Dan Lanning previews bowl matchup against North Carolina

Oregon will face a tough test in the Holiday Bowl this week as they’ll face off with the ACC runner-up in North Carolina. The Tar Heels boast one of the nation’s best offenses and will be a challenge for the Ducks to slow down. However, with how balanced they’ve shown to be throughout this season, Dan Lanning is confident in his team to be able to handle the challenge that UNC presents.

Lanning gave some early thoughts on North Carolina during his media availability following practice a little over a week ago. Lanning says he has a ton of respect for the Carolina staff. He also realizes how prepared his team will have to be to handle Mack Brown’s program.

“They’re a good team. Got a lot of respect for Coach Brown, the job that he’s done there. Obviously they played for a championship in their conference,” said Lanning. “Really explosive on offense, got a great quarterback. They’ve done a lot of things. I’ve worked with some of the guys that they have on their defensive staff. I think they do a really good job. So it’s a great opponent.”

North Carolina boasted a Top-25 offense as they averaged 35 points per game. It was the driving force behind their 9-1 start. With that said, their defense often put them in a bind. They only won three of those first nine by more than a possession and, eventually, it caught up to them as they lost their final three, including the ACC Championship against Clemson.

After losing two of their last three games, Oregon didn’t finish very strong either. Still, Lanning is excited about the opportunity his team has in front of them. Of all the teams they could have faced, he’s happy that his program will face one that will test them come Wednesday in San Diego.

“You want to play a good team. And we got fortunate enough to play a good team in a bowl game,” said Lanning.