Oregon 41, Ohio State 28: Dan Lanning Postgame Press Conference

[0:08] All right, obviously a fun game. [0:13] You know, again, a lot of credit to our players [0:17] for really not flinching, not blinking when you're down 14. [0:21] And then just keep fighting, you know, in those moments [0:23] we said we were going to let it hang and just go after it. [0:25] And then, you know, similar to last week, [0:27] we've proven that we can be a team that's been in tough battles [0:30] and battle back. [0:31] You know, I thought collectively we played really well. [0:33] I thought we lacked some discipline there at the end. [0:35] Sometimes it's hard to kind of settle in [0:37] and figure out what the opponent's doing. [0:38] And once we were able to do that offensively, [0:40] I thought we were able to take advantage of some stuff [0:43] and do some things pretty well, right? [0:44] Obviously the wide receiver is as good as anybody. [0:48] You know, and there's some that we gave them for free. [0:50] And then there's some that you just have to chop up to the game [0:52] and say that guy's special. [0:53] So that showed up for him today. [0:55] But a really talented team, well-coached team, you know, [0:58] by, you know, Coach Day. [1:00] But I just thought our guys got a hold of the momentum [1:01] and then really didn't let it go until or give it back [1:04] until the very end of the game there [1:05] where they kind of chipped their way down the field. [1:08] Rob on the left here? [1:19] Yeah, I mean, I think, you know, some of their success there early [1:22] came on third downs and there was, you know, [1:23] some things that we just didn't do well. [1:25] We got them to three third downs, I think, on that very first series. [1:28] And you're killing yourself because you're not able to get off the field. [1:31] We gave up a big play on a complete miscommunication [1:34] on how we handle emotion, which is not okay. [1:37] So when you recognize, hey, we're giving up some of these for free, right, [1:40] we're actually doing a good job stopping the run, [1:42] and you start giving up some of those for free, that's a frustration. [1:45] But it's easy things that you can fix. [1:47] And you just don't know how many of those opportunities, right, [1:49] that you can give up and still have a chance to have success in the game. [1:52] I thought our players settled in. [1:53] I thought offensively we found some things. [1:55] And then obviously, you know, the fake punt sparked a little bit of momentum. [2:00] You know, then there at the end of half where we've talked about [2:03] will we kick a field goal there, especially getting the ball out at half [2:05] or going for it. [2:06] I just felt like we had a really good call, a couple good calls that we could call, [2:12] and we were in position to execute. [2:14] Front, middle, face them. [2:16] Oh, fake punt. [2:21] Is momentum you can gain? [2:28] You know, those are things that you talk about as a staff and as a team. [2:33] And, like, that's a punt we've been working really since fall camp, right? [2:37] And we've had a long history of running fake punts. [2:39] We just haven't seen a lot of teams that have given us an opportunity [2:42] where we could potentially hit that. [2:43] And the fake punts that we've run in the past were runs there to the left, right? [2:47] We've done it with Casey Rodgers. [2:48] We've done it with Jordan Burch, right? [2:51] We've done it with, you know, Mateo Taylor. [2:52] Like, those have shown up for us. [2:54] So we felt like that would be something people would play aggressive to. [2:57] Obviously, if it didn't work, you guys could have a heyday, you know, with me, [3:01] especially in our own territory. [3:02] But that's where fakes do work, right? [3:03] And we felt like we'd punted a couple times at that point. [3:05] We'd seen a look that we felt confident, hey, it's going to be there. [3:08] And I don't know how many times we ran that in practice. [3:11] You know, so when you talk about your players consistently in team meetings [3:14] and special teams, and then you get an opportunity to go execute on the field, [3:16] and it has the success that it has, you know, [3:19] I think it's like everybody's like, okay, we got this, let's go. [3:22] And it certainly created some momentum, you know, [3:25] and gave us a chance to kind of settle in and, you know, [3:28] even out the score a little bit there earlier and then get into a rhythm. [3:34] Dan, what do you make of this show, not only going out of season? [3:43] Yeah, we're like cockroaches, man. [3:45] We won't die, right? [3:47] And, yeah, I mean, our guys, they've been battle-tested. [3:51] So they don't, like, again, in those moments they don't blink, right? [3:54] And we don't really look at the scoreboard, we just focus on working. [3:57] And I thought they did that tonight. [3:59] Dan, is this as rewarding as anything that you, any game you've won so far here? [4:20] I don't know that. [4:22] Yeah, I don't know that. [4:23] I have fun tonight. [4:24] It's fun to coach, man. [4:25] I've had fun coaching the last few weeks. [4:27] And, like I said, our guys really work really hard. [4:30] We're trying our best not to be outcome-based, you know? [4:33] And I know that if we didn't fake that punt, if we didn't go forward on fourth down there, [4:39] down tight in the red area, like, I would have been flying back regretting that, right? [4:42] Knowing that those opportunities are there. [4:44] So I just feel like we've been a team that's like, let's let it rip, see where the chips fall. [4:54] Could you feel building, building, building, and sucked out of the building and their sideline [5:00] as well? [5:01] Yeah, I mean, we struggled a little bit early with cadence as loud. [5:04] You talk about 102,000 people, you know, our goal was to quiet them down. [5:08] And then, obviously, in the fourth quarter, they weren't there anymore. [5:10] So, you know, similar to when we, like, played Penn State, [5:14] we played in some environments like this before. [5:17] And we just talked about, like, look, let's make them be spectators. [5:19] Let's make them be witnesses of what's about to happen, right? [5:22] We get to write the story. [5:23] It's not written yet, right? [5:24] So grab your pen and let's go to work. [5:26] Eric. [5:30] Yeah. [5:33] Yeah, I mean, he's been outstanding. [5:34] I think he did a really good job. [5:36] And there's some plays that he'll want back from tonight. [5:38] I think the collective effort. [5:39] I think the way he's communicated with our quarterback, right, and helped create confidence. [5:43] And then, you know, just the volume. [5:45] You know, we were able to hit on a lot of plays that we practiced [5:47] over and over and over again tonight. [5:49] But, yeah, he's done a great job and certainly is somebody that has to be considered. [5:53] Great. [6:03] Yeah, just grateful. [6:04] You know, grateful that we'd have a fan base that, you know, traveled. [6:07] It didn't look like there was a lot of green in there when the game started. [6:11] But when you get done and you realize all the green that was there, [6:13] it's pretty impressive that our fans made the trip. [6:16] You know, that's not an easy trip. [6:17] Made the trip. [6:18] And all of them, I promise, will remember this game for a long, long time. [6:22] In fact, Jack, could you have thoughts of playing a little more for you [6:38] and just coming out there and playing football? [6:40] Do you think that's sort of attributed to this sort of success these last few weeks? [6:44] Yeah, probably. [6:47] Ryan, how is taking risks, getting back to your identity, [6:52] you said letting it hang last week, [6:54] really sparked a resurgence for you guys just in that locker room? [6:58] Yeah, just like what you say you're going to do and what you do, [7:01] I mean, I think that carries over. [7:03] And when everybody has a great feel for the plan, [7:05] which we have a team that had a great feel for what our plan was going into this game, [7:08] you know, and then there's moments like that, they're like, oh, yeah, [7:11] that's what we said we were going to do and it showed up. [7:12] I think that creates some belief. [7:15] Bill, I know earlier in the season you said that this was going to be the season [7:19] where you go. [7:21] I'm curious in what ways you feel like that has happened already, [7:24] and are there an example where you feel like that trickled down to your team on the field today? [7:28] Yeah, none that I would share, but I've grown a lot, right? [7:33] I think our team's grown a lot. [7:35] But yeah, none that I would share. [7:37] Sorry. [7:37] Alex. [7:41] Yeah, not right now. [7:42] We'll wait to hear from our medical staff. [7:44] I know he's tough, so I'm, you know, praying for good news there. [7:57] Yeah, I mean, the one-handed catch by Decorian, [8:00] that's like everybody being really in sync because we called a run. [8:03] It was actually an RPO, right? [8:04] And I think, you know, Dylan saw that he was one-on-one outside [8:07] and made an outstanding catch. [8:09] I've seen that catch a million times at practice. [8:11] And Dierre's just that guy that, you know, continues to push and run hard. [8:14] And, you know, we saw it with the kick return last week [8:16] that it's going to take more than one person to get him down. [8:18] So, proud of his effort there. [8:22] We saw it when there was kind of a jawing back. [8:29] Yeah, just I'm not interested in talking to the other team. [8:31] We're just going to look at the score. [8:34] Great. [8:45] Yeah, I'm just, you know, proud of a guy that's dealt with the adversity [8:47] that Dylan's dealt with throughout the season [8:49] and then being positioned to execute. [8:51] I knew early in the week that he had prepped really, really hard, you know. [8:54] And our whole team knows that. [8:55] There's times where we, you know, try to play the game before the game. [8:58] We're going through video copies and he's calling out the coverage before. [9:01] There's no overlay that tells him what the coverage is, [9:03] but he's recognizing the front, the coverage based on their alignments, [9:06] where they're at, and calling it out. [9:08] And I think our players hearing that [9:10] and then seeing the execution in the game, you know, [9:12] really, really helped us. [9:13] Brian, what do you make of this? [9:23] Yeah, it's a little disappointing with the finish, [9:25] but on the same note, you're playing a different brand of defense [9:27] at that point at the very end to say, look, [9:30] we're just not going to give them a chance to be able to come back [9:31] and have success in this game. [9:33] We had some other guys in that you want to make sure that they're playing towards the standard. [9:36] But, I mean, I thought our defense did an outstanding job. [9:38] I think Coach Hampton and the defense staff, they're great examples of. [9:42] The most important trade is winning the game. [9:44] There's going to be some frustrating moments in there, [9:46] but they coached to win the game there at the end. [9:48] And obviously, we gave up a couple cheap ones, right? [9:51] I mean, they came out hot, scored 14 early because of some of our mistakes, [9:55] and then they really didn't have any success there until the end [9:58] when we were playing a little bit more bend but don't break type defense. [10:02] So, yeah, really proud of the job they did. [10:05] I thought we controlled the run early, and then it was like, okay, [10:07] how can we just eliminate this number four, right? [10:09] And he's a hard guy to eliminate. [10:11] We had some tools, and at times it was really effective, [10:13] and there's some times that we'll look back and say we could have executed better. [10:27] Yeah, you know, the quarterback sack stat is a stat that always gets attributed [10:32] to the offensive line, as it should, but it's a quarterback stat. [10:35] It's a protection stat. [10:36] It's a game plan stat. [10:38] And I thought all those things kind of came together to say, okay, [10:42] hey, we're comfortable you just burning the ball there if it's not there, right? [10:45] And the quarterback throws an incomplete pass instead of takes a sack, right? [10:48] We're going to bump in protection here, right? [10:50] We know this is a longer developing route. [10:52] We're going to make sure that we have seven or six guys in protection [10:54] to give us the opportunity. [10:56] So I thought it was a collective effort of all those things kind of come together. [10:58] Dylan doing a good job of having two hands on the ball in the pocket. [11:02] And there's a couple of plays that we'll look at and say, ooh, that was close. [11:05] But overall, our offensive line, I think, [11:07] is really starting to understand who they are and what our strengths are. [11:09] Eric? [11:22] Yeah, I'm just, I think his confidence is at an all-time high right now, [11:26] which is awesome, but he also just has to remember you're a play away [11:28] from losing some of that. [11:29] And, you know, right before the fake punt, that was close to being an INT, right? [11:32] There's moments in there that we have to go assess and say, okay, [11:36] how would this look different, you know, and where can we grow and learn? [11:39] And I think the thing that he's done a good job of is not riding, like, [11:42] the external expectations or the wave of what people think of him. [11:46] More so really internally processing, okay, where can he be better? [11:49] How can he improve? [11:50] And there's going to be some stuff that he did that was outstanding tonight. [11:52] And then there will be a couple of things where he's like, okay, [11:54] I can definitely be better there. [11:58] Two weeks ago that you guys were the team crowd. [12:01] Yeah. [12:03] I feel to switch that around and their fans are filled today [12:09] and they're experiencing that. [12:11] Is that something that came through your mind at all [12:14] of just how much road you guys have traveled in the last couple weeks? [12:18] Well, one, I'll say this. [12:19] Like, Coach Day is an outstanding coach. [12:22] I said this to our team earlier. [12:23] I showed, like, some of the press conferences from this week of them. [12:26] And I said, guys, that was me. [12:27] That was me two weeks ago. [12:29] Like, you guys felt that in our building and it's hard really to overcome [12:33] because what you do in those moments is you just try harder [12:35] and harder and harder to fix things and you can't fix everything. [12:38] I think that's one thing that we were able to settle back in [12:40] because he does a really good job. [12:42] You know, his teams are always hard to beat. [12:43] We were on the other end of a butt whooping like this, you know, [12:46] at the Rose Bowl. [12:47] And, I mean, that certainly resonated with me. [12:50] You know, so I know how good of a job they do. [12:53] And I know it's hard when you change what you think you're going to be [12:56] throughout the year and somebody gets injured. [12:58] It takes a while to kind of figure that out. [12:59] And in college football, you just don't have time to do that. [13:01] You know, we had some learning pains, [13:04] went through some growing pains ourselves of figuring out, okay, [13:06] how do we become the team that we want to be? [13:08] And I feel like we saw glimpses of that tonight. [13:10] Thank you, Coach. Appreciate it. [13:11] Appreciate it. Thank you, guys.