Dan Lanning discusses the development of Oregon's identity two weeks into the season

Oregon has been involved in two blowouts so far this season, being on both sides. In the opener against Georgia, Kirby Smart was able to best his old defensive coordinator. Dan Lanning and his team responded well last Saturday, beating down Eastern Washington 70-14. Two different tales in two weeks for the Ducks.

Lanning was asked about the development of the program’s identity, speaking on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. He began with the positives on offense but still wants to see improvement. He spent a good amount of time talking about how if the downfield blocking gets better, Oregon will be able to get explosive plays off at a higher clip.

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“I think we’re closer to that today than we were last week,” said Lanning. “It’s still not where we want to completely be. There is certainly a lot of positives to come out of the last game. We had a ton of first downs, we were able to move the ball really well on offense. I’d love to see more of those plays that were 15 yards, turn into 30-yard plays. Get some more explosives.

“I think a lot of that has to do with how we play without the ball down the field with our finishing blocks. Instead of buying and ticket and being a spectator on the field, going and finishing blocks. That’s something we’re looking for certain on offense.”

The Ducks had over 600 total yards against Eastern Washington, with quarterback Bo Nix putting on a show. Everybody ate on the ground, with five different players significantly contributing. Even so, Lanning is looking for just a bit from his offense heading into BYU.

Dan Lanning talks Oregon’s defensive identity

When looking at the defense, Lanning wants to continue to get negative plays. Holding Eastern Washington to under 200 yards, a lot of it was due to the two turnovers created throughout the game.

“Defensively, have to continue to play within the framework of the defense,” Lanning said. “Play with relentless effort but you want to have the opportunity to create some more negatives. Be able to finish on some one on ones. We certainly were able to get some takeaways this last game. That’s got to be something we continue to do moving forward.”

Lanning will get another opportunity to see his squad go up against a top team, with BYU rolling into Eugene. Hopefully, the improvement from Week 1 to Week 2 carries over into Week 3.