Oregon football head coach Dan Lanning was brutally honest about the upcoming Rose Bowl game. “The Granddaddy of Them All” will pit the Ducks in a rematch against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. Oregon beat its Big Ten rival in a one-point affair earlier this season. The No. 1 team in the country has a hard road to its first national championship, but Dan Lanning and company are not changing their tone.
Oregon’s head coach revealed his team’s mentality in a pre-Rose Bowl Zoom with NBC Sports Lead College Football Reporter Nicole Auerbach.
“Getting the opportunity to play great teams is what it’s all about.”
Oregon football is ready to confront the disrespect
It is shocking to see the disrespect that the No. 1 team in the country has had to confront. Dan Lanning’s program went undefeated in its first year in the Big Ten while beating three teams in the College Football Playoff. All three of those teams that Oregon took care of are in the quarterfinals. Yet, Ohio State beat an overmatched Tennessee team at home, and the Buckeyes are now the favorites over the Ducks.
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It’s also important to note that the Volunteers were without their best offensive player, Dylan Sampson, in the Columbus showdown. Still, Oregon continues to be disrespected after a remarkable regular season with the best quarterback in the country. Dan Lanning loves this kind of energy. This program now has even more motivation heading into its most important game of the season.
The Ducks must employ a strategy similar to the one they used in October: contain the run, pressure quarterback Will Howard, and restrict the Buckeyes’ receivers from getting into space. However, as shown in the Big Ten Championship game against Penn State, Oregon can win a shootout if needed. This balanced offense, led by Dillon Gabriel, can put up points against any defense in the country.
This Oregon team thrives in tight games, a scenario Ohio State has struggled in at times this year. The Buckeyes’ two losses were by a combined four points. Could the Rose Bowl be the end of the line for this remarkable season? Yes. However, the narratives after a week in which every team on the road got dismantled, are out of control. Dan Lanning knows this, and his program is not backing down.
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