group right here."
DL: "Yeah, it's as good up front as we've seen, right? There's a lot of NFL players on that defense in general, but this group, they do an unbelievable job, and it's a pressure-oriented group, from a standpoint of they're going to give you a lot. They pitch a lot of different looks. (Michigan defensive coordinator Jay Hill) has done an unbelievable job there of creating some real disruption and havoc with what they do up front, and then they play tight coverage in the back end. So there's a reason that they've had so much success defensively. It'll be a real challenge for our offensive line."
Limiting Missed Tackles
Q: "Your defense has at this point the lowest rate of missed tackles in the country. To get to that point from where you guys were at Oklahoma State, what do you attribute that to?"
DL: "What were we ranked then?"
Q: "I'm not sure, but probably not in that range."
DL: "Get better. Growth, right? Just a lot of work, a lot of practice. Guys taking it seriously on how they have to attack and improve. And look, that's just a sample of the previous games, right? This next game's a separate indicator, so we have to tackle well again. I know all that said, I saw some missed tackles this last game for us, so we can continue to get better there."
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Everything Dan Lanning said before Oregon hosts Michigan
