Dan Lanning on facing Washington: 'Our guys know exactly what this game means'

This weekend, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning will lead the Ducks into a hostile environment at Husky Stadium to take on rival Washington. It’s going to be an incredibly important game for both the Pac-12 and College Football Playoff race, and it’s between two rival schools.

Oregon lost this game last season, but Lanning isn’t using that as added motivation. Instead, ahead of the game, Lanning shared that the Ducks already know exactly what this game means.

“I don’t think it’s necessary,” Dan Lanning said. “Every one of our players knows exactly what this game means to them, personally, in that room and then also to everybody that’s a Duck fan. They want to win. When they step on the field, it doesn’t matter who we’re playing, they want to go out there and compete at a high level.”

Points are expected to be scored early and often in this game. Oregon and Washington are second and third, respectively, in the country in scoring offense, with the Ducks averaging 51.6 points per game while the Huskies average 46 points per game. Those offenses are a huge reason why both teams are unbeaten and sitting atop the Pac-12 standings.

Still, amid the tight Pac-12 race, not everyone believes in Oregon, with Joel Klatt calling the Ducks the middle child of the race, between USC and Washington.

“Don’t you think Oregon feels a little bit like the middle child? I think that they do,” Klatt said. “That’s why you saw what you saw from Dan Lanning [against Colorado]. He acted a little bit like my middle child, right? ‘Hey, look at us. We’re not in it for clicks. But, seriously, look at us, please.’ I mean, that was Oregon, and I get it.”

Oregon will be able to make a statement with a win on Saturday. Per FanDuel, Washington enters the game as a slight 3-point favorite at home in this game. ESPN College GameDay will also be on site for the game on Saturday.

Comparing Bo Nix and Michael Penix

One of the most interesting storylines going into the game between Oregon and Washington is the quarterback battle. Oregon’s Bo Nix and Washington’s Michael Penix are two of the most experienced and most talented signal callers in the country.

Ahead of the meeting, Scoop Duck’s Justin Hopkins compared the two quarterbacks, explaining that they’re doing a lot of different things from one another.

“They’re two completely different offenses,” Hopkins said. “Oregon does put up the passing numbers, but it’s more of an efficiency, right? It’s a lot shorter, screens and just simple patterns that keep the offense moving down the field. Whereas, Washington can break your back on a single play. They can chuck a seven-yarder on first down if they want to. It’s a different way of going about it.”