Dan Lanning breaks down how his Oregon Ducks can repeat and exceed offensive success in College Football Playoff
Oregon Ducks tallied nine plays of 20 or more yards on offense and Dan Lanning thinks his team can do better.
Dan Lanning had his Oregon Ducks ready to go on Saturday as they jumped out to a quick 34-3 lead in the first half of their College Football Playoff game against James Madison before ultimately winning 51-34. They may have gotten a little too relaxed in the second half, but coach Lanning sounded confident after the game that his team could both repeat and perhaps exceed its offensive success down the stretch in the playoff.
Oregon Ducks offensive explosiveness can get even better
The Oregon Ducks completely embarrassed the aggressive James Madison defense on Saturday. JMU had consistently ranked as a top tier defense all season long, but they simply didn’t stand a chance against the Ducks’ deep, diverse set of offensive weapons. Dante Moore was tossing deep ball after deep ball as he averaged nearly 12 yards per pass attempt. The running game could not be stopped as they averaged nearly eight yards per carry. When asked about the offensive success after the game (both on the ground and through the air), this is what coach Lanning had to say:
“When you run the ball well you have a chance to win games. Y0u can stay on schedule and be able to take some of the shots that we take. Stay ahead of the chains. Not force yourself to make some tough third down plays…[As for the passing game], when you get a hat on a hat, you’re going to have opportunities to go make big plays. I thought we did some good blocking on the perimeter, which was necessary to create that. We didn’t have penalties in that area, which is important whenever you’re goin to be aggressive. When [defenses] play [us] aggressive they’re going to have a lot of hats, you’re going to get opportunities for one-on-ones outside. You’re going to get opportunities to create big plays.”
Oregon stayed ahead of the chains alright. And when James Madison played too close to the line of scrimmage leaving wide receivers Malik Benson and Jeremiah McClellan on an island with just one defensive back to beat, it was game over. Still, considering how slow the second half went for Oregon, Lanning thinks his team can do even more.
Dan Lanning is confident his team fixes the little thing
Coach Lanning expressed that Dante Moore certainly wanted a couple throws back (definitely the two interceptions), but overall he was happy with his team’s passing offense and what they showed they could do in the first round of the College Football Playoff. When asked about how sure he is that the Ducks are going to clean up the little mistakes that led to the game being way closer than it needed it to be, Lanning addressed the much-needed fixes confidently:
“Just because [they have taken to the coaching and fixed mistakes] in the past. Our guys are about the right things when it comes to growth mindset. They’re going to want to attack it. I know they share some of the same sentiments as me…There’s a standard here. There’s certainly a standard for performance. Our players know that. They know what championship football looks like and the second half didn’t look like that.”
It’s clear that Lanning expects more from his Oregon Ducks, even on offense, which sounds a bit wild to say coming off a 51-point performance. However, considering how dominant Dante Moore and his Ducks looked throughout the first half, it’s not crazy to suggest that this Oregon team could and perhaps should play even better as the playoff continues. If they take yet another step forward with weapons like tight end Kenyon Sadiq, the returning-from-injury young phenom wide receiver Dakorien Moore, and the other players who have begun to dominate every week, the Oregon Ducks might just win a national championship.
We’ll be back with more Oregon Ducks coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!
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