Dan Lanning says Oregon Ducks came away "dinged" following loss to Washington

The Oregon Ducks made it through the first 11 weeks of the season relatively healthy.

But during last Saturday’s loss to rivalry Washington, they were hit hard by injuries.

Star quarterback Bo Nix left with an apparent right leg injury in the fourth quarter. Although he returned for the final drive of the game, he missed the Ducks’ penultimate drive and spent time in the medical tent.

Starting center Alex Forsyth missed the final drive due to an apparent injury. In the first quarter, starting right guard Ryan Walk, who is also Oregon’s backup center, left the game with an injury and was seen in street clothes and a walking boot during the second half.

During his Monday press conference, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning was asked about the status of those three players but declined to discuss specifics.

“I’m not gonna share really any update with anybody,” Lanning said. “We came away dinged in that game. I will say: I feel a lot more positive today after getting to hear some news on where things are at right now.”

With Nix out of the game, redshirt freshman Ty Thompson came on to replace him and handed the ball off four consecutive times on a drive that ended with the Ducks turning the ball over on downs at their own 33 yard line.

Prior to that play, Nix returned to the Oregon sideline with his helmet on and appeared to indicate to Lanning that he was ready to go back in the game. But Thompson stayed on the field for fourth down.

“We just talked — right when it happened, Bo said, ‘Coach, I feel good,'” Lanning said. “I said, ‘Let me confirm. You’ll go in the next play.’ Why not call a timeout? Really, in retrospect, I wish I had called a timeout based on the look we got. Not just to get Bo in.

“It’s really easy to go back and replay the game in your head. There’s probably 10 plays that I would have played a lot different. It’s not necessarily about putting Bo in in that situation. They had a really advantageous look for what we gave. Wish I could have called a timeout, moreso than anything, for that look.”

Lanning was asked about Thompson’s demanor during that period of the game.

“It’s a tough spot to go in,” Lanning said. “That’s why you do all the practice reps, why you do all the walk reps. I think Ty was anxious to go out there and compete for his team. That’s why you always have to be ready and ready to roll.”

With Forsyth and Walk both sidelined during Oregon’s final drive, sophomore Jackson Powers-Johnson played the final drive at center for the Ducks.

According to Pro Football Focus, Powers-Johnson has played 342 snaps for the Ducks this season, the most among the team’s reserve offensive lineman. He also has an over PFF grade of 84.7 — the highest among any Oregon offensive lineman.

Lanning was asked about the difficulties that were presented by shifting players to different positions during a decisive junctor in the game.

“That’s a tough thing. But for us, we spend a lot of time developing players in our program. So, we get a lot of reps really with our ones and our twos, so those guys get a lot of beneficial reps. That being said, when it comes to player safety, you always wanna make sure you take care of your guys first and put them in the best position to be successful.

“I’m always gonna think about our plaeys before i put them in a position where they’re not safe. But, we get a lot of reps with our ones and our twos with the way we have our practices structured.”