Dan Lanning and Dante Moore say exactly what Oregon fans are thinking on critical reasons Ducks lost in College Football Playoff
Dan Lanning and Dante Moore give Indiana credit for dominance, but admit the disgusting turnovers and poor decisions doomed them
The Oregon Ducks were completely decimated 56-22 by the Indiana Hoosiers on Friday in the College Football Playoff semifinal Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl. It was a game that felt impossible for the Ducks to win, from start to finish. From the first interception returned for a touchdown on the opening offensive play of the game, to a 35-7 score at halftime, to the pitiful second half that seemed to drag on forever. It was a thrashing in Atlanta.
Following the disappointing playoff loss, both Dan Lanning and Dante Moore perfectly captured what Oregon Ducks fans were all probably thinking with their comments in the postgame press conference.
Dan Lanning obviously blown away by Indiana’s unbelievable success
The entire college football world has been left utterly dumbfounded by Indiana’s meteoric rise over the past two seasons. Dan Lanning is no exception. He had talked about how impressed he was with Cignetti and Indiana prior to the game, but he was just clearly blown away by Indiana’s dominance. And just like Ducks fans, Lanning was extremely disappointed in his team’s turnovers and failures across the board:
“All the credit in the world to Indiana. They’re an unbelievably well-coached team. I think that was really apparent tonight. They started off hot and they didn’t really slow down. They were able to run it. They were able to have success passing it. Their defense played outstanding. We were able to generate a little momentum there at times, but we were so far in a hole that [we] really couldn’t [get ourselves] out of that…The takeaways. Obviously they were able to create some (three turnovers). We didn’t create those. They won average starting field position throughout the night. Their special teams were special…obviously they’ve got a chance to keep it going and have unbelievable success. Credit to coach Curt Cignetti. Credit to those players.”
That has to be how Ducks fans feel right now. Yes, disappointed in how things played out. Perhaps pointing fingers at Lanning too. Still, when watching the game, it was impossible not to be impressed by Indiana’s complete dominance from start to finish. They’re just playing like the best team in the country and were impossible to stop on both sides of the ball.
Dan Lanning and Dante Moore both address the turnovers that cost Oregon any shot at winning
Indiana might have dominated the game even without the turnovers, but the pick-six and multiple fumbles from Oregon’s quarterback Dante Moore definitely sealed the deal. Moore threw a pick-six straight to Indiana cornerback D’Angelo Ponds to open the game, and then things only got worse from there.
Moore went on to commit two more fumbles — one on incidental contact with his running back, and another because he held on to the ball too long. Yes, the one fumble was a bit of bad luck, but the other was certainly on Moore. The interception was indefensibly bad too. When asked about the turnovers following the game, Moore kept his answer simple and straight to the point:
“You can’t win football games if you’re causing turnovers. That’s something I, of course, need to work on. That comes with reps. Overall — it was a great Indiana defense, great defensive coordinator — but at the end of the day we beat ourselves.”
Moore nailed it. Oregon’s mistakes (and mostly his) destroyed any shot that the Ducks had at winning. Starting seven points in the hole with the pick-six. Fumbling deep in Oregon territory on accidental contact, setting up a quick touchdown for Indiana. Then taking a bad sack for another fumble late in the second quarter on what could have been a pivotal drive to get Oregon back within two scores. All of the turnovers were terrible, but the timing and area of the field in which they took place made them even worse.
Dan Lanning also addressed the disappointing turnovers that likely drove Oregon Ducks fans crazy multiple times in the postgame press conference:
“There were moments when we had success offensively, but obviously when you have the takeaways, you start off with a pick-six, you get in a little bit of a hole. You probably start to press a little bit. You get away from some of the success you have in the run game. We had some good plays, but that’s a damn good team…It’s not just what we didn’t do. It’s what they did do.”
Fans will want to blame Lanning for the loss to Indiana since he and the Ducks fell far short of expectations in a big game once again. There’s certainly some merit to that, but the turnovers just made Lanning’s job impossible. Yes, like Lanning said, he strayed away from things that were working in the run game, which likely frustrated fans. Still, by halftime, nothing really mattered since the Ducks were already down 35-7.
Hopefully the Ducks can continue to develop, growing together, and Lanning can find ways to win big games in the near future. Fans certainly have plenty to be upset with following the 56-22 loss. However, just making it to the semifinal round of the College Football Playoff is impressive. Something this year’s Oregon Ducks team, coaches, and fans should be proud of, despite the disappointing finish.
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.
Oregon Ducks News
Oregon Ducks staff member makes extremely classy gesture to Indiana Hoosiers star in the face of defeat following College Football Playoff loss
Oregon Ducks staffer finds D’Angelo Ponds and hands him the ball he picked off and returned for a touchdown following College Football Playoff game.
