Dan Lanning criticizes special teams performance following scrimmage

After Oregon held a scrimmage this week, Dan Lanning had some critical comments about the Ducks’ special teams. He didn’t exactly point fingers, though.

Lanning, who’s getting ready for his first season as Oregon head coach, said he wants to see more out of his special teams unit from a “performance standpoint.” However, he said that could come with time. After all, there’s only so much you can do on special teams during a scrimmage without taking up too much time.

That said, he thinks there’s room for improvement. And he’s expecting that to happen.

“Clean from an operation standpoint. Performance standpoint really has to hit another level,” Lanning said. “Personally, I don’t want to go out there and run 50 reps a punt and kick the ball and we’re having guys cover the field every single time. So, you’re limited reps. It’s not like where you get to go run inside zone 15 times. I thought the execution was fine. I thought the performance could’ve been a lot higher.”

Dan Lanning reveals what defenders need to step up to make his scheme work

Dan Lanning is hoping to carry his success with Georgia‘s defense into his first season at Oregon. After developing the Bulldogs into a defensive juggernaut, Lanning revealed what defenders need to step up to make his scheme work with the Ducks.

According to Lanning, finding ways to make ‘havoc plays’ are what will bring success to his defense.

“I wouldn’t say we’re singling out one guy,” stated Lanning. “The key for me is, how can we figure out a way to do that with our linebackers? How can we do it with our outside linebackers, how can we do it with defensive backs? And the way you do that is you’re really multiple.

“You have plays where you can blitz your linebackers at times. Have plays where you can blitz a corner, or a safety. Bring different guys and get them involved in the backfield if you want to create a tackle for loss. You know, there’s a lot of guys right now that I’d say, I don’t know if one person is separating themselves.”