Dan Lanning Recaps Bye Week, Previews UCLA
With the Ducks’ first Big Ten Conference game on Saturday, we’ve reached the meat of the college football season and updates are coming out faster than ever. Oregon coach Dan Lanning held his game-week press conference Monday and discussed injuries, the threats UCLA poses, and more.
Below are the most notable questions and quotes from Lanning’s availability as well as my thoughts at the end.
Opening Statement:
“Glad to be back playing football. Excited for our first Big Ten matchup. Certainly a team we’re excited to go play against.”
On bye week successes:
“Looking for opportunities to get better and I think the guys did a good job attacking that.”
On UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers and his skillset:
“He’s very athletic and he does a good job scrambling while looking to throw. He’s able to attack soft zones really well and is getting more comfortable in their system.”
On surprises through three games:
“Nothing crazy. Sometimes a bye week can turn into a lull for guys but they’ve done a good job attacking the down time and getting ready for Saturday.”
On avoiding penalties:
“It’s really about the body of work we do in practice. If it doesn’t show up in practice it isn’t gonna show up in games.”
“What’s been proven is that when we play clean we play well. We have to maintain focus throughout the game.”
On familiarity with UCLA’s personnel:
“It’s been a while since any of those guys were here so there are certainly some advantages but there’s a lot that’s different as well. You’ll see some different wrinkles from them as well as from us.”
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On what the Bruins’ defense looks like on film:
“They do a good job of changing it up and lining up in a lot of different fronts. They disguise coverages well and it can be hard to identify what they’re in so we have to be able to read that and have answers.”
On OL Matthew Bedford‘s recovery from injury:
“He actually got dinged in practice this week so we’ll have to take it as it goes and keep our players first.”
Linden’s take:
I didn’t think there was anything too wild to come out of this presser save for scouting of UCLA and some injury news. It sounds like there’s a good chance Bedford will be unavailable this week which doesn’t bode particularly well for Oregon given that there seem to be roughly six offensive linemen who can play at a high level on this year’s team.
Lanning also mentioned that cornerback Jahlil Florence‘s recovery is a work in progress and while it doesn’t sound like he’s been ruled out for the year, time is drawing thin for him to get back on the field in the 2024 season.
I thought Lanning’s points about UCLA’s defense were interesting as it pertains to their alignment and disguises. This feels like a game where Bo Nix would’ve been able to decipher the Bruins’ looks and make the right audibles but we haven’t seen Dillon Gabriel tested in this fashion so far in 2024.
That element as well as identifying blitzes and coverages will likely go a long way in deciding whether Oregon dominates offensively or merely does what they need to do.
