Notable quotes from Dan Lanning's presser after CFP seeding

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The Oregon Ducks had the pleasure of sitting on the sidelines and resting over the last week while a handful of teams prepared for conference championship games, giving Dan Lanning’s team a chance to get healthy and prepare for the coming College Football Playoff.

On Sunday morning, it was finally announced where the Ducks would be in that playoff and who they would face. Oregon is officially the No. 5 seed in the playoff, giving them a home game in the first round against the No. 12 James Madison Dukes at Autzen Stadium on Saturday, December 20 at 4:30 p.m. PT.

With that announcement official, Lanning met with media members on Sunday afternoon to talk about the seeding, the first-round matchup, and where his team is at heading into the postseason. Here are some of the top quotes from that presser:

Opening Statement

Lanning: I know our players are excited to play this team. Just really getting started, hopping in, and evaluating these guys better. Watch them a little bit this afternoon. Obviously, they have a really talented team. Coach Chesney has done a really good job with these guys. They’ve been really successful in several games, you know, just looking through it this morning, I think they’ve had nine games where they rushed forward 200 yards, and that’s a common component for them and their success. Played really good defense and really good special teams. So excited about the opportunity.

Dante Moore’s Growth

Question: Where has Dante Moore grown and improved over the course of the season?

Lanning: Yeah, I just think the maturity of time. You know, we started this season with a lot of guys, you know, Dante being one of them, that experience had been limited, and we got to see a lot of action and practice, but now that experience is no longer limited. You’ve seen the guy win a game for us in overtime. You’ve seen the guy create two-minute drives that turned into success for our team. You see a guy that’s won over his teammates, you know, so many people fighting for positions throughout the season. He’s a person who stepped up and has great maturity, a great disposition that I think, showing up for us throughout the season.”

Learning from 2024

Question: Despite not having a bye, you still have 21 days off between games this year. What did you learn from that long layover last year when it comes to getting guys healthy, but also avoiding rust build-up?

Lanning: “There are some benefits to how this has played out, potentially this year, just with class wrapping up. A lot of those things have been a piece of this that our players are dealing with, finishing up classes, finals, giving them an opportunity to have a little bit of a reset. This past week for us was really more lifts and just an opportunity to attack the classroom and get a little bit of a break from us, which I think is a positive. And then be able to reset in this coming week into what it’ll look like moving forward. So certainly some lessons learned. I won’t share all those, but taking a little bit of a different approach to some of the things we attacked this season.”

Preparing for James Madison

Question: Playing a smaller school, how do you build a gameplan for a school like James Madison when you may not have seen a ton of their games this year?

Lanning: “Yeah, really no different than every other team that we prepare for. You’re usually so focused on the team that you’re currently playing that you’re not watching a lot of other college games throughout the season. So as the film gets uploaded on your system, you start breaking them down. You try to take an opportunity to go back and watch those, and that’s what we’ve already started today. So the process is really no different. Evaluate the film that you see, attack what you see, try to talk to some people who have maybe played common opponents, see what opinions they have on that team, and break it down just like a normal week.”

A Fan Weekend

Question: What was it like watching football over this past weekend while not having to worry about playing?

Lanning: “Probably a little bit more like a fan, like you guys. I was just flipping channels, watching football all weekend. It was awesome. I mean, I guess that’s what people get to do on a normal Saturday. But yeah, we watched all of them; we watched Tulane, watched a little bit of JMU, watched each game that was on. So it was fun to be able to sit back, watch, and evaluate.”

A Pitch to Fans

Question: A lot of students may be heading home for Christmas, but what is your pitch to those fans to stay in Eugene and come to this game?

Lanning: “I don’t think I have to create a pitch. Our fans are going to show out for this game. There’s zero doubt in my mind that they’ll be there. If it’s not a student, it’ll be another Oregon fan that’s in there, but they don’t want to miss the opportunity. To see the one playoff game in Autzen Stadium, that hasn’t happened before. So I think we’ll have a lot of fans there ready to support it and ready to see that myself.”

Coordinator Hires

Question: Can you confirm the reports that Drew Mehringer and Chris Hampton are being promoted to the coordinator roles?

Lanning: “Yeah, I’m not going to hop on that right now. Certainly appreciate there will be great opportunities for a lot of guys within our staff. But that’s not the focus of this talk.”

Traveling Path

Question: Not to look ahead, but the potential path if you guys keep winning has you flying across the country for three straight games. How do you handle that potential?

Lanning: “If anybody’s prepared for it, it’s us. We’ve done it a lot, and I think we travel really well. We’ll try to keep the routine as simple as possible, as much like normal games that we’ve done in the past, but before we ever get to that point, we’ve got to take care of business.”

Jalen Lott and Kendre Harrison

Question: I was wondering if you could speak on the additions of Kendre Harrison and Jalen Lott, since they had not signed the last time we talked to you?

Lanning: “I certainly want to focus on the playoff game, but we were able to add some elite players. And those are two guys who are certainly worthy of that discussion. You watch what they’ve done for their teams, what they were able to create with their high school teams. You know, Kendre is a guy I got to see in person play. He set school records there for touchdowns, obviously a huge target in the red area, but also a guy who can carry the ball. He does a lot of different stuff. And then the same thing for Jalen. He’s a guy that got multiple touches, you know, his speed, I think everyone recognized his catch radius, his ability. It just shows up consistently on film. And certainly a guy that has a lot of, you know, versatility for his team. We’re hoping to carry that over here to Oregon.”

Unique Playoff Matchups

Question: What are your thoughts on the playoff as a whole and some of the unique matchups that it creates, but also how it has led to some teams opting out of bowl games if they don’t make it into the CFP?

Lanning: “I mean, it’s creating some opportunities. Like this game would probably never exist. They’ll never really be a situation we play a team like James Madison, so it’s unique in the way that it’s set up. You know, it’s the college football playoff itself that takes away some excitement in some of these other bowl games. I think we’re all seeing it now, today, where teams are dropping out right and left. It’s great to be a team that’s getting an opportunity to continue to play ball right now. And while these are unique matchups that, you know, are fun, it’s fun to be a part of something. It’s a little bit more of a March Madness feel nowadays then football, it’s changed a little bit.”

A Balancing Act

Question: You’ve been in the position that Will Stein and Tosh Lupoi are in, balancing new coaching jobs while staying on as coordinators for the playoff. What is that balancing act like?

Lanning: “Yeah, it’s a tough position to be in, but it’s one that’s really rewarding. You know, the hard part is just not being able to be boots on the ground there, and being here, you know, and focusing on what’s going on here. Because the reality is, you have to be able to do a job here, and you have to be present for that job, so the hard part is doing that, knowing that you’re not going to be able to be somewhere else. You got people you trust there, but there’ll be a lot of conversations between now and the end of the thing for those guys to be able to make sure they maximize that opportunity.”

Bob Chesney

Question: How familiar are you with Bob Chesney and have you guys ever crossed paths?

Lanning: “Yeah, not a lot of familiarity beyond what. Been able to watch this morning. Haven’t worked with him before, but I am familiar with his path and have been able to follow him and the success that he’s had, and obviously, he’s done an unbelievable job.”

Dakorien Moore’s Rehab

Question: How have you seen Dakorien Moore attack his rehab over the last month?

Lanning: “I think it starts with mindset. And, you know, Dakorien, like several of the other guys that have been in that position, realize that they have a job to do, as far as pushing themselves to be back in a position where they can help this team, and they can still help this team when they’re not out there on the field necessarily for us. So really proud of how he’s handled that, proud of several of those guys and how they’ve handled that situation.”

Autzen Weather in December

Question: How do you imagine the weather will play a factor for this December game in Autzen?

Lanning: “It’s going to be a great atmosphere. You know, the 10-day forecast around here never necessarily holds true, so we’ll see what that looks like as we prepare ourselves. But one thing I know I can count on is our awesome fans to make this a really fun experience for our student-athletes. And we went out there on senior day, and I remember talking to some of our players saying, ‘I hope this isn’t the last opportunity we get to play on this field.’ Well, now all those seniors get an opportunity to do it one more time here, which is really special.”

Big Game or Business as Usual?

Question: You talk all season about treating each game with the same mentality and not making things bigger than they are. Does that still hold true in the playoff, or do you want your players to go into these matchups knowing how big the stakes are?

Lanning:  “I mean, ultimately, the process is the part you have in place. The process has to be very similar to a normal game, but the stakes are certainly really high, knowing that this is, you know, if you don’t take care of business, you don’t get a redo, you don’t get another opportunity. So there is a difference, but I think that the piece for us is to focus on what allows you to have success and what creates the result you want. And that’s maintaining that process.”

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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Top quotes from Dan Lanning following CFP Selection Sunday seeding

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