Dan Lanning Talks Michigan, Justius Lowe

Oregon coach Dan Lanning took the stand Monday for his weekly press conference ahead of the Ducks’ Big Ten matchup with Michigan on Saturday. Below are the most notable questions and quotes from Lanning’s press conference as well as my thoughts at the end.

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Opening Statement:

“Great recap from this past weekend, I thought our fans were awesome and it was a fun game for our players. I’m excited about the challenge in front of us with Michigan, they have talent across the board and especially for making the trip to a place we haven’t been before.”

On the impact of tight end Colston Loveland:

“He’s versatile, they use him in a lot of ways and you have to know where he is at all times. He’s a really talented players that they’re going to find ways to use.”

On the importance of running the ball in this game:

“Something we’re preparing for is the ability to run the ball on a team like this. They’ve always done a good job with (defending) that and I think our team is most efficient when we’re able to run the ball.”

On what’s allowed the Ducks to win despite injuries:

“I think a lot of it is players not waiting for their moment but stepping up and being prepared for it. We’ve had a lot of guys whose roles have grown because of availability and being ready when those moments came.”

On what cornerback Will Johnson brings to the table when healthy:

“He’s a great player. He has ball production, gets in and out of breaks, and takes away a side of the field so he’s definitely a guy who would make an impact.”

On the team’s ability to block outside noise:

“I just don’t think we’ve ever measured ourselves based on what others think. At the beginning of the season everyone asks what success looks like and it’s just about playing our best football and focusing on the process instead of the result.”

On what he expects from Michigan Stadium:

“I’ve heard it’s big and it’s one of the things that’s exciting about this conference is playing in historic places and this is certainly one of those.”

On how longer travel has affected Oregon this year:

“Just the experience of being able to do that. It’s not like we didn’t travel last year but this is certainly longer distance and we’ll continue to prepare for it.”

On the strides wide receiver Justius Lowe has made this year:

“When he first got here he was kind of dinged up but we always felt like he was going to be able to make an impact on the field. You can line him up anywhere and trust that he’ll do his job and he’s become one of the guys we have a lot of faith in.”

On the availabilities of tight end Terrance Ferguson and defensive lineman Jordan Burch:

“Both of those guys were available to practice this week and we’ll continue to monitor it over the course of the week.”

On what’s made Michigan’s running backs effective:

“More than anything they don’t go down on first contact. They win at the point of attack and their offensive line moves people. They always add extra hats whether that’s tight ends or fullbacks and that makes them dangerous.”

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Linden’s Take:

While this matchup has gone from big game to trap game in a lot of respects, going to the big house is still a dangerous assignment. Teams like Michigan that play a disciplined style of football and run the ball well are usually the most prone to upsetting highly ranked teams, especially at home so this remains an interesting one.

It was good to hear that Ferguson and Burch have both made a lot of progress in their injury recoveries and it’ll be worth monitoring their statuses over the course of the week. I’m excited to see how the team responds in the largest stadium in college football as it’ll be easily the largest it’s played in since Lanning took the helm in 2022.

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