Dan Lanning explains why he looked back at field after Pac-12 Championship loss

Before exiting the field at Allegiant Stadium last weekend after losing in the Pac-12 Championship game to Washington 34-31, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning took a second to look back at the field before consoling his team in the locker room.

Lanning was asked about why he chose to scan the field on last time, and fittingly gave a heartfelt answer about the love and passion he has for his team and program.

“Just thinking about our players. I just want to be around our players, let them know how proud I am of them. Grab a couple guys,” Lanning said. “There’s disappointment in that locker room because of how hard these guys worked. I haven’t been around a team that works this hard. I hurt for them because I wanted them to have this one.

“Again, credit to Washington. They earned it, deserved it, played a four-quarter game. We probably played the last three quarters. We didn’t start off very well in the first quarter.”

What was even more heartbreaking for Oregon fans was the visible dejection on the face of their star quarterback, Bo Nix. He was also hesitant to leave the field, and sat on the bench with a towel over his head in the moments following the final whistle.

Despite falling short of the Ducks’ ultimate goal, Nix was named as a Heisman Trophy finalist alongside Washington‘s Michael Penix Jr., Ohio State‘s Marvin Harrison Jr. and LSU‘s Jayden Daniels. This season alone, he’s thrown for 4,145 yards and 40 touchdowns on a 77% completing percentage — but that’s just a fraction for what he’s accomplished during his five-year collegiate career.

Through his three seasons at Auburn and two at Oregon, Nix’s 60 career starts are the most ever by a collegiate quarterback in NCAA history. Since transferring from the SEC — Nix has only lost five games as a Duck, including two this season to the Huskies.

Nix has already announced that he will playing in Oregon’s Fiesta Bowl vs. the undefeated (13-0) Liberty Flames, who were the highest-ranked Group of Five team in the final College Football Rankings and earning them a shot at the Ducks in a New Year’s Six setting.

The VRBO Fiesta Bowl between Oregon and Liberty is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 1 inside State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The Ducks have opened as as 16-point betting favorites over the Flames, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, and the over/under total is set at 65.5 points.