Below is a complete transcript of everything Dan Lanning said from his Monday press conference of week one, ahead of a matchup against Idaho.
Jared Mack
The Oregon Ducks will play Idaho this weekend in the first game of the 2024 season, and head coach Dan Lanning met with reporters on Monday night to discuss the upcoming matchup.
Lanning discussed numerous topics, including Idaho's strengths, injury updates, position battles, and more.
Below is a complete transcript of Lanning's press conference with questions and quotes.
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Opening statement:
Lanning: "All right, we are finally here. You know, I think as a coach, you always enjoy all the time you have for prep and to get ready for games and to get your team ready to go out there and play. But I think our guys are certainly excited and ready to go hit somebody else and go play somebody else. Got a tremendous amount of respect for Coach Eck and the job that he's done there at Idaho, he's really, you know, made, made them a really solid team, and obviously a playoff team this past year, and done a good job of winning. And they have some good stuff schematically that creates challenges for you. Also really excited to see our fans on Saturday. They did an unbelievable job selling out the crowd. I think we'll have an awesome support, really, not just this game, but all the games here in Autzen this year, and we always, you know, relish the opportunity to go out there and play in front of our fans. So that being said, we can open it."
Q: What are some specifics of what Idaho does?
Lanning: "They've got some good skill players, you know, they have some guys on their team that are from Oregon that I think it'll mean a lot to them to get the opportunity to play here at Autzen. But ultimately, a lot of movements and shifts, you know, I think those are always a challenge when you're playing teams like that. They have a great wide out in [Jordan] Dwyer that does a good job. They've done a good job of acquiring players. Certainly, they've lost a couple players in the portal, but they've done a good job of acquiring players that I think can create, you know, matchups at times. And they just play, they play really hard, you know, they're well coached. They have an identity. I think they're a team that can run the ball well, and obviously, were really explosive last year, you know, on offense and do a good job of running the ball on defense. So they play good team football.Sound and special teams. They do a lot of stuff well."
Q: What challenge does QB Jack Layne give you guys?
Lanning: "Yeah, he's a really good passer. Obviously, did a great job in the Idaho State game last year, did well in the spring game. You can tell he understands where to go with the ball and trust his guys to go get it. But he throws it well. And I think, you know, people probably underestimate his athleticism as well. He's a guy who can run and was a good player here in the state of Oregon. So obviously that's showing up there for them."
Q: How are you going to plan for Idaho's experience up front?
Lanning: "We have to go play, you know, sound football and good football. But, yeah, they have anexperienced O-line. I think that's something they're going to lean on, for sure. I think they can handle, you know, bigger environments cecause of that, they played some, some hostile environments, like Montana before. This will be a little bit different, I think, here at Autzen, but that's a sound unit, a strength of their team. So I don't think it takes anything special or different for our guys, beyond knowing that they got to play well and do their job."
Q: Who will be the starting center?
Lanning: "Yeah, we'll see on Saturday. There's a lot of guys that I think can play winning football.You guys want to know every single starter. For me, it's about how many guys can play, you know, winning football for us. And you can see more than one guy in those situations."
Q: Has there been any separation between Austin Novosad and Dante Moore as backup QB?
Lanning: "Definitely, both those guys had really good fall camps. They've done a good job in the spring as well. Again, I think we have multiple quarterbacks who can play winning football for us, so they both understand our system. Both of those guys have gone over and helped us get looks from the look team as well, which, that's the key, is playing football.Going out there and have an opportunity to play, you know, winning football. But both those guys, I think, can do that for us."
Q: How do you get this year's team to not overlook an opponent?
Lanning: "I think trust in the process. We know that we want to set the bar for us. You know, what's our bar? What's our standard? What do we want it to look it to look like? And you know, being self aware enough that you can go attack the things that you have to improve. And regardless of who you're playing, when you're playing, we always talk about our biggest opponent is Oregon, right? We have to go play or do the best to be the best version of Oregon that we can be."
Q: What do you enjoy most about the week one preparation?
Lanning: "To see what kind of team you have, right? And I think a lot of fall camp leads up to that. And like I said, as a coach, I always enjoy having the extra time to prepare and get ready. But for our players, I'm sure they're excited to get to play somebody else."
Q: How do you prepare for a week one opponent that had so much movement through the transfer portal?
Lanning: "Yeah, we do a deep dive. I mean, we watch a lot of different film. They have a really dynamic returner that played at Weber State last year. He's been really good. I think he has five kickoff returns for touchdowns. So he's had a lot of success. But that's, that's what you do. You go look at other opponents, and where are other places that those guys have been, and what their film looks like, and how it adds up and matches up with your team."
Q: What is the deciding factor that will go in the starting center competition?
Lanning: "I think a couple things are on the table.I mean, again, how many guys can we have that'll play winning football. We'll send out the group that we think has done the best in fall camp to start the game. But I think for us to think long-term, we have to be able to prepare and have multiple guys play multiple positions."
Q: Are you expecting Jahlil Florence or Dave Iuli or Gary Bryant Jr. to be available on Saturday?
Lanning: "I don't think Jahlil or Dave will be available. I think Gary could be available."
Q: What's a good number for guys who can play on a game-by-game basis?
Lanning: "I don't, we don't set a number. What's winning football, right? So hopefully you know every single guy on our team, but that's not necessarily the case. So we'll play the guys that have earned the opportunity to play. There's some guys that have probably earned the opportunity to play, that have a lot of talent in front of them, and if there's a discrepancy, you play the more talented guy or the guy that's ready right now. There's also some guys that are really talented and could help us, but maybe they're just not there yet. So it's game one. We'll go, we'll go out there and play the guys I think that can contribute to us winning on the football field."
Q: How important is kickoff coverage for this Saturday? And will Andrew Boyle be the kickoff specialist?
Lanning: "I think we have a couple guys that can kick for us, whether it's Boyle or Atticus, you know, even Gage and Grant have all been able to kick. So I think you could see multiple guys there. Kickoff coverage is really important. It's sound, I mean, it's an opportunity to create an explosive play. But for us, that's our first play on defense, so you have to respect who's back there and make sure you do a good job in your lanes. But that's been, you know, the guy that they have back there's been really aggressive in bringing the ball out, and we have to be aware of that."
Q: Where have you seen improvement from some of the newcomers heading into game week?
Lanning: "Just execution. I think that's always a bigger leap for guys coming from high school to college, is the amount of stuff that we ask these guys to absorb and do. And it doesn't matter how good a football player you are if you're not going the right direction or running the right route or doing the right assignment. So being assignment sound and playing relentlessly, that's what we look for."
Q: What were some of your toughest position battles during fall camp?
Lanning: "Honestly, every position. Like we have battles across the board. There's some guys that have established themselves as guys that have played winning football and are clear starters for us, but for us, it's about clocking in every single day. So I think we've seen it in multiple groups, on multiple sides of the ball."
Q: How envision going about the Big Ten's mandatory injury report and keeping things in house?
Lanning: "You mean from you guys? Yeah, just read it on Saturday, that's when you guys will get it. So if you see it on Saturday, you guys can use it from there."
Q: We haven't talked to you since, but what are your thoughts on Bo Nix being named the starter in Denver?
Lanning: "Excited for Bo. You don't know when that's gonna happen or come and I know that's what Bo realized. He just went to work. He's gone to work every single day. And then now that he's been named that wasn't his goal, wasn't to just become the starter it was to play winning football. So I know Bo will be humble and continue to prepare the way he always has. But I think obviously, you know, Denver's a great fit for him, and they've done a good job of developing him as he's been there."
Q: Do you feel that you're seeing your teams growth where it should be?
Lanning: "Yeah, every day. I've been happy with the growth that our team's had. I think they've practiced hard and worked really hard this offseason, but certainly don't want that to stop."
