Dan Lanning: Oregon has 'done an unbelievable job of adapting to the landscape of college football'

Oregon is at the center of the college football universe this weekend, as the Ducks will welcome the Ohio State Buckeyes to town.

With that, there’s a ton of pomp and circumstance, including ESPN’s College GameDay coming to town. Speaking with Pat McAfee via his namesake show on Friday afternoon, Oregon coach Dan Lanning explained how it all signals where the Ducks stand in college football at the moment, and how high they can rise.

“You want to be a part of a place that’s innovative, that’s on the cutting edge, that’s always looking for ways to grow, and that’s what Oregon is,” Lanning told McAfee. “You want to have the best of the best when it comes to players, when it comes to talent, when it comes to people, and certainly when it comes to facilities.

“So proud that Oregon is on the cutting edge there. … “Adapt or die, right? When you talk about Oregon, they’ve done an unbelievable job of adapting to the landscape of college football, but also making sure that you can’t lose sight of taking care of your players, doing a great job of making their experience here elite, and Oregon does that.”

Since arriving in Eugene a bit of an unknown, Dan Lanning has been incredible for the Ducks, helping Oregon establish dominance over the last couple of seasons. Entering arguably his biggest regular season game yet with the program, it’ll be fascinating to see if they can defeat their freshly-minted Big Ten rival, and give themselves a leg up in the conference moving forward.

Dan Lanning looks ahead to facing Chip Kelly’s Ohio State offense

Meanwhile, Ohio State offensive coordinator and play-caller Chip Kelly has returned to Autzen Stadium before. When he was coaching UCLA, he made the trip back to Eugene three times, albeit once with no fans during the 2020, COVID-19-affected season. 

Kelly’s Bruins lost each of those matchups, however, the imprint he left out there from his six-year tenure with the Ducks — the final four years of which he spent as head coach — is still clear.

“Yeah, I remember the teams that he had here,” current Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said Monday. “I think everybody respects him as a football coach and certainly the things that he was able to accomplish while he was here.”

Kelly won 10 or more games each of his four seasons as the Ducks’ head coach. His second year running the show, Cam Newton’s Auburn was the only thing standing in the way of an Oregon BCS national championship. He led the Ducks to a trio of Pac-12 championships, and he did so while showing his schematic wizardry.

Alas, Kelly’s offenses have evolved over the years. He moved away from the mile-a-minute, no-huddle approach, leaned into heavy packages at UCLA and now has added his own touch to Day’s system at Ohio State, where the quarterback run has re-emerged, and athleticism on the offensive line is an increased emphasis.

“I think he’s always done a great job of utilizing his personnel, moving guys around and allowing them to do things that they do really, really well,” Lanning said of Kelly. “He always finds unique ways to run the ball. I think that’s one thing that he probably doesn’t get enough credit for is his ability to run the ball, regardless of situation. 

“When he was at UCLA last year, they were the No. 1 rushing team in our conference for a lot of reasons, and it’s because of his ability to run the ball. But he does a great job utilizing personnel, keeping you on your toes, changing the tempos, creating unique formations that you’ve never seen on film before. So you always have to prepare for something you haven’t really prepared for.”

On3’s Andy Backstrom contributed to this article.