Dan Lanning on Oregon's penalty issues: 'If you're gonna get penalties, you can't be on the field'

Dan Lanning had plenty to be happy about following No. 13 Oregon’s 55-10 blowout win over Hawaii on Saturday.

The Ducks hung 560 yards of total offense on the Rainbow Warriors and scored at will. They held Hawaii’s offense to 2-for-14 on third-down conversions and yielded just 3.2 yards per play, despite emptying the bench early in the second half.

But, while speaking with reporters after the game, Lanning was more concerned with his team’s lingering penalty issues.

“I’m extremely disappointed with the penalties and how they hurt us there,” Lanning said during his opening statement on Saturday. “It’s something we coach really hard. But we’re not coaching them well enough. So, that’s the first thing we’re going to attack — we have to figure out how to make sure we’re accountable as a program. Talking about going into (halftime with a ton of momentum, and three penalties end up leading to a score at the end of the first half.

“That’s extremely frustrating; something we want to correct. Penalties, again, in that last series that led to another score. So if we haven’t figured out the formula, I’m disappointed in us. Now, I don’t want that to overshadow a lot of the positives that happened. I thought we moved the line of scrimmage. I thought we applied pressure. I thought our coaches had a really good plan. We’re certainly not satisfied.”

Oregon committed nine penalties for 76 yards against the Rainbow Warriors on Saturday — six of which occurred on defense or special teams.

During its 38-30 win over Texas Tech last Saturday, the Ducks committed 14 penalties for 124 yards. Several of those errors nearly cost them the game in a hostile road environment.

Earlier this week, Lanning said he and his staff would put an emphasis on shoring up the issues that plagued the Ducks against the Red Raiders.

On Saturday, though, he delivered an ultimatum of sorts to his players.

“I’m not going to do the same thing again and again and expect different results,” Lanning said. “So, we’re gonna do something different, right? We’ll figure out if we can get it fixed. If we can’t, then they can’t be on the field. If you’re gonna get penalties, you can’t be on the field. And that’s gonna be that simple, right? If you get a penalty you can’t play for us. You’re hurting the team.”

The majority of Oregon’s defensive penalties against Hawaii were a product of unforced errors.

Sophomore defensive back Khamari Terrell was flagged for a personal foul in the second quarter on a kickoff that went for a touchback.

Star defensive end Brandon Dorlus bailed Hawaii out on 3rd-and-15 in the second quarter with a roughing the passer penalty.

On the final drive of the first half, with Oregon leading 34-0, Hawaii kicker Matthew Shipley missed a 34-yard field goal attempt. But junior defensive back Dontae Manning jumped offside and provided Shipley with a Mulligan. He drilled the ensuing 29-yard attempt to get the Rainbow Warriors on the scoreboard.

In the fourth quarter, Manning was flagged for pass interference on 3rd-and-13.

“We have to learn to be able to play with the ball in the air and not cause penalties,” Lanning said when asked how he felt Oregon’s secondary performed on Saturday. “Because you look at the third-down penalty there — that led to an opportunity for them to go down and have an opportunity to score.”

Against Texas Tech, the Ducks were hindered by similar issues in the secondary. Cornerback Khyree Jackson, safety Tysheem Johnson, and edge defender Mase Funa were all flagged for pass interference penalties against the Red Raiders.

Next Saturday, Oregon’s defense will face its toughest test of the season when it hosts No. 18 Colorado, which is coming off a thrilling double-overtime win over Colorado State.

“That’s just something that we harp on — even though we blew them out today, the first thing (Lanning) said when he came in the locker room is, ‘We’ve gotta look at the penalties,'” Jackson said on Saturday. “It’s just all about consistently getting better and not getting complacent. We understand that some of the best teams, that end up winning championships, have very limited amounts of penalties. They don’t lead their conference in penalties.

“So, we’re trying to follow that suit. Just limit the penalties.”