OSN Column: Dan Lanning And The Oregon Ducks – Can He Take This Team To The Next Level?

By: Derek Lopez/Oregon Sports News

For a team to be great, all aspects of the team need to be performing at a high level to be successful. The players need to be skilled and talented enough to run the coaches’ schemes. They also need to be intelligent and hardworking to be able to survive the rigors of an NCAA football season. The recruiting also needs to be good because, without great players, the team won’t be able to win games. Bringing in an athlete who embraces the core values of the program is also essential to team success. The most impactful thing, however, might be having the perfect man running the show to guide the team. The Oregon Ducks landed that man in Dan Lanning. Lanning was one of the best candidates for the job and his defensive prowess should help Oregon reach new heights under his guidance.

Dan Lanning should have an instant impact on the Oregon Ducks in many ways. Lanning has his principles that he will look to instill and that will make the Oregon Ducks a more formidable team under his reign as head coach. Let’s discuss how Dan Lanning will impact this organization.

Defensive Coaching Ability

The main reason coach Lanning was brought in to coach the Ducks was because of his resume on the less glorious side of the ball. What Lanning was able to accomplish in his time at Georgia was nothing short of masterful in all aspects of coaching football. Lanning’s defense at Georgia lead the nation in scoring this season by a wide margin at a breathtaking 9.5 points per game and has them on track to become the first team since Alabama in 2011 to allow fewer than 10.0 points per game in a season. The Bulldogs are also the number one team in the FBS in red-zone defense while ranking second in total defense (253.2 YPG), and third in both rushing (81.69 YPG) and passing (171.5YPG ) defense. This ability to have his defenses play well year after year gives hope that he can do the same for the defensive players at Oregon.

Experience

People can make the claim that it is easy to coach the premier talent at a school like Georgia. While there is some truth to that, being able to do that consistently over an extended period of time is very commendable and noteworthy. He’s been a defensive genius before his arrival at Georgia though. Lanning helped Sam Houston State become a respectable defense many years ago. At Alabama, he showed his defensive prowess and it lead him to land the job at Georgia. It seems that with every stop he makes, the defense responds and grows exponentially because of him. That bodes well for those that love their Oregon Duck football.

Dan the Man

It is easy for people to get caught up in all the hype and lose themselves. Not Dan Lanning. Dan has made it abundantly clear what his expectations are at Oregon. He wants to focus on “The process” to turn the Oregon Ducks back into title contenders. Rome wasn’t built in a day and that seems to be the approach that Lanning will use at Oregon. Oregon already has a lot of good stuff going for them that Lanning will want to keep. However, Lanning knows that improvement on the defensive side of the ball will be a process. A process that he is fully embracing because of the results it will have down the road for his squad.

Overview

Dan Lanning knows what he must do to turn Oregon into a title contender. He’s created a defensive culture at Georgia and that is exactly what he will be looking to do at Oregon. Oregon is known for its explosive offenses, but it is going to be a huge transition for fans who haven’t seen great defenses in Eugene, Oregon in some time. If there’s a man that will change this program into a title contender, it is Dan Lanning. Lanning will make this football team better on both sides of the ball and Oregon could be a serious threat for many years to come.