Dan Lanning shares what he wants to see from young Oregon players in bowl prep

After losing to Washington once again by three points in the Ducks vs. Huskies rematch in the Pac-12 championship, Oregon is just on the outside of the playoff, but does get a chance to put a bow on the season and test some of their young guys in the Fiesta Bowl.

Especially nowadays, the month of December is wildly hectic for college football coaches and team rosters are practically being turned inside-out across the country. Veterans have NFL and COVID year decisions to make, high school recruits have letters of intent to sign, and seemingly every player in between is hopping in the transfer portal. It’s nuts out here!

So while the bowl games are tricky matchups that now often include wonky roster situations, the win or loss result may not be quite as vitally important as it was during the regular season. Meanwhile, the other primary goal can be starting and playing some younger guys in the program to see what you have heading into next season. Oregon head coach Dan Lanning is excited for that part of the process.

 “Every one of these games you’re gonna see some of the probably hasn’t made a huge impact throughout the season that shows up in a bowl game,” he explained at his media availability this week. “So I’m excited to see the progress they make over these next several weeks. And then the opportunity to get on the field and make an impact.”

Lanning was asked about one particular younger player, Hawaii native Iapani Laloulu, a true freshman O-lineman who came in as a four-star recruit. He hasn’t been a starter the whole season but the youngster is getting his chance in the Fiesta Bowl, which his coach is excited for.

“Just really good play, right? I think he’s shown that he’s very capable and a great player for us,” Lanning complimented of him when asked about his opportunity vs. Liberty. “But that growth that work that it’s going to take to be successful in the game.”

Dan Lanning believes that exposure like Laloulu is about to get can be immensely helpful for younger players like him.

“Yeah, extremely valuable. You know, I’ve seen a lot of guys grow. And again, in this opportunity, you have a short window where some teams don’t get the opportunity to practice and get better right now. You know, our guys got an opportunity to go and prove, finish the season off on the right now.”