Dan Lanning Is In The Zone, And So Are His No. 1 Ducks

By SPENCER McLAUGHLIN
Contributor, 750 The Game

Who cares?

Oregon fans care that since the biggest win of his coaching tenure, Dan Lanning’s team has outscored its last two B1G opponents 73-9.

That’s pretty good.

Lanning’s response of “who cares?” was answering a question about getting Oregon to the #1 ranking in all the land for the first time since 2012. I think Duck fans should like that mentality, and it’s not restricted to the head coach. Dillon Gabriel was asked about becoming second on the NCAA’s all-time passing yards list, only to cut off the question before it could get asked to state his lack of interest in personal achievements.

Gabriel is once again the betting favorite to win the Heisman trophy, as he was before the season began. That hype faded when Oregon struggled against two teams from Idaho in the first two weeks, the second of whom (Boise State) hasn’t lost a game since then and has a clear path to the 12-team Playoff. 

I thought Oregon fans would like Dillon Gabriel when it was announced he would transfer to the Ducks for his final season of college football, but he’s doing even better than I thought he would to endear himself to the Eugene faithful. He plays with plenty of emotion on the field, while maintaining a veteran calmness about him to always remind Duck fans he’s in control of the game. Combine those traits with good postgame quotes and high-level play on the field, and anyone who wears green and yellow this time of year will start to really warm up to a guy they really only met two months ago.

Oregon overwhelmed #20 Illinois on Saturday, once again looking like the best team in college football. The offense was explosive, multiple, and creative while the defense is just…dominant. I’ve watched Oregon Football for a long time (not as long as some of you) and this is the best I’ve ever seen the Ducks on that side of the ball.

Illinois’ lone touchdown drive was aided by a careless penalty by Derrick Harmon, in addition to a pair of missed penalties against the Illini that allowed for consecutive third down conversions. For the second time this year, the officials mishandled a call early in the game that should have led to a turnover for Tosh Lupoi’s defense. They blew a sack dead far too soon and Oregon punched the ball out.

For the second time this year, the Ducks just won the game anyway. This isn’t a team that operates with thin margins to beat opponents they have more talent than. Ohio State’s Will Howard is still the only QB to pass for more than 200 yards against this Oregon defense, which had a pair of interceptions against Illinois QB Luke Altmyer this past week.

Altmyer had a 15:1 touchdown to interception ratio entering the game this season. The combination of good secondary play with a havoc-inducing defensive line can do that for a football team.

Oregon’s offense has more weapons than they know what to do with. Lake Oswego High School product Justius Lowe scored his first career touchdown on Saturday. Kenyon Sadiq is a big time weapon at tight end who can do things most guys at that position simply can’t–not even Terrance Ferguson. He’s been out with appendicitis the last two games and Will Stein’s offense hasn’t skipped a beat.

Oh, and Andrew Boyle made a 44-yard field goal, which for Oregon fans is like watching 7 touchdowns get scored at once. He hit from 50 earlier this year against Michigan State and I thought the Ducks’ athletic department might have made him a statue.

Dan Lanning preaches “Oregon vs Oregon” every week and that’s what it looks like on the field. When the Ducks play to their standard in all 3 phases, they can match up–or even surpass–any team in college football.

Spencer McLaughlin is an Oregon Ducks football contributor to 750 The Game. He also hosts the “Locked On Oregon Ducks” and “Locked On College Football” podcasts and has work featured throughout the season here.