Dan Lanning likens UCLA to Oregon's biggest enemy in 2025

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The Oregon Ducks haven't rolled through the schedule this year like they did in 2024 and 2025, when there seemed to be one clear contender that the Ducks would struggle against.

In 2024, that foe was Ohio State, whom the Ducks beat in an October clash before getting run out of the Rose Bowl by the Buckeyes a few months later. Last season, Indiana became Oregon's worst nightmare after ending the Ducks' home winning streak in October and later blasting them in the Peach Bowl.

This season, Oregon has already stumbled against Oklahoma State, and the big game left on the regular season slate appears to be a trip to Ohio State, but Dan Lanning is not looking past the team's first test out of the bye week. The UCLA Bruins, which jumped into the AP Poll rankings at No. 23, are a force to be reckoned with, and Lanning sees plenty of similarities between the Bruins and the team that gave the Ducks problems last season.

"We're about to play a UCLA team that reminds me a lot of Indiana from last year," Lanning said on Wednesday. "They have a lot of players that came with (head coach Bob Chesney). Again, that's why I draw some comparisons to Indiana. A lot of guys that traveled with their coach to the next stop. Extremely well-coached team. You've got two coordinators that were with him before, so they've been together for a while. They have a lot of continuity from that standpoint."

Lanning saw plenty of the current Bruins last season when James Madison came to Autzen Stadium for a College Football Playoff game. Chesney's offense struggled at first, but had a big second half and totaled 503 yards of offense in the 51-34 loss to the Ducks. Chesney left James Madison for the Dukes in the offseason, bringing offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy and defensive coordinator Colin Hitschler along for the ride.

Chesney also brought running back Wayne Knight to Los Angeles, who Lanning called "as good as anyone we'll go against this year." So far this season, Knight has been the heart of the UCLA offense, amassing 445 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. The Bruins are scoring 44.8 points per game this season, so the Ducks will have their hands full.

"They're running the football as well as anybody in college football, and they create explosive plays," Lanning said of UCLA's offense. "They've got good quarterback play, and then defense. They're aggressive, they attack, they've got a lot of different looks. They certainly present some challenges."

The Bruins have 11 transfers from James Madison, so there is plenty of familiarity on both sides of the ball, and it is showing. A team full of transfers with an explosive new leader can lead to surprises, similar to one Oregon faced last season at home against Indiana. While the Ducks were expected to face a significant challenge, they were also expected to win the game as a championship contender.

Instead, Indiana used the road win to launch its campaign as a serious contender in the Big Ten and nationally. UCLA might not have the same ceiling this season, but it is another spot where a team is coming into Autzen Stadium preparing to make a statement to the nation.

Time will tell if Oregon is up for the task this time around. The Ducks are preparing to operate without Dante Moore after the bye week, with Dylan Raiola looking to continue building upon his strong first impression and make his first start as a Duck. Lanning noted the defense will need to take a big step this week after surrendering several explosive plays against USC.

Oregon and UCLA both have the week off to prepare for the ranked showdown on the big stage. The Ducks and Bruins will kick off on Oct. 10 at 12:30 p.m. PT, with the game airing live on CBS.

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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Dan Lanning likens UCLA to Oregon's biggest enemy in 2025

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