Dan Lanning Talks Running Game, Pass Rush Following MSU

Oregon coach Dan Lanning spoke with media following the Ducks’ 31-10 handling of Michigan State and discussed the run game’s dominant performance, Oregon’s pass rush, and more. Below are the most notable questions and quotes from Lanning’s interview as well as my thoughts at the end.

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Opening Statement:

“Our fans were absolutely awesome tonight. Any time you can play a physical game like that and control the running game on both sides of the ball it’s going to lead to success. Clean, relatively on special teams play, really good on third down. Still some moments for growth in the red zone and it could hurt you later on so that’s definitely something we’ll attack moving forward.”

On Oregon’s rushing success:

“I think our offensive staff had a really great plan, understanding where we wanted to attack in the run game. Our offensive line blocked well and we blocked well at the second level as well as not going down on first contact.”

On the Ducks’ defense over the last two games:

“Ultimately that’s our standard we want to perform to week in and week out regardless of opponent. We knew they had an attack that was tough to stop and once we secured the run game it made them play kind of left-handed.”

On quarterback Dillon Gabriel‘s first half interceptions:

“We had a conversation but that’s an opportunity to reset. That’s a guy who’s played a lot of snaps in college football. Timing is so important as is knowing where you are on the field so I think those will be good growth moments for Dillon.”

On defensive lineman Jordan Burch‘s dominance this year:

“He’s playing with great violence and he’s the kind of person that shouldn’t be blocked one-on-one. We’re doing a good job of creating those one-on-ones and he’d be the first to tell you that a great rush starts with great coverage.”

On wide receiver Tez Johnson‘s reliability at wide receiver:

“Our offensive staff does an unbelievable job of moving him around so it’s hard to get a beat on where Tez is gonna be on a given play. He’s an elusive player who’s hard to cover and has great burst. He’s become a safety net in a lot of ways for our offense.”

On the importance of tonight’s cancer awareness game:

“This game was definitely special for a lot of people and anyone who’s been affected by cancer. Certainly special for our family and a lot of people tonight.”

On defensive tackle Ja’Maree Caldwell‘s impact:

“Anyone who watches film knows that Ja’Maree’s affecting the game. He’s playing with great effort so I’m really proud of his growth and performance this season.”

On red zone offense issues:

“I think just timing. The last two weeks those have been later balls and we have to do a better job of that as well as knowing that we already have points in those situations.”

On next week’s matchup against Ohio State:

“Finally you guys can talk about it. It’s a great team and there’s a reason they’re one of the best in the country so it’s going to be a great challenge for us and our fans are going to need to show up and be phenomenal in that one.”

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Linden’s Take:

This was another nice, smooth performance from the Ducks. Gabriel’s first half interceptions slowed what could otherwise have been a serious rout but there wasn’t a lot else to complain about. Lanning’s comments about having a plan for the rushing attack ring true as Jordan James found space off the edge a number of times.

Oregon’s pass rush seems to get better by the week and I’ve been impressed with the defensive line’s contributions from guys like Burch, Derrick Harmon, and Matayo Uiagalelei, as well as others. The Ducks will give Ohio State everything they have next week and I expect a barn burner at Autzen.

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