ESPN analysts rip Dan Lanning for fourth down decision to end 1st half

As Oregon trailed Washington 22-18 in the final seconds of the first half, Dan Lanning made the decision to go for it to try and get a touchdown rather than a field goal. It was an aggressive decision, which Lanning admitted to Holly Rowe on his way to the locker room, but Bo Nix’s pass was tipped away to end the second quarter.

As the ESPN halftime show got started, analysts Booger McFarland and Dan Orlovsky understood why Lanning decided to go for it. Oregon got the ball to start the second half, meaning the Ducks could go back-to-back possessions with a touchdown.

However, McFarland’s big issue was the play call, which he said fell apart right away.

“The reason I said go for it, you haven’t stopped Washington all day,” McFarland said. “I mean, Michael Penix has almost 200 yards passing, and you have the momentum. Field goals aren’t going to win this football game. Go for the touchdown. As soon as the play was snapped, I hated it. I hate sprint outs because it’s such an either-or play. … As soon as he’s late, the play’s over. There is no secondary play.

“There’s nothing else that Bo Nix can do. When you call this play … that ball’s got to go to the front pylon. Once he doesn’t throw that, now the play’s over. So you waste an opportunity. Love the aggressiveness by Dan Lanning and Oregon. Hate the play call.”

Orlovsky was more in favor of kicking a field goal to make it a one-point game heading into halftime because Oregon will take the second-half kickoff. The thinking there is by getting points, it’s a higher possibility of scoring instead of trying to take the lead.

But he also noted what went wrong on the play call.

“I totally agree with Booger in regards to the operation by Bo Nix,” Orlovsky said. “I thought the field goal, but once you see that receiver, it’s called a fade front pylon. Once you see the receiver drop his hips, especially fourth and go, Bo Nix has got to cut that ball loose to the front pylon. It’s either caught or it’s incomplete.”

Lanning has been aggressive all year on fourth downs and hasn’t shied away from that. He wasn’t going to change given the nature of Saturday’s game, which featured two rivals ranked in the top 10 and included two Heisman Trophy contenders.

“We’re an aggressive team,” Lanning said. “We’re gonna go play to win the game. We’ve got an opportunity to get a touchdown. We know that’s a big swing for us.”